American Indian Stories (Myths and Legends) [Paperback]

Zitkala-Sa (Author), Dexter Fisher (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0803299028 | ISBN-13: 978-0803299023 | Publication Date: December 1, 1985

Zitkala-Ša (Gertrude Bonnin) was one of the early Indian writers to record tribal legends and tales from oral tradition. Impressions of an Indian Childhood describes her first eight yeas on the Yankton Reservation, where she was born in 1876. Her schooling in Indiana revealed a gift for writing that led in 1901 to the publication of Old Indian Legends, also a Bison Book. For the rest of her rife, this Sioux was in the poignant but creative position of trying to bridge the gap between her own culture and the dominant white one, unable to return fully to the former or to enter fully into the latter.

These pieces, largely autobiographical, were first collected and published in 1921. With their reissue, Zitkala-Ša takes her rightful place among such native interpreters of Sioux culture as Charles A. Eastman and Luther Standing Bear

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Zitkala-sa, renamed Gertrude Simmons by Catholic missionaries, was one of the first Sioux women to write the stories and traditions of her people. The first set of stories in this collection is autobiographical. Zitkala-sa describes living in her mother's wigwam on the Yankton Reservation at the edge of the Missouri River where she is "as free as the wind that blew my hair, and no less spirited than a bounding deer." Until she is eight years old, Zitkala-sa's only fear is "that of intruding myself upon others." Then, despite her mother's objections, she is enticed by visions of endless apple trees and the excitement of riding on "the iron horse" and leaves her mother for school in the east. Although Zitkala-sa goes on to become a teacher, she never stops questioning "whether real life or long-lasting death lies beneath this semblance of [white] civilization." The second half of the book contains stories based on her family's tradition of oral history. The Trial Path describes the course of tribal justice after a murder. Tusee, A Warrior's Daughter, is the courageous and shrewd woman who risks everything for her husband-to-be. The son in The Sioux must kill twice to save his father from starvation. Written with elegant simplicity more than seventy years ago, Zitkala-sa's American Indian Stories remain a powerful plea for justice. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Jesse Larsen

From the Inside Flap

American Indian Stories, first published in 1921, is a collection of childhood stories, allegorical fiction, and an essay. One of the most famous Sioux writers and activists of the modern era, Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin) recalled legends and tales from oral tradition and used experiences from her life and community to educate others about the Yankton Sioux. Determined, controversial, and visionary, she creatively worked to bridge the gap between her own culture and mainstream American society and advocated for Native rights on a national level. Susan Rose Dominguez provides a new introduction to this edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (December 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803299028
• ISBN-13: 978-0803299023
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,174,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A living mosaic of human beings.", September 4, 1999

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Indian Stories (Myths and Legends) (Paperback)

Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin) collected her autobiographical narratives from the Atlantic Monthly (1900-1902), and some fictional folktales, in this 1921 book. Obscure and out of print for decades, it was rediscovered in the 1970s and in 1985 was issued in this facsimile of the first edition, with a helpful forward by Dexter Fisher. It's tempting to call Zitkala-Sa the Native American Zora Neale Hurston, but Zitkala-Sa is too original to be seen as a version of anyone else. The story of her upbringing, and the deceptive luring of her to a missionary-sponsored school in the east, where she found herself held down as her hair was cut (a scene that reads with the intensity of a rape), is riveting and heartrending. Although bitter about her experiences, she achieved a full education in English, expertise on the violin (she performed in Paris), and finally the presidency of the National Council of American Indians, which successfully promoted a law making Native Americans citizens of the United States. The book as a whole reflects her empowerment, but also speaks eloquently in a conquering culture's language of what it is to have no power over your destiny or selfhood. Her integration of several competing selves led her to write this, in "The Great Spirit": "The racial lines, which once were bitterly real, now serve nothing more than marking out a living mosaic of human beings." I for one feel richer for having read this book, and knowing the story of an American hero in her own words. Very highly recommended to all.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story of the human spirit and culture preservation, November 26, 2002

By 

"prismasnow" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Indian Stories (Myths and Legends) (Paperback)

I have never read any Native American literature before but, I had to read these stories for a Literature class and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I would recommend this reading to anyone who is somewhat interested in the history of Native America or who is interest in great story telling. The stories are so visual and Zitkala Sa takes the reader through her childhood memories with passion, emotion, depth and sincerity. Her stories shed light on what happened in that era for those who aren't as familiar with the history of Native Americans. Her experience compels us as humans to take a closer look at our actions and strive to preserve the beauty and differences of all cultures not just of the Native American. Zitkala Sa emerges from her tragic experiences and her loss of culture and spirit to become one of the most notable Native American Activists fighting for the rights of her people and stressing the importance cultural preservation.

All these short stories are beautiful and moving.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Indian Stories, January 9, 2007

By 

Susan Kennedy (San Jose, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Indian Stories (Paperback)

Wonderful book; fascinating stories; important for women and men. Especially important for the significance of minority women writers.