page_title: National Council of American Indians
section_title: Zitkala-Ša and Raymond Bonnin’s Contributions
hierarchical_section_title: National Council of American Indians / Zitkala-Ša and Raymond Bonnin’s Contributions
caption_attribution_description: English: In addition to photographing the Sioux performers sent by Buffalo Bill Cody to her studio, Käsebier was able to arrange a portrait session with Zitkala Sa, "Red Bird," also known as Gertrude Simmons (1876-1938), a Yankton Sioux woman of Native American and white mixed ancestry. She was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, like many of the Sioux traveling with the Wild West show. She was educated at reservation schools, the Carlisle Indian School, Earlham College in Indiana, and the Boston Conservatory of Music. Zitkala Sa became an accomplished author, musician, composer, and dedicated worker for the reform of United States Indian policies. Käsebier photographed Zitkala Sa in tribal dress and western clothing, clearly identifying the two worlds in which this woman lived and worked. In many of the images, Zitkala Sa holds her violin or a book, further indicating her interests. Käsebier experimented with changing backdrops, including a Victorian floral print, and photographic printing. She used the painterly gum-bichromate process for several of these images, adding increased texture and softer tones to the photographs.
context_page_description: The National Council of American Indians was established in February 1926. The beginnings of inquiry about this council began with Zitkála-Šá and Theodora Cunningham on March 1, 1926. This organization's purpose was to advocate for Native American rights and representation before the United States government. The National Council of American Indians focused on the Legislative Branch and their Congressional bills. The council's initial concerns included the H.R. 7826; a bill that would give Congress the power to jail any Indian for six months without trial or any court review. In addition to this, this bill would enforce a $100.00 fine every time a rule was broken within the time served in prison, as outlined by the regulations. Zitkala-Sa, along with her husband Raymond Bonnin, founded the National Council of American Indians. They both were Yankton Sioux Indigenous people. Zitkála-Šá and Raymond Bonnin's contributions to the National Council of American Indians started with its establishment as well as its leadership.
context_section_description: Zitkála-Šá  was also a member of the League of American Penwomen, and their mantra was “who’s who in the nation’s capital, 1927” which informed its members role of Congress and gained access to information about Congressmen in Washington D.C. The League of American Penwomen was an organization started in 1897 by  Marian Longfellow O'Donoghue. This organization would later help with connecting Zitkála-Šá 's activism later in life. In a letter from March 5, 1928, Zitkála-Šá  informed the delegation about the important members of the House Committee on Indian Affairs and specifically whom to speak to. In addition to this, she also advocated for the passing of H.R. 9315. In Section 2 of this bill, it would prohibit the unlawful jailing of Indians and permit them the due process of law as well as providing special law enforcement on the reservation.
  Zitkála-Šá's dedication for Native American rights was shown through her participation with the American Indian magazine, Old Indian Legends, among other artistic projects. She was also a member of the Society of American Indians, created in 1911, which influenced the creation of the Council of American Indians.  Zitkála-Šá  would go on to become an accomplished author of many articles and stories as well as an opera. Her work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs was vital for the continued activism for Native Americans within the United States government. 
  Raymond Bonnin was culturally Yankton and Dakota Yankton and was assigned to work for the Uintah-Ouray reservation, where they worked at fourteen years. He also overtook the position of Executive Secretary-Treasurer in 1929, after Meade Steele. He also was able to fight alongside Zitkála-Šá  for the rights of the National Council of American Indians. At his funeral, Ernest Wilkinson, President of Brigham Young University and prominent leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave the eulogy. Wilkinson was the lawyer Raymond worked with to progress Indigenous lands claims through the U.S. court system.
caption: Zitkála-Šá by Gertrude Käsebier, 1898
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