This narrative is an autobiographical history of how Zitakala Sa and other Indian kids were taken from their places in order for them to be educated and civilized by missionaries. The kids are promised a drive on the “ Fe Equus caballus ” and many large ruddy apples. The scene is on the Missouri withA the Sioux Indian folk merrily populating in wigwams with weather-stained canvas screens. Missionaries will come and hold the kids ride back to the metropolis on the “ Fe Equus caballus ” . The Indian miss is seven old ages old and does non recognize that over the old ages, she will loseA her individuality, religion, and spirit. Life altering events will happen and neither the “ Great Spirit ” nor the palefaces ‘ God will salvage her from holding a anguished psyche.
The Indian miss enjoys listening to the fables and narratives about her ascendants as her
familyA and her sit around the fire in the tipi. She particularly enjoys listening to the
IktomiA narrative. The Indian miss is engrossed while listening to the warrior state his narrative, and
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sheA admirations what the bluish star on his bronzed brow signifies. There is an old adult female
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at that place, excessively. She has bluish lines on her mentum. The old adult female explains, “ Why my grandchild,
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theyA are signs- secret marks I dare non state you. I shall, nevertheless, tell you a fantastic
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storyA about a adult female who had a cross tattooed upon each of her cheeks. This adult female had
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magicA power behind the Markss on her face. ” The Sioux were steadfast trusters in
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magicA and fables.
These fables are told by grampss and grandmas around the every night fires. The
A storiesA represent the experience and will of the folk ; a community attempt. They want to be certain
that their heritage is passed onto their kids ; nevertheless, as a member of the folk says, “ The most annihilating event for tribal civilization and faith will be the extinction of the Buffalo and the Government ‘s finding to forcibly educate and absorb Indian “ peoples ” .
Missionaries from the East arrive erosion large chapeaus and transporting big Black Marias for theA littleA 1s to be able to be exposed to Christianity and the Bible. The Indian miss ‘s motherA warns, “ They have come to take away Indian male childs and misss to the East. ” SheknowsA that the missionaries are educating these kids to larn about the white adult male ‘s wayA of life. The Indian miss ‘s brother, A DaWeeA had merely returned from being gone for three old ages. Her female parent warns her that their workss are acrimonious ; nevertheless, the Indian miss wants to goA East on the “ Fe Equus caballus ” . She begs her female parent to allow her travel with the missionaries. Her friend, A Judewin, even tells her about the great tree where ruddy apples turn. The translator startsA to talk, “ Yes, small miss, the nice ruddy apples are for those who pick them ; and you willA hold a drive on the Fe Equus caballus if you
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travel with these good people. ” Consequently, A the Indian miss is following the enticement of the large red apple which is merely likeA Eve in the Garden of Eden when Satan tempts her and gets her to eat the apple. The Indian miss hopes of traveling to a new, exciting topographic point. She does non recognize or acknowledge the deceitA that is taking topographic point
A Upon geting in the land of the apples, the Indian miss ‘s spirit is fighting for its lostA freedom. She misses her household awfully and was really scared. The Indian miss merely knowsA one linguistic communication, and that is her female parent ‘s native lingua. The voices murmuring in anA unknown lingua make her nervous. She is wholly unprepared for what was to go on next. Her female parent had taught her that merely unskilled warriors who were captured had their hairA shingled by the enemy. “ Short hair was worn by grievers, and shingled hair by cowards. ” The changing of her apparels, changingA hair, A and a long unknown journeyA helped take to a loss of individuality and a really difficult separation phase from her household. The different haircuts represented different things for the folk. It besides represented conformityA and assimilation for her folk. Her friendA JudewinA says, ” We have to subject becauseA they are strong. ” The Indian miss ‘s hair was of import and a portion of her American Indian identity.A She swears that she will non subject and will fight foremost.
A Once the Indian miss ‘s hair is cut, she instantly loses her spirit which was a portion of her individuality, and it severs her from herself every bit good as her folk. The Indian miss ‘s sad toneA suggestsA that the missionaries ‘ ends to educate and alter the kids ‘s individuality will happenA rapidly. It will besides ensue in the same loss of individuality for many other Native Americans
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over the years.A Their apparels and mocassins were changed for closely cleaving dressesA and places that squeaked. Her hair was now shingled like a coward ‘s.
A The Indian miss loses a beloved schoolmate, and she has problem covering with the miss ‘s decease. The Indian miss had seen an openedA Bible, A the white adult male ‘s Bible among the classmate’sA bed clothings. She was acrimonious that there was disregard of physical ailments. “ This ignorantA adult female was instilling in our Black Marias her superstitious thoughts. ” “ Within aA hebdomad, the Indian miss was actively proving the ironss that which tightly bound her individualityA like a ma for burial ” . TheseA sad memories still overshadow theA crunching school yearss.
