sara winnemucca

Jonathan Harrison, January 21, 2009

Sarah Winnemucca

"I am a shell flower, who could be as strong or beautiful as me."

This quote embodies the mindset that Sarah Winnemucca truely had. It is a simple phrase yet it is also very empowering as well. The quote symbolizes not just herself but her whole native American peoples as well. While ignorant white men looked upon Native Americans as savages and beasts, the quote reminds the Native American population of the true beauty of their culture and the strength of oneself.

Sarah Winnemucca is an interesting character to observe. She is granddaughter and daughter to two powerful forces in the Piutes society. She is around the decision making process of the native leaders and this puts her in a procotious postion of trying to figure out whats best for her people. She must have been torn at all angles for her grandfather fighting along side of white men looks like a sell out to all piutes, yet she still wants their respect. Sarah is living in a time period of violent change. Her old way of life is being forcefully uplifted from her and the new invading palefaces are putting in place a new and foreign lifestyle that none of the piutes are too happy too accept. Sarah is stuck because change is happening no matter what. Their is nothing to be done in oppostion but if no action is taken then her own people look at her as if she herself is a white devil. I don't envy Sarah in anyway. Her life was not simple and through all this she persued to become the first Native American woman to be published and her writings still envoke thought and debate till this day. One might not agree with Sara winnemucca or even feel she was a sellout but no one can deny the true determination and brillance of such a gritty woman forced into a world of turmoil where there seems to be no right anwser to the unsolveable problem.