American Indian Stories and Old Indian Legends

Description

This accessible and affordable volume combines two essential collections by Sioux author Zitkala-Sa.”American Indian Stories” assembles short stories| autobiographical reflections| and political essays that offer poignant reflections on the author’s sense of being stranded between the white and Native American worlds.
“Old Indian Legends” features tales from the oral tradition — legends passed down through the generations that form a genre known as the “retold tale.”
Born on South Dakota’s Yankton Reservation in 1876| Zitkala-Sa felt “as free as the wind that blew my hair| and no less spirited than a bounding deer.” At the age of eight| she traded her freedom for the iron discipline of a Quaker boarding school.
Disillusioned by American society as well as her own tribe| Zitkala-Sa attended college| became a teacher| and wrote about her experiences in a variety of books and magazines.
A prominent advocate for Native American rights throughout her life| she was a key figure in the legislation that granted Native Americans citizenship in 1924.