The Bannock people in Washington State had held some Paiutes hostage during the Bannock War, including Sarah's father. Winnemucca said she then felt compelled to travel to Washington to help rescue her father and the other Paiutes. Her role in the Bannock War was integral and spurned Sarah to go on her speaking tours: Winnemucca worked for the United States Army translation service against the Bannock to help her people. Thus, she pitted herself willingly against another Native tribe. The conflict of interests was apparent to Sarah. When she relayed the story I noted the sadness in her eyes, but she did not regret helping the Paiute escape from Yakima and return to Nevada. For several days, I toured the state's many burgeoning silver mines, lead mines, and frontier towns as well as the Nevada-Oregon railroad that had recently been built with a hub in Reno. The frontier land was wild and dotted with numerous white-capped mountains. The governor Jewett Adams had been a farmer and rancher in the region, even before Nevada became a state. Adams met me in Reno when he heard of my interest in touring his state. Adams admitted that lawlessness had been a problem in his state and that their sheriffs had a lot of work cut out for them. When asked about Sarah Winnemucca, Adams revealed his views on Native Americans. His ethnocentricism was shared by many of the white settlers I met while there. Many claimed that Native Americans were better off on the reservations and were considered outside the world of white politics and society. Others claimed that the Native Americans would be better off...

Right around the time I visited Nevada, Sarah Winnemucca was planning the development of a special school for Paiute children. The school was to be for Paiute children to learn about their cultural traditions and would also be in the Paiute language. Sarah's vision of a school was a powerful assertion of her desire to preserve the culture she inherited from her father and her grandfather. Sarah relayed her ideas for the school, telling me why she thought the school would be important. I did not have the heart to tell her that the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 would officially shut the doors of her school, by requiring all Native American children be educated in English and by the dominant culture.
Works Cited

Library of Congress. "Today in History: October 14." Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/oct14.html

"Nevada History at a Glance." Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://nevada-history.org/nevada_timeline.html

"Sarah Winnemucca." Nevada Women's History Project. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://www.unr.edu/nwhp/bios/women/winnemucca.htm

"Women of the Hall." Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=172

Zanjani, Sally. Sarah Winnemucca. University of Nebraska Press, 2004.