Zitkala-Ša’s legacy living on through MMIP advocacy in Oklahoma

Pictured: Cheyenne and Arapaho MMIP Chair LaRenda Morgan dresses up as Zitkala-Ša for the Women Voters OKC Women's Suffragette Play

(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) Living only to her early sixties, the legacy of Indigenous advocate Zitkala-Ša continues to impact the Native community, especially in MMIP chapters in Oklahoma, nearly 100 years after her death. 

From publishing stories about the injustice she endured at Indian Boarding Schools to investigating Indigenous injustice facilitated by Oklahoma’s corrupt probate systems, Zitkala-Ša, a Yankton Sioux (Dakota) woman born on her Nation’s reservation in South Dakota, dedicated her life to advocating for Indigenous causes.

This reporting was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two Spirit and Transgender People (MMIWG2T).

She spent her final days in Washington, D.C., the homebase of the National Council of American Indians (NCAI), an organization she founded with her husband and led as president. 

Related Story: Before there was the MMIP movement, there was Zitkala-Ša

No stranger to the U.S. Capitol, Cheyenne and Arapaho Government Relations Director LaRenda Morgan has traveled there many times as part of her work in tribal government. Governor Reggie Wassana of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma is the Southern Plains Region Primary Member of the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee. She has also spent time in Washington on behalf of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and her work as the founder, board member, and chair of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Chapter. 

“I learned about Zitkala-Ša because of self-education on voting rights and American Indians,” Morgan said. “I taught an American Indian Government college course, and in preparation for my class, I researched and learned about Zitkala-Sa.” 

Crediting Zitkala-Ša as one of her inspirations, Morgan even dressed up as her for the League of Women Voters OKC Women's Suffragette Play for Smithsonian’s Democracy Voices and Votes exhibition last year. 

Her outfit featured her own clothes and beadwork. 

“Learning about Zitkala Sa was an affirmation to me of why Native women must be fully present in advocacy work,” Morgan said. “My advocacy began long before I learned about Zitkala-Ša, but reading about her life and struggles with her cultural identity hit home.”

Morgan’s cousin Ida Beard went missing in the summer of 2015. Nearly ten years later, there has been no new evidence or other updates relating to the case. 

“Her case was not taken seriously or investigated thoroughly,” said Morgan.

In 2021, Senate Bill 172, also known as Ida's Law, was signed into law. The bill stated upon securing federal funding, an Office of Liaison Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons was to be established to coordinate efforts and gather data to address MMIP cases. 

Morgan worked with State Representative Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City) to get that legislation passed. 

In 2023, Morgan began working with then Representative Amanda Swope (D-Tulsa) and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Deputy Director Steven Carter to remove the federal funding requirement of Ida’s Law. 

Upon Swope’s departure to serve as the City of Tulsa’s Director of Tribal Policy and Partnerships, Bill 1137 (to remove the federal funding requirement of Ida’s Bill), was transferred to Choctaw citizen and State Representative Ron Stewart (D-Tulsa), who carried it to Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. 

When Stitt vetoed Bill 1137 on National MMIP Awareness Day, saying the legislation singles out victims based solely on their race, Morgan was forced to double down on her advocacy, spending countless hours urging lawmakers to override the governor’s veto and urging other Oklahomans to do the same. 

“There’s not equal protection under the law for Natives, otherwise Ida’s Law would not have  been made law in 2021,” Morgan said. “MMIP would not have been deemed a crisis and President Trump would not have started the Operation Lady Justice or under President Biden the Not Invisible Act Commission with Secretary Deb Haaland, with the Not Invisible Act and Savannas Act heavily supported by Congressman Mullin. And now FBI Director Kash Patel is addressing the crisis.” 

In 2024, Oklahoma ranked second in the nation for missing Indigenous people, with 86 out of 840 reported cases according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

Thanks in large part to Morgan’s tireless efforts, the Oklahoma legislature overrode Stitt’s veto of Bill 1137 just before they adjourned sine die from the 2025 legislative session on May 30. 

“This veto override affirms that missing and murdered Indigenous people will no longer be de-prioritized or minimized, or ignored in the State of Oklahoma where we are ranked top ten in missing persons nationally,” Morgan said.  

A long way since the days of Zitkala-Ša. But still, Morgan says, a long way to go yet.

This reporting was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Fund for Indigenous Journalists: Reporting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two Spirit and Transgender People (MMIWG2T).