The Flight of Red Bird 

Zitkala-sa 101  

Zitkala-sa was born on February 22, 1876 on the Yankton Indian Reservation, (although, some sources note that it was Pine Ridge Reservation) which was located in South Dakota. Her traditional name translates to “Red Bird,” but she was given the name Gertrude Simmons after leaving home. Zitkala-sa had taken on a great amount of roles when it came to her career. She was an author, essayist, orator, political activist, musician, composer, lobbyist, editor, and teacher. She is the daughter of Ellen Tate Iyohinwin, whom is a Yankton Nakota woman. While there is information of Zitkala-sa’s mother, very little is known about her father. What is known is her father was a white man named Felker, who left the family at an early stage. Zitkala-sa's heritage is of the Sioux tribe. In 1884, at 8 years old, she was recruited by missionaries and brought to the White’s Manual Labor Institute in Wabash, Indiana. Her book American Indian Stories describes her childhood and early experiences in education. She married Raymond Talesfase Bonnin and became Gertrude Simmons Bonnin in 1902. Her husband was a mixed-race Nakota man, both white and Native-American. Together they had only one son whom they named Raymond Ohiya Bonnin. Zitkala-sa’s work definitely gave a voice for Native-Americans and the realities of colonialism. Zitkala-sa died on January 26, 1938.