A Note on “A Dream of Her Grandfather”

After reading “A Dream of Her Grandfather” I came to realize that false
hope was common feeling Native Americans experienced. Although, this
section was only two pages, it has had the most impact on me. Native
Americans have fought for what little they have acquired, and it is still
evident that the present generations are still in pursuit for what
belongs to them. Zitkala-sa describes her grandfather as a Dakota
“medicine man,” whom was one of the first to be involved in the affairs
concerning the tribes in Washington D.C. She describes his efforts as
“humanitarian,” and once she grew up she followed in his “footsteps.” She
fought long and hard for the welfare of her people, but as we can see
today, they never got what they deserved.

This dream that Zitkala-sa describes was “eye-opening” for me because it
showed how no matter the circumstances, Native Americans always have
hope. In this section the granddaughter dreams of a cedar chest, from her
grandfather, but it was absent of what she had hoped were the treasured
relics that she once looked upon and coveted. Instead she found something
more remarkable, a vision. I found it interesting that as she gazed upon
the “vision” it grew more real to her to the point of exceeding the
dimensions of the chest. The vision was of a “circular camp...astir with
Indian people,” who stood around and listened to the chieftain crier. He
proclaimed to the people, “Be glad! Rejoice! Look up, and see the new day
dawning! Help is near! Hear me, every one.” I found this uplifting, but I
also discerned that this was false hope that the granddaughter felt.

In my opinion, Native Americans needed this hope, to get through the
tribulations they faced. After reading the last section “America’s Indian
Problem,” clearly Native Americans were always one of the government’s
last thoughts. The administration was clearly inadequate, and continues
to be to this day. Yes, measures have been taken to improve reservations,
but that isn’t enough. This false hope that Zitkala-sa generation had was
necessary to spark the need to fight for their rights. They needed to
have faith that everything was going to work out in the end, if they
didn’t it is possible to think that everything that has been done for the
Natives, despite how limited it had been, may not have happened. I have
many friends that live on the Yurok reservation, and from what I have
seen many have lost hope that there will be better times. It is true,
they are continuing to fight for rights to what is inherently theirs, but
do they see a “new day dawning,” any day soon; no they don’t. Much of
this hope has been lost, but my question is can it be restored and was
hope really needed for the past generations?

~A. Z.