Winnemucca statue prepared for Capitol

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 | 10:52 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's congressional delegation on Tuesday introduced a measure to allow a statue of American Indian Sarah Winnemucca to be installed this year in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall.

It would give Nevada its second statue in the hall and would be the eighth statue of a woman in the hall.

The clay mold of the statue is done and waiting to be bronzed in Colorado, said Bob Harmon of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs, but it will need permission from Congress to be put inside the Capitol.

That's what Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jon Porter, R-Nev., along with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., are seeking with the measure they introduced Tuesday

"Sarah Winnemucca represented the highest ideals of America and deserves to be recognized as a distinguished citizen of Nevada," Gibbons said.

Harmon said the installation date is scheduled for March 9, so Congress will need to approve it before then.

The Winnemucca statue will be Nevada's second statue in the hall, along with one of former Sen. Pat McCarran. Every state, except Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming, has two statues in the hall or along the corridors of the Capitol building. Winnemucca would be the eighth statue of a woman in the building.

Harmon said a replica of the statue in Washington will be made to be used somewhere in the state. Nevada's first lady, Dema Guinn, and the Nevada Women's History project raised about $200,000 to pay for the statues.

Artist Benjamin Victor of Aberdeen, S.D., finished the clay sculpture on Oct. 31, Nevada Day, Harmon said.

"In October, I visited the Nevada State Library Exhibit Gallery where Benjamin Victor's statue of Sarah Winnemucca was on display," said Reid. "It was a beautiful sight, and I am proud she will represent our state in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection."

Winnemucca was the first native woman to publish a personal history. She went on a nationwide lecture series in 1879 to teach people about Indian culture and the difficult life her people experienced on reservations, Reid said.

Porter noted her time as an interpreter for the U.S. military, saying she "worked tirelessly to improve relations between the settlers and Native Americans."

Berkley called her an advocate for justice, as an educator, and as a literary master.

"Sarah Winnemucca was a tireless advocate for Native Americans, a dedicated teacher, and a noted author and speaker," Ensign said. "Her conviction in life and the legacy she left behind make her the perfect choice for Nevada's second statue in the United States Capitol."

archive