Zitkala Sa

Zitkala Sa was a young indian girl. She had an innocence about her that was shown through most of her passage. Her mother warned her of paleface's like the one's who had taken the life of her sister and uncle. Her mother also told her that when she was as tall as her cousin (sunflower) she also could do certain things. In her mothers' eyes she was the best thing the world could offer, she was her entertainment, and also her reason of being. In reality I believe this passage sent the message of how indian life really was. Bonnin was raised in a family at this point in time that consisted of only her mother. I mean yes they were a very close community in which the older generation called the children their grandchildren, but in reality it was just her and her mother sent off to survive in a wilderness full of hardships. This passage showed the struggle of how indians lived, and how their only way to give their children an education was to send them off with white people, whom they disliked strongly. The tribe believed strongly in spirits, and everything had a reason. For example, the growing of the plum tree was not just because of the planting of seeds, but rather it was because of the man burried beneath it that the bush grew so strong. The mother never wanted to send her daughter off, with everything she had she wanted to keep her dear and close to her. But in the same sence she knew that was the only way to better her future, was to send her off to a strange land offered to them by the people that took so much away from indians.