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Statue of Notable Nevada Woman Headed to U.S. Capitol

On March 1, the House approved, 418-0, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 5) that would allow for the placement of a statue of Sarah Winnemucca in National Statuary Hall. The Senate approved the resolution by unanimous consent on March 2.

The National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol is comprised of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. The statue of Sarah Winnemucca donated by the State of Nevada will be the 99th statue to join the collection and the eighth honoring a woman.

Sponsored by Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

  • Sarah Winnemucca was the daughter of Chief Winnemucca and the granddaughter of the redoubtable Chief Truckee of the Northern Paiute Tribe;
  • Ms. Winnemucca was an intelligent and respected woman who served an interpreter for the United States Army and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and served as an aide, scout, peacemaker, and interpreter for General Oliver O. Howard during the Bannock War of 1878;
  • In 1883, Ms. Winnemucca published “Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims,” the first book written and published by a Native American woman;
  • Ms. Winnemucca became a tireless spokeswoman for the Northern Paiute Tribe and in 1879, she gave more than 300 speeches throughout the United States concerning the plight of her people; and
  • Ms. Winnemucca, in fighting for justice, peace, and equality for all persons, represented the highest ideals of America and is hereby recognized as a distinguished citizen of Nevada.

 

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) said that Sarah Winnemucca “is remembered in Nevada for her dedication and her strength. She was an author, a teacher, a translator, a negotiator and a spokeswoman for her people. I am proud that Nevada is sharing her legacy with all Americans and international visitors to our Capitol.”

Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) agreed, stating that Sarah Winnemucca “has become a part of Nevada history that will never be forgotten. Sarah is an appropriate tribute to the Silver State, and I am proud to honor her memory as the second representative from Nevada in the National Statuary Hall and in our Nation’s Capitol, as only the eighth woman ever to be represented.”