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    HomeExplore the Capitol CampusThe Art Collection
Sarah Winnemucca Statue
        
                  The Basics
      
Artist
      
Benjamin Victor

Materials
    Bronze

Year
    2005

Location
      
Emancipation Hall

U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

This statue of Sarah Winnemucca was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Nevada in 2005.

Sarah Winnemucca (1844–1891) was a member of the Paiute tribe born in what would later become the state of Nevada. She was the daughter of the Chief Winnemucca and granddaughter of Chief Truckee. Her Paiute name was Thocmetony (or Tocmetoni), which means "shellflower"; it is not known why or when she took the name Sarah. Having a great facility with languages, she served as an interpreter and negotiator between her people and the U.S. Army. In 1878 when the Bannock Indians revolted and were being pursued by the U.S. Army under General Oliver Howard's command, Sarah volunteered for a dangerous mission. Locating her father’s band being forcibly held by the Bannocks, she secretly led them away to army protection in a three-day ride over 230 miles of rugged terrain with little food or rest.

As a spokesperson for her people, she gave over 300 speeches to win support for them, and she met with President Rutherford B. Hayes and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1880. Her 1883 autobiography, *Life among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims*, was the first book written by a Native American woman. She started a school for Native Americans, where she taught children both in their native language and in English. She was married at least twice, first to Lieutenant Edward C. Bartlett and later to Lewis H. Hopkins. Sarah Winnemucca died in 1891.

The Statue

The bronze statue depicts Sarah Winnemucca as she looked around the age of 35, with hair falling to her waist.

Sculpture detail of a book.
    Sculpture of a person's lower body.
    Sculpture detail of a person's hand and arm.
    
Details of the Sarah Winnemucca statue.


She wears a dress adorned with fringe that swirls as if windswept; this and her stance impart a sense of movement. In her right hand she holds a shellflower aloft and with her left arm she holds a book at her side.

A plaque affixed to the pedestal reads:

Sarah Winnemucca
1844–1891
Nevada
Defender of Human rights
Educator
Author of first book by a Native woman

Podcast Episode: Native American Voices in the Capitol Collection

This podcast is part of the Shaping History: Women in Capitol Art series created by the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Listen below to hear about the women artists and women historical figures depicted in the art of the Capitol.



Download the transcript or read more about this episode.

The Sculptor

Sculptor Benjamin Victor (1979– ), who works in Idaho, is also represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection by the bronze statues of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, donated by the state of Iowa in 2014, and Chief Standing Bear, donated by the state of Nebraska in 2019. Serve. Preserve. Inspire.

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