American Indian Stories

“The School Days of an Indian Girl” is divided into seven short sections that describe Zitkála-Šá’s experiences while attending a Christian boarding school far from her home and family. “The Land of Red Apples” describes Zitkála-Šá’s crushed spirit when she realizes that the East is not a magical land of plenty. She encounters discrimination and unwarranted attention on the train ride to the school because she is an American Indian. As soon as she arrives, she feels intense longing for her mother and home.

“The Cutting of My Long Hair” describes Zitkála-Šá’s struggles to adjust to the highly regimented lifestyle of the boarding school, such as strict expectations at mealtimes. She is also told that she will have to cut her long hair. Zitkála-Šá is horrified by this idea because her mother taught her that in her culture, only captured warriors and mourners wore short hair. She hides to avoid a haircut but is eventually found. Zitkála-Šá remarks that when the boarding school staff cut her hair, she “lost her spirit” (31).

In “The Snow Episode” Zitkála-Šá describes how she and her friends were punished for playing in the snow. The girls are told they will be summoned to a school official’s office for punishment.