Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891) was a Northern Paiute educator, activist, and author. Born near Humboldt Lake, Nevada, Winnemucca was raised in an influential Paiute family who sent her to study at a Catholic school in California. During the Paiute War, she fled with her family to San Francisco and Virginia City, where they performed on stage as the "Paiute Royal Family" to make ends meet. After a US Cavalry raid led to the deaths of her mother and several members of her family, Winnemucca dedicated herself to advocating for the rights of Native Americans across the country. When the Bannock War of 1878 led to the imprisonment of the Paiute peoples in a Yakima, Washington concentration camp, Winnemucca made her way to Washington, D. C. to petition Congress and the President on their behalf. Over the next decade, she worked as an interpreter, guide, and social worker for imprisoned Native Americans as well as published a critically acclaimed book. Part memoir, part history, Life Among the Paiutes (1883) is considered a landmark of American literature and is likely the first autobiography written by a Native American woman. Despite her remarkable achievements and tireless advocacy on behalf of her people, Winnemucca is a controversial figure among the Paiute, some of whom view her as an assimilationist who used her status for personal gain.
