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Zitkala-Sa. [Gertrude Simmons Bonnin]. American Indian Stories. Washington Hayworth Publishing House 1921

First Edition, signed by the author on the half-title in purple ink, "Zitkala-Sa / (Gertrude Bonnin)". 8vo; 195 pp; tan cloth stamped in red and black in Indian design with author and title in black on front and spine. Lower tips rubbed, spine soiled, about very good. This double signature - Native American and European names - is unusual.Zitkala-Sa [Gertrude Simmons Bonnin] (1876-1938), Indian author and reformer, was born in South Dakota on a reservation. As a child she was educated at a Quaker missionary school in Indiana, and during this time, she grew estranged from her family and from Sioux traditions. She became painfully aware of the tension between tradition and acculturation and of the great lack of understanding people had about Native American cultures. In response, she adopted the named Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird) and began writing about her experiences. Her realizations as a young woman about the difficulties of being part Native American led her to lifelong work in political reform and cultural education. As a political activist, Bonnin worked with and founded several organizations focused on Native American rights. She served as secretary of the first Indian reform organization managed by Indians, the Society of American Indians. She was also the editor of the society's magazine, the American Indian Magazine from 1918 to 1919. After the dissolution of the organization, she founded the National Council of American Indians and was president of the organization until her death in 1938. She also worked through the General Federation of Women's Clubs, helping establish the Indian Welfare Committee in 1921. She and her husband, Raymond Bonnin, lobbied the Congress and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on behalf of the Sioux and the Utes. Bonnin, a talented orator since her youth, also lectured on Sioux culture and the need for reform, appearing in traditional costume. Although she devoted much of her energy to lobbying and political activity, Bonnin also worked toward her goals of education and reform through writing. As a young woman, wrote several autobiographical essays and traditional Indian tales, and these were published in magazines such as Atlantic Monthly and Harper's Monthly. In 1901 she published her first book, Old Indian Legends. After resigning from her postion as editor of American Indian Magazine, Bonnin spent more time lobbying than writing. However, she did not abandon printed word as a tool for reform. American Indian Stories is one of the few literary works she published after working for the American Indian Magazine. The book features reprints of her earlier stories and essays published in Harper's and Atlantic Monthly.Most of her published writings were essays and poetry printed in magazines. NAW I, pp. 198-200, Bloom Native American Women Writers, and Littlefield and Parins A Biobibliography of Native American Writers, 1772-1924.

$US600

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