A A A A A The Indian miss ‘s female parent becomes concerned about her girl ‘s sadness. Her
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motherA gives her girl and Indian Bible that a missional had given her old ages ago.
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This book was non assisting the immature miss. She rejected the Bible. After hearing her
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mother’sA calls as they pierced the dark, the Indian miss knew that her female parent was
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grievingA for her. The Indian miss ‘s tone suggests strong negative feelings about going
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civilized. Before the missionaries came to the Sioux lands, there was a deep rooted
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traditionA among her people. They lived in wigwams, exchanged narratives around the fires
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atA dark, they wore beaded necklaces, mocassins on their fee, and spoke in their native
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lingua. Now, they no longer accept each other without have oning the civilised apparels of
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theA white adult male and talking English. There is no longer any construction of tradition keeping
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theA folk together. The IndianA girlsA provinces, “ There were no more immature braves in covers
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andA bird of Jove plumes, nor Indian amahs with pretty “ painted cheeks. “ .A This shows
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howA the folk had changed now that their immature 1s were being educated by the white
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manA and missionaries. The white missionaries were coercing them to accept their beliefs
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andA civilization. The Sioux beliefs were no longer accepted.
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A A A A A The Indian miss has a secret meeting with one of the best medical specialty work forces in her folk.
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She has non given up on her beliefs that the medical specialty adult male can assist her. He gives her a
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bunchA of charming roots in a buckskin pouch. This ownership helps her to experience assured that
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sheA will hold friends wherever she goes. She still believed in its appeals and wore it
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throughA all the school modus operandi for more than a twelvemonth. Unfortunately, she loses the small
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buckskinA bag. Therefore, she loses all of her good fortune.
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A A A A A The Indian miss ‘s pride kept her from her female parent for a piece. “ If her female parent had
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knownA about her worn status, she would hold said that the white adult male ‘s documents were
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notA worth the freedom and wellness that she had lost by so. Such a reproof from her
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motherA would hold been unbearable. ” . Finally, the Indian miss will reunite
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withA her female parent for a visit. While speaking with her female parent, her female parent says, “ It was the
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cruelA paleface who caused the decease of your sister and your uncle, my brave brother. It
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isA the same paleface who offers in one thenar the sanctum documents, and with the other gives a
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holyA baptism of firewater. He is the dissembler who read with one oculus, “ ThouA shaltA non
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putting to death ” , and with the other glees upon the agonies of the Indian race. ” . Her
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motherA knows that the white adult male ‘s faith is fake and non all that credible.
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A A A A A The Indian miss easy comprehends that the big ground forces of white instructors in the
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Indian schools had a larger missional credo. It was one which included self-preservation
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asA much as Indian instruction. She will witness a Christian that had power allowA an opium-
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eaterA to keep a place of instructor because he had a lame female parent to take attention of. There
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wouldA be an intoxicated paleface sitting in a physician ‘s chair, while Indian patients were
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takingA their complaints with them to prematurely Gravess. It is difficult to number the white adult male
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teacherA who tortured an ambitious Indian young person by reminding said kid that he was
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nothingA but a “ authorities paper ” . “ At this phase of my ain development, I was ready to
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curseA work forces of little capacity for being the midget their God had made them. I unknown-
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inglyA turned off from my one redemption ” .A The Indian miss was alive, in a
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grave, and destitute. For the white adult male ‘s documents, she had given up her religion in the Great
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Spirit.A She had forgotten about the healing in the trees, Brookss, had made no friends
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amongA the race of people she loathed, and she had been uprooted from her female parent,
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nature, and God.
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A A A A A This hapless Indian miss had lost all sense of ego. The missionaries have forced her to
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acceptA the Christian religion ; so, she returns to a sense of her ain religion. She experiences
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negativeA feelings with Christianity. She remembers her friend deceasing with a Bible in her
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manus, and the Great Spirit had non helped her get through any of her negative experiences.
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Both faiths cause her to inquiry if they are necessary to believe in what they are
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instruction. She ne’er additions the same sense of ego and civilization that she had experienced
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beforeA go forthing her people for the white missional school. The Indian miss feels entirely
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andA confused about the way her life should take. As she says, “ But few there are
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whoA have paused to oppugn whether existent life or durable decease lies beneath this
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semblanceA of civilisation. ” The Indian miss should return to her roots and take
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chargeA of those small 1s that will be following in her footfalls.
