National Council of American Indians
The National Council of American Indians, established in 1926, emerged from the Red Progressive movement that advocated for the integration of American Indians into mainstream American society. This organization, co-founded by Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, known as Zitkala-Sa, aimed to empower Native Americans by promoting their rights and encouraging political participation, particularly after the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. The Council’s motto, "Help the Indians Help Themselves in Protecting Their Rights and Properties," reflects its focus on self-determination and advocacy.
The National Council was closely aligned with the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which included various prominent women from diverse backgrounds. Early efforts concentrated on facilitating voting and political engagement among Native Americans, achieving notable success in states like Oklahoma and South Dakota. The organization also took a stance against the peyote use associated with the Native American Church and maintained a moderate relationship with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Although the Council played a significant role in discussions about reforms during the early 1930s and supported initiatives like the Indian Reorganization Act, it struggled with internal factionalism. Ultimately, the Council diminished during World War II but left a lasting legacy regarding Native American political activism.
National Council of American Indians
In the early part of the twentieth century, a movement known as the Red Progressive movement called for American Indians to assimilate to the general American lifestyle. It was led by Indians who were well educated and had achieved success in mainstream American society. Among its leaders were Henry Roe Cloud, Thomas L. Sloan, Arthur C. Parker, physicians Charles Eastman and Carlos Montezuma, and Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, a Sioux writer and musician who became known as Zitkala-Sa or Red Bird.
The Red Progressives united at first under the Society of American Indians (SAI), but by the early 1920s that organization had split into several rancorous factions. A number of new organizations appeared, including the National Council of American Indians, founded in 1926 by Gertrude Bonnin and her husband. The organization was closely aligned with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, a mostly white and black organization of successful women. Bonnin had served as secretary of the Society of American Indians and in 1924 had coauthored Oklahoma’s Poor Rich Indians: An Orgy of Graft and Exploitation of the Five Civilized Tribes—Legalized Robbery, a muckraking exposé of graft and greed involving Oklahoma lawyers, judges, and politicians.
The slogan of the National Council of American Indians was “Help the Indians Help Themselves in Protecting Their Rights and Properties.” Its major early emphasis was promoting voting and participation in politics after the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. It was most successful in these efforts in Oklahoma and South Dakota. The organization also advocated banning peyote use and the Native American Church; it took a moderate stance toward the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
In January, 1934, representatives of several organizations were called together in Washington, DC, to confer with President Franklin Roosevelt’s commissioner of Indian affairs, John Collier, on reforms needed to ameliorate the living conditions of Indians. The Bonnins represented both the National Council of American Indians and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. They strongly supported the Indian Reorganization Act, which was adopted by Congress the same year. The council successfully pushed for a requirement for majority rule elections for tribal offices.
The National Council of American Indians, like its predecessors, was torn by factionalism; the Bonnins were its major support. With the coming of World War II, the council faded from existence, but it left behind a strong heritage of Indian political participation.
Bibliography
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Hafen, P. Jane. “‘Help Indians Help Themselves’: Gertrude Bonnin, the SAI, and the NCAI.” Amer. Indian Quarterly 37.3 (2013): 198–218. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 May. 2015.
Iverson, Peter, and Frederick E. Hoxie. Indians in American History. Hoboken: Wiley, 2014. 2nd ed. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 12 May. 2015.
Littleton, Steven A., and James E. Seelye. Voices of the American Indian Experience. Santa Barbara: Greenwood, 2013. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 12 May. 2015.
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