Explaining Indian Concepts of Nature: Zitkala Sa and Luther Standing Bear

This paper is part of the seminar “The Role of Nature in American and Canadian Writing“ and deals with the presentation of the two Indian writers Luther Stan-ding Bear and Zitkala Să. Both of them are seen as representative authors of the first generation of Native American writers at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is divided into two sections. Each of them focuses on one single author, the contents are discussed separately. The first step will be to give the short biography of both authors. These should help to build the authentic background considered that their works are directly related to their personal life and history. In a second step a detailed description of the special concepts and philosophies explaining the Indian vision of nature will be given. The aim of this paper will be to introduce the reader to the understanding of life with nature. In this context special attention will be given to the earth, the elements like sun and air and, of course, to the animals. It is going to show that Luther Standing Bear and Zitkala Să often share the same view, even though they do belong to different tribes. Consequently all discussions serve as a general explanation of the Indian philosophy. In general it will work out the importance of nature to the Native Americans and basically compare the different lifestyles of Indians and whites. In the end this paper will prove what it actually means to be a ‘Native’ American.