Zitkala-sa was a Yankton Dakota writer, musician, educator & activist. Her books are among the first works to bring native tales to English audiences. She co-founded the NCAI, speaking for American-Indian peoples civil rights. She spoke up about the misery of being stripped of her heritage & abused at Indiana boarding schools. 
Her name can be translated to "Red Bird" (:
"A wee child toddling in a wonder world, I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan."
