Subjects:
history, the Sioux Nation was at the forefront of political aggression.
Already forcing the Native American people onto cramped lands, the dominant
white man began to turn to new solutions in order to kill the salvage and
westernize the Indians. While it was obvious for the most part it is hard to
school an elder and force him/her to repent their ways, the best possible
solution was to disconnect the future generations from their heritage and
exploit their innocence and purity. Methods such as cutting each natives
hair in order to separate them from their former people, banning the young
Indians from making snow angels which in turn reminded each who they really
are, installing proper eating habits and not tolerating any language except
English to be spoken by every native even if he/she did not know how. Call
these methods culture shock, trauma schooling or whatever you must they
slowly helped minimize the Native American culture. If it was not for those
wise enough to cherish their heritage, it is quite possible the culture would
have been lost for ever. Zitkala-Sa was one of those people. Capturing a
. . .
Indian Stories, which was written by Zitkala-Sa about her life and about the
stories she once heard, is now a staple of American literary curriculum.
Her works and messages were being recognized.
If only her mother truly knew at the time of Zitkala-Sa's youth of what
impact she would have then the words that were spoken and the judgments that
followed would have never taken place. She was compelled to "become the literary
counterpart of the oral storytellers of her tribe because she felt compelled
to live up to the critical expectations of her white audience. To Zitkala-Sa's mother, the
missionaries work was no more then to kill the salvage. It was the white man who killed her brother
and daughter. Even more fearful of the white man's effect on her
daughter she accuses her of "trading her faith in the Great Spirit for the
white man's meaningless paper (pg 97). Although threatened by their acts of talking
with the white settlers, she saw them content with where they were expected
to stay. " Zitkala-Sa was evidently a very down to earth
person. In a way she is
unable to see her rebellious nature and individualism was passed down to her
daughter in a fire greater then the brave warriors of their stories. One of those magazines called Harper's
Bazaar wrote, "A young Indian girl, who is attracting much attention in
Eastern cities on account of her beauty and many talents, is Zitkala-Sa. She
is of the Sioux tribe of Dakota and until her ninth year was a veritable
little savage, running wild over the prairie and speaking no language but her
own. She has also published lately a series of articles in a leading
magazine which display a rare command of English and much artistic feeling
(Foreword vii). "
Though long past her time now there is still much evidence of her impact
and gift to the white man's world as well the gift to her mother's world. Fearful of her lost heritage and disobedience of the Great
Spirit, her mother has not yet accepted her daughters wishes to further
herself instead of being content where the white man wished her to be.
Essay's Topics
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