Winnemucca takes her place in Washington

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, March 10, 2005 | 10:57 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's Sarah Winnemucca has returned to the Capitol -- generations after the Indian activist pleaded with politicians in Washington to ease the plight of Native American nations.

The bronze statue of the Northern Paiute, who died in 1891, arrived Saturday and was placed in the Capitol Rotunda, where it will remain up to six months before it is moved to a permanent location in the building.

Several hundred guests, many who traveled from Nevada, joined state lawmakers and top congressional leaders for a formal -- and for some, emotional -- unveiling ceremony Wednesday.

Before the event, Reno resident Louise Tannheimer, 85, whose mother was a half-sister to Winnemucca, collapsed into a silent sob as she spoke about the Indian leader.

"Now you know how much this means," her husband, Francis, said, his own eyes welling.

This week marked the end of a plodding trek for the statue project, which began with discussion in Nevada about which figure from state history was most deserving of the honor.

"It's been a long, long journey," Gov. Kenny Guinn said at the unveiling. "It is a wonderful tribute to a native Nevadan and a Native American."

Each state is allowed to display two statues of its most notable residents in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall collection. Most states have long since sent their contributions to Washington. A bronze likeness of controversial Nevada Sen. Pat McCarran, the aviation advocate and anti-communist crusader who sometimes antagonized Indians, has stood in the Capitol since 1960.

Winnemucca was the 99th statue put on display; only New Mexico still has only one. The statue is just the eighth depicting a woman and fourth of an American Indian.

"Thank you Nevada for giving us another woman for this distinguished honor," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said.

The multi-lingual Winnemucca was born in 1844 and went on to become an educator, government interpreter and a national advocate for Native Americans who spoke out against injustices to Indians.

She founded a school for Paiute children, and is believed to be the first Native American woman to write a book in English, "Life Among the Piutes."

Elders placed Winnemucca at age 13 with a prominent white family, believing the bright girl would thrive under its tutelage, said Sally Zanjani, author of "Sarah Winnemucca." Winnemucca thrived due largely to her own intellect and wit, ultimately learning five languages. At 27, she was an interpreter for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and later became a renown lecturer who gave roughly 300 speeches, Zanjani said.

In 1880, Winnemucca became one of the first Indian lobbyists, meeting with Interior Secretary Carl Schurz and President Rutherford Hayes to urge the release of Paiutes in confinement in Washington territory. She won their agreement and raced back through "snow and danger" to bring the tribe the good news, Zanjani said.

The government broke its promise. Winnemucca was devastated.

"But she never quit, and that is one of the wonderful things about Sarah," Zanjani said. "She remained true to her heart and always kept up hope."

Winnemucca tried again in Washington, testifying in Congress in 1884 on behalf of the Paiute, who had begun escaping back to Nevada in small groups.

"It really is surreal that she is traveling back to D.C. to stand among some of the nation's greatest Americans," Winnemucca statue artist Benjamin Victor said. "In her time, she was basically doing the same thing, except back then she wasn't getting any respect."

Winnemucca was a controversial figure. Some in her tribe resented her closeness with government officials and soldiers. She said she was at times hated by whites and Indians alike.

"She died believing she was a failure," said Victor, who drew a standing ovation for his work at the Wednesday ceremony. "She's finally getting the respect she deserves."

Victor, 26, a recent graduate of Northern State University in South Dakota and one-time Las Vegas resident, was riveted by Winnemucca's story and by her fierce determination, he said.

Victor began work on the statue in South Dakota nearly a year ago, and spent six weeks last fall finishing the clay figure in a museum studio in Carson City. He often worked nights and spent days talking to visitors and school children.

Victor's initial concept of Winnemucca in a traditional pose evolved into one of Winnemucca taking one step forward with her figure being swept by the wind, appropriate because wind is symbolic of change, Victor said.

"She was always in motion toward a cause," Victor said.

The book in Winnemucca's left hand was essential as an icon of education, he said. In her raised right hand she holds a shellflower, a symbol of peace, Victor said. Winnemucca's white family called her Sarah, but her Paiute name, Thocmetony, means shellflower.

"In a metaphorical sense, she is offering peace to the world, because I see that as her life cause," Victor said.

The Nevada Women's History Project led the drive to honor Winnemucca, and the Nevada Legislature in 2001 chose her as the state's second statue.

"Sarah Winnemucca is the first lady of Nevada," said Gov. Guinn's wife, Dema, who oversaw the fundraising effort that netted about $150,000 for the project. That money also bought a statue copy that will be placed in the Legislative building in Carson City April 6. A half-size replica will be displayed in the Grant Sawyer State Office building in Las Vegas this summer.

The 500-pound, 6-foot-4 sculpture (Winnemucca was only about 5-feet tall) was cast in bronze at a Colorado foundry and shipped to Washington by truck. The statue stands in the Rotunda next to Kansas' Dwight Eisenhower and across from Virginia's George Washington.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the nation would now come to know Winnemucca better. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said she would be remembered for bridging two sides in conflict, one of the most difficult jobs imaginable.

"This was a long time coming," said Ralph Burns, a Pyramid Lake Paiute who gave blessing in the tribe's native language at the Wednesday ceremony. "This really touched the hearts of the Native Americans here."

Winnemucca died of tuberculosis at age 47.

"Her character, her virtues, her accomplishments remind us all what we can achieve," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said. "And the story of her life reminds us of what it means to be an American."