Bonnin drew from her Yankton Dakota heritage for both the libretto and songs for the opera The Sun Dance.
[3] Because American Indian melodies had been an oral tradition, trying to adapt them to use in an opera was, according to Warburton, "like forcing a proverbial square peg into a round hole.
[4] The importance of Bonnin for American Indian opera cannot be underestimated but scholars do not agree on the extent of her role.
According to Catherine Parsons Smith, she was aided by William F. Hanson, who taught at Brigham Young University.
[5][6] But Hanson is generally credited as composer for the opera, and Tara Browner describes Zitkala-Sa as a contributor.