Life Among the Paiutes (1883) is a book by Sarah Winnemucca. Written toward the end of a lifetime of advocacy on behalf of Native Americans, Life Among the Paiutes is a hybrid work of history and memoir by Sarah Winnemucca, who witnessed firsthand the dangers of unchecked occupation by US government and military forces. Intended as a rallying cry to white Americans, Life Among the Paiutes is considered the first autobiographical work written by a woman of Native American heritage. Oh my dear good Christian people, how long are you going to stand by and see us suffer at your hands?” First and foremost, Winnemucca’s groundbreaking text is intended for an Anglo-American audience, whose political status the author hopes to use as a means of bringing her message to the halls of Congress. In the memoir section, Winnemucca describes her upbringing among the Northern Paiute in Nevada, whose lives were irrevocably disrupted by incursions from white settlers and military raids. After the murder of her mother and several members of her family by the US Cavalry, Winnemucca dedicated herself to social work and activism, using her knowledge of the English language to reach a larger audience. Weaving her own story into the story of her people, Winnemucca makes a compelling case for the reparation of land and sovereignty to the Northern Paiutes, who had been devastated and dispersed for decades after making contact with American settlers. This edition of Sarah Winnemucca’s Life Among the Paiutes is a classic work of Native American literature reimagined for modern readers.
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Tentang Penulis
Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891) was a Northern Paiute educator, activist, and author. Born near Humboldt Lake, Nevada, Winnemucca was raised in an influential Paiute family who sent her to study at a Catholic school in California. During the Paiute War, she fled with her family to San Francisco and Virginia City, where they performed on stage as the “Paiute Royal Family” to make ends meet. After a US Cavalry raid led to the deaths of her mother and several members of her family, Winnemucca dedicated herself to advocating for the rights of Native Americans across the country. When the Bannock War of 1878 led to the imprisonment of the Paiute peoples in a Yakima, Washington concentration camp, Winnemucca made her way to Washington, D. C. to petition Congress and the President on their behalf. Over the next decade, she worked as an interpreter, guide, and social worker for imprisoned Native Americans as well as published a critically acclaimed book. Part memoir, part history, Life Among the Paiutes (1883) is considered a landmark of American literature and is likely the first autobiography written by a Native American woman. Despite her remarkable achievements and tireless advocacy on behalf of her people, Winnemucca is a controversial figure among the Paiute, some of whom view her as an assimilationist who used her status for personal gain.