In Western culture, we are used to looking through a lens at cultures that we may not understand or that we know little about. It becomes a challenge for the people with stifled voices to be heard and the dominant culture, or colonizing culture, is content with slapping stereotypes and broad ideas to the cultures that are being shut out. For many people, this is not a situation that they are content with. Throughout history, the voices of those being dominated have screamed out and reminded the world that they are still here and active and will be heard. For the Native Americans, and specifically the Paiutes, Sarah Winnemucca is one of those triumphant voices. As a public speaker, translator, writer, and orator, Winnemucca has ingrained herself in history and in the memories of both Native Americans and Westerners.
Winnemucca took the path less travelled and joined her brother and father (Chief of the Paiute tribe) in the fight for freedom and justice from the imposition of Western culture. She occupied a role dominantly held by men and brought attention to her people, transporting them to one of the most famous tribes in Native American history. I found her fascinating because she found herself in a position of those most unheard. As a Native American and a woman in the 19th century, Winnemucca had to fight harder than most to make her voice heard. She found herself embroiled in one of the first great waves of feminism and helped people to understand that a difficult truth is better than a simple stereotype. Winnemucca reached out to those that would give her a chance, which was an ingenious move. Elizabeth Peabody, a leader in the feminist movement, became an ally of Winnemucca and helped her to find a place in history. The alliance with Peabody was a very intelligent move as it provided Winnemucca with a platform and a strong base of women and men that were already involved with the feminist movement and thus supported the humanist cause (Zanjani).
By the end of Winnemucca's life, she had gained the respect of thousands of people. Her father, the chief of her tribe, said that "none of us are worthy of being chief but her" (Zanjani 1). This is a powerful sentiment and displays the impact and power that Winnemucca brought to the fight for Native American justice.
Zanjani, Sally. Sarah Winnemucca. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2001.
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Loretta, I think this was a great woman to write about, especially after reading "The Sacred Hoop". Taking the time to learn about the vital role women have in Indian societies is something that more Americans should do. So often, we think of males when we think of a strong Indian, but we forget that there were/are/will be so many women out there who are leading groups and nations and without this feminine counter-balance, most societies would dwindle.
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