Sarah Winnemucca

Sally Zanjani

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Year: 2001
• ISBN:
  9780803203037
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

This book is the triumphant and moving story of Sarah Winnemucca (1844–91), one of the most influential and charismatic Native women in American history. Born into a legendary family of Paiute leaders in western Nevada, Sarah dedicated much of her life to working for her people. She played an instrumental and controversial role as interpreter and messenger for the U.S. Army during the Bannock War of 1878 and traveled to Washington in 1880 to obtain the release of her people from confinement on the Yakama Reservation. She toured the East Coast in the 1880s, tirelessly giving speeches about the plight of her people and heavily criticizing the reservation system. In 1883 she produced her autobiography—the first written by a Native woman—and founded a Native school whose educational practices were far ahead of its time. Sally Zanjani also reveals Sarah's notorious sharp tongue and wit, her love of performance, her string of failed relationships, and at the end, possible poisoning by a romantic rival.

Table of contents

• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Prologue
• 1. The World of the Paiutes: "Many years ago, when my people were happier than they are now"
• 2. The San Joaquin: "Rag friend"
• 3. Genoa: "Our dear good friend, Major Ormsby"
• 4. The Pine Nut Mountains: "I felt the world growing cold"
• 5. Winnemucca Lake: "It is a fearful thing to tell, but it must be told"
• 6. Camp McDermit: "Can you wonder that I like to have my people taken care of by the army?"
• 7. Winnemucca: "I would willingly throw off the garments of civilization and mount my pony"
• 8. Malheur Reservation: "I cannot tell or express how happy we were"
• 9. The Bannock War Begins: "I, only an Indian woman, went and saved my father and his people"
• 10. The Bannock War: "I had a vision, and I was screaming in my sleep"
• 11. Yakama Reservation: "I am crying out to you for justice"
• 12. Washington DC: "This which I hold in my hand is our only hope"
• 13. Fort Vancouver: "For shame! For shame! You dare to cry out liberty when you hold us in places against our will"
• 14. Boston: "I pray of you, I implore of you, I beseech of you, hear our pitiful cry to you, sweep away the agency system"
• 16. Henry's Lake: "Let my name die out and be forgotten"
• Epilogue: Sarah Today
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index