Zitkala-Ša Quarter

The 2024 Zitkala-Ša Quarter is the 15th coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program. Zitkala-Ša was a writer, composer, educator, and political activist for Native American rights. Her advocacy led to the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 which granted American Indians U.S. citizenship while maintaining their tribal standing.

Zitkala-Ša (translated “Red Bird”) was born a member of the Yankton Dakota Sioux on South Dakota’s Yankton Indian Reservation. She received an education through a white missionary boarding school in Wabash, Indiana that prohibited Native American customs and traditions.

She studied at Earlham College, where she won awards for her oratory skills and began collecting and translating Native American oral histories. She then trained as a violinist at the New England Conservatory of Music and performed at the White House for President William McKinley.

Zitkala-Ša was a gifted musician and violinist. She collaborated with William F. Hanson on what is considered the first known American Indian opera. Premiering in Utah in 1913, The Sun Dance Opera was centered on the Sun Dance, a sacred Sioux ceremonial dance that was prohibited by the U.S. government. She felt that the opera would be a powerful way to share her values with diverse audiences.

Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group focused on preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship. She also lectured across the country, promoting the preservation of Native American cultural and tribal identities. In the 1920s, she was active in the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, where she created the Indian Welfare Committee.

Zitkála-Ša and her husband co-founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, which continued to lobby for Native American suffrage rights. She served as the council’s president, public speaker, and major fundraiser, until her death.

Zitkala-Ša died on January 26, 1938, in Washington, DC. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with her husband.