A Note on "The Trial Path" and "A Warrior's Daughter"

With "The Trial Path" and "A Warrior's Daughter" we get our first two folk
tales that include war between Native Americans. What is also interesting
to note, is the fact that both stories put a strong emphasis on the role
as a father in Native American society. From what Zitkala-Sa has told us
she grew up in a time period when Native Americans were becoming
somewhatAmericanized. Many of the younger Indians within her tribe were
actuallycoming back wearing the "white man's clothing". Her mother even
began to let go of some of the basic Indian ways of living, and adopt some
Americanstyles of living. With this said we have to wonder where exactly
these stories are coming from, and what the significance of these stories are.

What really struck me was how much these two stories emphasized the
fatherrole in Indian society. In one story the father is the deciding factor of
what is to happen to the young man that murdered his son. In the other
story the father is the keeper of his daughter and deciding who is worthy
to court her and who is not. Perhaps this is Zitkala-Sa's way of trying to
convey what she missed out growing up as a child. Perhaps she saw the
role of a father in Native American society as important to the growth of
young Indians. These are just my inferences but In any case, this is
something to think about during the next class.

Something else I noticed in the story of "The Trial Path" is how the horse
was named "Ohiyesa". The name "Ohiyesa" must have some sort of
significance within the Sioux Indian culture, because Charles Eastman was
also known as "Ohiyesa". Both stories also emphasize love and courtship.
The family of the slain son find forgiveness and end up loving the
murderer as their own son. In "A Warrior's Daughter" the woman is so in
love with this man that she enters enemy territory and finds the strength
to save him from captivity. We also have to wonder if this similarity
between these two stories means anything. Did Zitkala-Sa intend to
emphasize the strength of Native American emotion? Again we have to
wonder within the context of her life what the significance of these stories
are, or if it's not that then maybe she finds it significant for her readers to
learn.

~D. A.