Photo By Elizabeth Fraser | Arlington National Cemetery and the United States Mint hold a remembrance ceremony for...... read more read more
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Native American activist, writer and composer Zitkala-Ša’s contributions to the arts and human rights recently earned her likeness on the U.S. Mint’s latest quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program.
Zitkala-Ša, who has given the Anglicized name Gertrude Simmons Bonnin when sent to a government run boarding school, was a member of the Yankton Dakota Sioux. She edited American Indian Magazine, created the General Federation of Women’s Clubs Indian Welfare Committee and founded—with her husband U.S. Army Capt. Raymond T. Bonnin—the National Council of American Indians. She also wrote numerous books and magazine articles and composed the libretto for the first Native American opera, “The Sun Dance Opera,” based on a sacred Sioux ritual.
On Nov. 6, 2024, as part of National Native American Heritage Month—and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1924 American Indian Citizenship Act—several of Zitkala-Ša’s descendants, along with leaders from Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Mint and the National Museum of the American Indian, gathered in Section 2 for a ceremony to remember her remarkable contributions and to lay the new quarters on her and her husband’s headstone.
Executive Director of the Office of Army Cemeteries and Army National Military Cemeteries Karen Durham-Aguilera welcomed the attendees and briefly spoke about Zitkala-Ša’s crucial role in advocating passage of the Indian Citizenship Act, as well as her husband and their home in Arlington’s nearby Lyon Park neighborhood. “Her story is one of determination, perseverance and commitment to work on the behalf of others,” said Durham- Aguilera.
ANC Command Historian Dr. Stephen Carney placed Zitkala-Ša’s contributions into historical context. After World War I, he explained that Congress authorized only those Native Americans who served honorably in the armed forces could apply for citizenship. “It was the work of Zitkala-Ša and other activists,” Carney said, “that ultimately secured the passage of the Citizenship Act of 1924, which would ultimately settle the question of citizenship for all Native Americans regardless of their service in the U.S. military.”
Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for the U.S. Mint Dennis Fish explained the American Women Quarters Program and the design chosen for Zitkala-Ša's quarter. “The reverse (tails) depicts Zitkala-Ša in traditional Yankton Sioux dress. She is holding a book, which represents her work as an author as well as her successful activism for Native American rights. Behind her, a stylized sun represents her work on The Sun Dance Opera, while a cardinal symbolizes her name, which translates to ‘Red Bird.’ A Yankton Sioux-inspired diamond pattern sits underneath the sun.”
Zitkala-Ša’s descendants each laid a new quarter with her likeness on her headstone. Holly Bonnin Ogle, Zitkala-Ša’s great granddaughter, said she felt honored by the ceremony. “At the end of her life, she thought she really hadn’t done much,” said Ogle. “Little did she know, or maybe she does know.”
Mark Bonnin, Zitkala-Ša’s great-great grandson, and Holly's nephew, appreciated the U.S. Mint’s work to make this unique tribute a reality. “The Mint involved us in everything from artists asking us what we wanted on the coin to including us in committee meetings,” he said. “I was glad to be a part of it.”
Justin Abston, Holly’s son and Zitkala-Ša’s great-great grandson, came to appreciate his ancestor he learned more about her tremendous contributions. “Realizing a lot of other people took notice of what she did was really important to us,” he said, “and it helped to capture our family’s history.”
To learn more about Zitkala-Ša’s life and legacy, see our 2020 blog article, “Commemorating National Native American Heritage Month" (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Blog/Post/11178/Commemorating-National-Native-American-Heritage-Month).
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2024 12:26 |
| Story ID: | 484959 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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