Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa)

American Indian activist and writer of the Sioux tribe Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (1876-1938) was prominent in the Pan-Indian movement of the 1920s and 1930s. She devoted her life to lobbying for the rights of American Indians.

One of the most outspoken voices raised on behalf of American Indians during the early twentieth century was that of Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, a granddaughter of the famous Sioux chief Sitting Bull. As a writer, she produced a number of essays and short stories that established her as a significant figure in American Indian literature. Her enduring legacy, however, is that of a reformer and activist devoted to improving the lives of American Indians both on and off the reservation. Calling upon her skills...