# Blue-Star Woman — American Indian Stories character guide

> Blue-Star Woman in American Indian Stories by Zitkála-Šá.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Little Blue-Star, Blue-Star

**First appearance:** 0034-the-widespread-enigma-concerning-blue-star-woman

## Snapshot

An old woman whose unproven tribal identity makes her a pawn for two grafting nephews who promise to secure her land for half of it.

## Who they are

Blue-Star Woman has spent years rehearsing her disappointments to officials who never confirm the facts of her identity, leaving her landless and weary. When her two nephews offer to untangle her riddle, she agrees to their fifty-fifty terms, swayed by their smooth talk and her own hunger — half a crust, she reasons, beats none. Her slow, uncertain 'yes' and her memory of the old White-Horse-Riders who once aided the poor quietly indict the men profiting from her need, and her predicament anchors the book's critique of a bureaucracy that turns kinship into graft.

## Relationships

### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/mother)

_social_

Blue-Star Woman and Mother interact often as acquaintances within the community, possibly sharing cultural or tribal ties.

### [Thowin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/thowin)

_friendship_

Blue-Star Woman and Thowin appear to be allies or companions, with frequent interactions suggesting mutual support.

### [Tusee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/tusee)

_friendship_

Blue-Star Woman and Tusee share a friendly bond, often interacting in social or communal contexts.

### [The Great Spirit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/the_great_spirit)

_psychological_

Blue-Star Woman engages with The Great Spirit in a spiritual or contemplative manner, reflecting inner faith.

### [Uncle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/uncle)

_social_

Blue-Star Woman and Uncle are acquaintances within the community, with limited but cordial interactions.

### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/mother)

_social_

Blue-Star Woman and Mother interact often as acquaintances within the community, possibly sharing cultural or tribal ties.

### [Thowin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/thowin)

_friendship_

Blue-Star Woman and Thowin appear to be allies or companions, with frequent interactions suggesting mutual support.

### [Tusee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/tusee)

_friendship_

Blue-Star Woman and Tusee share a friendly bond, often interacting in social or communal contexts.

## In the story

### [American Indian Stories](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/american-indian-stories)

Central figure in the narratives, representing the Dakota woman's perspective.

### [The Legends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/ii-the-legends)

Referenced indirectly through the tattooed star on the brow of an old warrior, which puzzles the narrator and leads to a story about a woman with crosses tattooed on her cheeks.

### [III: My Mother’s Curse Upon White Settlers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/iii-my-mother-s-curse-upon-white-settlers)

The daughter listening to her mother's warnings and curse.

### [A Dream of Her Grandfather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/a-dream-of-her-grandfather)

The granddaughter who dreams of her grandfather and carries on his humanitarian work.

### [The Widespread Enigma Concerning Blue-Star Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/the-widespread-enigma-concerning-blue-star-woman)

The protagonist, an elderly Sioux woman grappling with her identity and the loss of her land rights under U.S. law.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters/blue_star_woman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/american_indian_stories_se/characters