Journal for Winnemucca

Francesca Cricchio
Journal for Winnemucca
English 48
January 18th, 2011

“I can imagine his feelings, for I have drank deeply from the same cup. When I think of my past life, and the bitter trials I have endured, I can scarcely believe I live, and yet I do; and, with the help of Him who notes the sparrow’s fall, I mean to fight for my down-trodden race while life lasts.” (503)

“Following the oral tradition of her people, she reaches out to readers with a deeply personal appeal for understanding, recording a portion of the history of the far west from the Native American perspective.” Biography of Sarah Winnemucca published on the Nevada Women’s History site.

Sarah Winnemucca has a unique way of writing about the history of Native Americans not only through her perspective, but through the perspective of a large community of Piute individuals. At the beginning of her story, Life Among the Piutes, Sarah talks about the history of the Piute’s and how they are spread out across Nevada. Her grandfather is the head of their tribe, and he believes that the White man is their friend. He goes on to tell the story of the four children. Two children were dark skinned, while the other two were light skinned. They got along for a while, but then began to argue, and their parents had no choice but to “separate” the children across seas. Sarah’s grandfather believed that one day the white brother and sister would return, and peace would be restored between the two. So when the day came where the White men showed up, Sarah’s grandfather is surprised when he finds that the White men want nothing to do with the Native Americans. As Sarah’s story continues we discover that a great fear develops within the Native Americans, and they decide to flee to the mountains to avoid the Whites “eating them. Their food supply is burned when the Whites reach their camp, and the distance grows even stronger between the two races. Sarah finishes her writing by comparing the the government in Native American society and White society.

The very first quote that I listed is directly from Life Among the Piutes. Sarah is talking about the feeling her grandfather first experienced when he went to kindly greet the White men, and was surprised when they acted adamant and unfriendly to him. Sarah then goes on to say, “I mean to fight for my down-trodden race” which means that no matter what she will do whatever it takes to protect her fellow Native Americans.

I find it very interesting how Sarah writes her stories, because you can tell that she is not writing them for the sake of herself. For instance, in the book she talks about the Native American gatherings, where they all meet around a circle and talk about issues going on within the tribe. Both men and women are equal and treated with the utmost respect. Anybody can talk if they have an opinion, and they will be heard equally. An entire chapter is dedicated to explaining the life and culture of Native Americans, and it is through this chapter that I have learned how much of an important spokesperson she is. She is more than able to “reach out to readers with a deeply personal appeal for understanding” by revealing everything there is to know about Native American culture. Her honest words give us insight to a world that we judged too quickly.