Zitkala-Sa or Gertrude Bonnin

Zitkala-Sa or Gertrude Bonnin was an Indian girl who grew up on the Yankton reservation. Gertrude was half Indian, since her father was white. She grew up surrounded by her mother's love and affection. She learned morality by listening to the elders' stories. Her best memories were of eating sweet root with her friends and playing in the fields. After attending boarding schools run by whites, Gertrude had an identity crisis. She was a confused adolescent who did not know whether to fit into the white world or Indian world. She respected her Indian upbringing, but she loved the white world of books and music. She was an accomplished musician and orator amongst whites. When she was in the white world, she yearned for her tribal Indian world. When she was in the Indian world, she yearned for the literature and music of the white...