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March 4, 2005
Winnemucca to get D.C. statue
By ERIK LACAYO A bronze statue of the American Indian from western Nevada is scheduled to be enshrined in the Capitol on March 9. The bill approved 418-0 formally accepts the sculpture on behalf of Congress. The Senate is expected to act soon. Each state gets two statues. A bronze statue of former Sen. Patrick McCarran was placed in the Capitol in 1960 as Nevada's first contribution to National Statuary Hall. Sarah Winnemucca, who died in 1891, would become the eighth woman and fourth American Indian to be elevated with a Capitol statue. Her birth date was not known but was believed to be in 1844. Nevada's representatives described Sarah Winnemucca's accomplishments during a brief discussion before the vote. She was the first Native American woman to write a book in English and was an activist on behalf of the Paiute Indians. She worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army and lectured on the East Coast about the plight of the Northern Paiutes. She was also an educator and briefly opened a school for Indian children in Lovelock. "Her national notoriety as a tireless spokeswoman for the Northern Paiute tribe led her many times to Washington, D.C., itself, where she even pleaded her cause in front of President Rutherford B. Hayes himself," Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said Winnemucca learned five languages by the time she was 14. "Sarah is remembered in Nevada for her dedication and strength as an author, teacher, translator, negotiator and spokeswoman for her people," Berkley said. Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said Winnemucca served as a bridge between the white and native cultures. He said she delivered more than 400 speeches on behalf of her people. "Although her life was short, she has become a part of Nevada history," Porter said. |
