Zitkala-Sa
Zitkala-Sa is the title character in the book. She accounts her experiences as an Indian American who hails from a Sioux community. Zitkala-Sa is also the narrator in most of the stories in the book. While growing up, Zitkala-Sa's mother told her to avoid white people because they were brutal and discriminative. However, Zitkala-Sa convinced her mother to allow her to join a mission school to get a better education.
After graduating, Zitkala-Sa became a teacher, but she faced a lot of discrimination from her white counterparts. Zitkala-Sa’s narration is all about her experiences with racism and religion. While in the mission school, Zitkala-Sa was forced to cut her hair and do things according to Christianity, but she managed to observe her traditions and spirituality.
Tusee
Tusee is the protagonist of the story "A Warrior's Daughter." Her father gives Tusee a condition that the person who will marry her must bring a scalp of an enemy warrior to him. Therefore, Tusee must be married to a warrior. The young man intending to marry Tusee is captured, and she does everything she can to rescue him.
Zitkala-Sa’s mother
Zitkala-Sa's mother is depicted as a strict parent who does want her daughter to embrace those who discriminate against her. For instance, she discouraged Zitkala-Sa from interacting with white people because they were cruel. Zitkala-Sa’s mother is also a strong believer in Indian traditions. Consequently, she influences Zitkala-Sa to observe her customs and never transform into Christianity despite attending mission schools.
The school director
The school director is a racist character in the story “An Indian Teacher Among Indians.” When Zitkala-Sa started her teaching career in the institution, the school director demeaned her and treated her badly because she was not white. The author uses the school director symbolically to show what Indians go through in their places of work.
The Sioux Man
The Sioux man is among the few Indians who attend the mission school and are converted to Christianity. When The Sioux man returns to his tribe, he starts teaching Christianity, but his move is unwelcome by the locals. The tribe also accuses the Sioux man of neglecting his sick father and being a secretive murderer.
The Blue Star Woman
The Blue Star Woman is a Sioux Woman without a family. Two men claim to be her nephews to secure the right to inherit her land. The locals do not want Blue is not happy that she has landed because the society is patriarchal. Consequently, the story of Blue Star Woman shows readers that in a patriarchal society, a woman has no right to own property.
