Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician and Activist by Gina Capaldi & Q.L. Pearce

Red Bird is a unique picture book about the life of Zitkala-Sa, a member of the Yankton Sioux nation. Zitkala-Sa was also known as Gertrude Simmons. Red Bird picks up her story in 1883 with Zitkala-Sa living with her family near the Missouri River. She would often sit with four or five friends exchanging necklaces, beaded belts and sometimes even their moccasins. 

In February of 1884 when Zitkala-Sa was eight years old, she begged her parents to be allowed to go with the missionaries to the Land of the Red Apples in the East. Zitkala-Sa's older brother, Dawee had returned from three years of school. Finally her mother agreed. Zitkala-Sa travelled east on a train with three young braves, two tall girls and two other small girls like herself, Judewin and Thowin. They travelled 700 miles to White's Manual Labor Institute in Wabash, Indiana.

At the school, Zitkala-Sa began to cry and was homesick. At school she soon followed the daily routine of waking at six-thirty in the morning, washing, dressing and racing downstairs to roll call. Morning prayers and breakfast were followed by their daily training. Girls were taught how to sew and do housework, while the boys were taught how to care for livestock and farm. After training, they learned how to read and write and how to speak well in public. Zitkala-Sa's heart soared on Saturdays when she had piano and violin lessons.

The White's Institute was run by Quakers who also taught Zitkala-Sa and the other children about equal rights for women and about slavery and instilled in them to be tolerant of others and to work for equality. 

In February of 1887, Zitkala-Sa returned home but found things much changed. Her mother lived in a log home now instead of a tipi. Her brother Dawee like many of the other young men, wore whiteman's trousers and spoke English. Zitkala-Sa felt caught between two worlds, that of her people and the Anglos'. In February 1891, at the age of fifteen, Zitkala-Sa decided to return to the Anglo world, to the White's Institute run by the Quakers. There as a good student, she earned her first diploma in 1895. Zitkala-Sa was such an accomplished musician on violin and piano that she had taken over the music teacher's position when she resigned.

After graduating, Zitkala-Sa did not return home as her mother wished but instead remained in Indiana where she gave music lessons to the Anglo children in the summer. In September 1895, she began her studies at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, financed by the Quakers. It was a time of loneliness and worry for Zitkala-Sa.

She won an oratorical contest at Earlham and went on to win one of two prizes offered at the State contest with her speech about the mistreatment of the Indian people. Sadly, Zitkala-Sa never earned her degree from Earlham as she became very ill and had to leave school. 

But Zitkala-Sa remained undaunted. She taught at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. In 1900 her stories about her people and her culture began appearing in the Atlantic Monthly to great interest. In 1900, Zitkala-Sa's journey back home revealed the shocking truth of the broken promises of the Anglo's who had now taken over the land given to her people.

At first Zitkala-Sa believed the way to help her people was to continue to grow her talents as a musician and so she began studying music and voice at the New England Conservatory of Music. But she returned home to help her family and her elderly mother. Instead she spent many years informing the Anglo's about her people's culture through her writing, music and an opera she wrote. She also began to advocate for the right of Native Americans to vote and become American citizens.

Discussion

Authors Gina Capaldi and Q.L. Pearce adapted three serialized stories Zitkala-Sa wrote at the turn of the twentieth century to tell her story to younger readers. They also indicate in their Author's Note at the front of the book, that they "...have woven additional primary and secondary sources into the text..." reworking the language she used to make it more understandable for today's reader. 

Zitkala-Sa 1898

Zitkala-Sa was a remarkable woman, able to channel her anger and frustration over the treatment of her own people and Native Americans into activism that made a difference. Zitkala-Sa had experienced the misguided attempts of the Quakers to eradicate her own identity and practice of her culture and replace it with the Anglo-European culture. She strove to maintain her Native American identity while using her considerable talents to advocate for indigenous Americans. Zitkala-Sa not only worked to obtain better health care, education, and job opportunities for her people, but also to confront the reneging on land claims and to obtain voting and citizen rights for Native Americans. But Zitkala-Sa not only worked on behalf of her people but for all Americans, by educating them about her culture through her writings and her music. Zitkala-Sa performed before a U.S. President and wrote the opera, Sun Dance, the first opera written by a Native American.

Capaldi and Pearce have written an engaging picture book that is sensitive to the plight of indigenous North Americans while also showcasing Zitkala-Sa's remarkable talents and as well as her determination, resiliency and courage. One example of Zitkala-Sa's determination and courage is her speech at the State oratorical contest, given while a derogatory sign was held up in the audience. Undaunted, she gave the speech and won a prize. Zitkala-Sa's story is enhanced by the expressive illustrations of author, Capaldi. Red Bird is a picture book that can serve as an introduction to this remarkable Native American activist, as well as to the issues that involve the indigenous peoples of North America.

Red Bird contains extra material for those interested in learning more about Zitkala-Sa. There is detailed Afterword, a Selected Bibliography, a Partial List of Zitkala-Sa's Writings as well as a list of books in the Further Reading section.

Book Details:

Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician and Activist by Gina Capaldi & Q.L. Pearce
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books     2011