Some Native American prophets had foretold the coming of a 'Great White Father' who would bring justice and restore their lands. When the U.S. government passed the Dawes Act, which aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting them individual plots of land, some tribes initially interpreted it as the fulfillment of this prophecy. However, the act ultimately led to the loss of millions of acres of Native land, shattering these hopes.

The disillusionment with the Dawes Act and its prophetic misinterpretation became a theme in Native American literature, reflecting the tragic gap between expectation and reality. Writers like Zitkala-Ša and later poets of the Native American Renaissance used this event to critique federal policy and explore themes of betrayal and cultural survival in their works.