American Indian Stories (1921) is a collection of stories and essays from Yankton Dakota writer Zitkála-Šá. Published while Zitkála-Šá was at the height of her career as an artist and activist, American Indian Stories collects the author’s personal experiences, the legends and stories passed down through Sioux oral tradition, and her own reflections on the mistreatment of American Indians nationwide. In “My Mother,” Zitkála-Šá remembers the walk she would take with her mother to the river, where they would gather water to use in their wigwam. This simple chore becomes a cherished tradition between the two, allowing Zitkála-Šá’s mother to educate her on the circumstances that led their people to the reservation, depriving them of land and life itself. “The Legends” traces Zitkála-Šá’s childhood experience of learning from the oral tradition passed down from the Dakota elders. In “The Coffee Making,” she remembers the first time she made coffee. While her mother has gone out for the