Sarah Thocmentony Winnemucca Hopkins
Personal Information
Born: 1844
Died: 1891
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Native American
Education
approximately 2-3 years
Professional Life
Field of Study: Educator Author
Institution/Corporation: None found
Degrees & Memberships: None found
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1993 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame; 2005 a statue of her was erected in the National Statuary Hall of the US Capitol; 1994 National women's Hall of Fame; October 16 (date of her death in 1891) is Sarah Winnemucca Day in Nevada; an elementary school in Washoe City NV is named for her
Achievements: First to establish native school (1885) for Paiute children in Lovelock NV named the Peabody School after her benefactress; Wrote & published "Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs & Claims" in 1883 it was the 1st autobiography written by a Native american woman & part history of Paiutes during their first 40 years of interactions with European-Americans; 1871 began working as an interpreter for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at fort McDermitt; age 13 she & her sister Mary lived with the family of Major Ormsby & she was taught to read & write English
Her Paiute name, Thocmentony or Tocmetone, translates to "Shell Flower"
1885, with her brother, she established the Peabody School in Lovelock, NV, the 1st native school for Paiute children
Learned to read & write English at age 13 when she & her sister Mary lived with Major Ormsby & his family
Family, especially her grandfather, were in favor of Native American assimilation & encouraged friendly relations & cooperation with Europeans
1883, wrote the 1st known autobiography by a Native American; it also was a history of the 1st 40 years of Paiute interaction with Europeans
Served as an interpreter & negotiator between American Indian tribes & the US Army
1884, testified in front of Congress advocating for the stoppage of forcing native peoples from their lands
Her father was the chief, Winnemucca of the Shoshone tribe whose name means "the giver"
1865, her band was attacked by US soldiers while she & some other relatives were away in San Francisco; 29 Paiutes including her mother & several of her extended family members were murdered
2005, the State of Nevada contributed a statue of her to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the US Capitol
Her grandfather was Tru-ki-zo or Truckee (meaning "good" in Paiute) guided Captain John C. Fremont during his 1843-45 survey & map making expedition in California
1860-65, she & some of her family performed on stage in Virginia City, NV & San Francisco as "The Paiute Royal Family"
She was taken as a hostage by the Bannock during the Bannock War of 1878