The Indian Children Speak by Juanita Bell Analysis

People said, "Indian children are hard to teach,
Don't expect them to talk."
One day Stubby Little Boy said,
"Last night the moon went all the way with me,
When I went out to walk."
People said, "Indian children are very silent,
Their only words are no and yes."
But ragged Pansy confided softly,
"My dress is old, but at night the moon is kind;
Then I wear a beautiful moon colored dress."
People said, "Indian children are dumb.
They seldom make a reply."
Clearly I hear Delores answer,
"Yes the sunset is so good,
I think God is throwing a bright shawl
Across the shoulders of the sky."
People said, "Indian children have no affection.
They just don't care for anyone."
Then I feel Ramone's hand and hear him whisper,
"A wild animal races in me
Since my mother sleeps under the ground.
Will it always run and run?"
People said, "Indian children are rude.
They don't seem very bright."
Then I remember Joe Henry's remark,
"The tree is hanging down her head
Because the sun is staring at her.
White people always stare.
They do not know it is not polite."
People said, "Indian children never take you in.
Outside their thoughts you'll always stand."
I have forgotton the idle words that People said,
But treasure the day when the iron doors swung wide,
And I stepped into the heart
Of Indian Land.

Analysis 
The title of the poem is ' INDIAN CHILDREN SPEAK'. In fact, the poem is centred around the opinion of the white people on the Red Indian Children. The white are prejudiced enough to form malicious opinions on the children. The speaker has presented love for the Red Indian Children like Pansy, Delores, Ramon, Joe Henry who have unknowingly debunked a very hollow and impossible rumour belittling Red Indians, propagated by the white.
The poem has six stanzas and each stanza presents double views, the view of the white and the view of the Red Indians. The poem runs parallely without having a meeting ground.
Nowhere in the poem does the poet mention Red Indians, but the names mentioned in each stanza are not Indian. The reply the Red Indian Children make in each stanza yet has high resemblance with the Indians from Indian soil. Only God-fearing and humanitarian as Indians are can make such remarks. They are completely spiritual and thoughtful in contrast with the materialistic principles of their white counterparts. Perhaps that is why the poet refers to Red Indians and Indians with a common name: Indian because she finds no gulf between them, between their outlook and temperament. The poet is sympathetic towards the Indian children and wants to highlight them through the poem.
The white people complain that the Indian children are hard to teach, are very silent, dumb, emotionless and have lack of communication skills, but in fact the Indian children are  expressive and are sensitive to any stimuli that affect them and are very imaginative. Pansy says she wears moon- coloured dress to refer to her old, moth-eaten dress which looks like the moon that has innumerable blemishes and shines a dull white colour. Another Red Indian boy- Delores describes the rays of the setting sun as a bright shawl that the sun throws around the shoulders of the sky, which is a beautiful and poetic description of the shroud-like all-encompassing sun rays. Similarly, Raman says 'A wild animal races in me since my mother sleeps under the ground. Will it always run and run?' to mean that he finds his mother's death (mother sleeps under the ground) devastating, and enraging as the fact that his beloved mother can no longer be with him can hardly sink in. Finally Joe Henry uses metaphor to describe how uncouth and vain it is for the white to keep staring at the Red Indians even though they know it is not polite, by stating that the sun (the white) also shamelessly stares at a tree which makes it to hang down her head in embarrassment.
The things that the Red Indian Children say prove the white wrong. They prove their beliefs are actually misconceptions and the children are actually not incomprehensible but very expressive, imaginative and mature.
The last three lines of the poem show what the poet really feels:

I have forgotton the idle words that People said,
But treasure the day when the iron doors swung wide,
And I stepped into the heart
Of Indian Land.

That is, she, despite being a white American woman has been able to shove off her misconceptions about Red Indian Children and been able to step into the Indian Land where the children's real talent and nature were dawned. She treasures and reminisces the day forever.

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