Indigenous women's activism in preserving Native American education in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Abstract

This thesis examines Indigenous women who fought against federal Indian policies that aimed to eliminate Indigenous cultures and tribal sovereignty. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Sarah Winnemucca, Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Simmons Bonin), and Laura Cornelius Kellogg fought to break down white assimilationist schooling and bring education back to Native nations. Their political work, writing, and leadership highlight how Native women, although seen as subsidiary in white society at the time because of both their race and gender, were at the forefront of Indian political issues. Keywords: Bachelor of Science Early Childhood/Childhood Education, History (B-6), Native, Indigenous, Sarah Winnemucca, Zitkala-Sa, Laura Cornelius Kellogg