[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 21 (Tuesday, March 1, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H800-H803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF SARAH WINNEMUCCA FOR NATIONAL STATUARY HALL

  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 5) providing for the acceptance of 
a statue of

[[Page H801]]

Sarah Winnemucca, presented by the people of Nevada, for placement in 
National Statuary Hall, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                             H. Con. Res. 5

       Whereas Sarah Winnemucca was the daughter of Chief 
     Winnemucca and the granddaughter of the redoubtable Chief 
     Truckee of the Northern Paiute Tribe who led John C. Fremont 
     and his men across the Great Basin to California;
       Whereas Sarah, before her 14th birthday, had acquired five 
     languages, including three Indian dialects, Spanish, and 
     English, and was one of only two Northern Paiutes in Nevada 
     at the time who was able to read, write, and speak English;
       Whereas Sarah was an intelligent and respected woman who 
     served as 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 Idaho;
       Whereas, in 1883, Sarah published Life Among the Paiutes: 
     Their Wrongs and Claims, the first book written and published 
     by a Native American woman;
       Whereas Sarah became a tireless spokeswoman for the 
     Northern Paiute Tribe and in 1879, gave more than 300 
     speeches throughout the United States concerning the plight 
     of her people;
       Whereas Sarah established a nongovernmental school for 
     Paiute children near Lovelock, Nevada, which operated for 
     three years and became a model for future educational 
     facilities for Native American children; and
       Whereas Sarah, 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: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), 

     SECTION 1. ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF SARAH WINNEMUCCA FROM THE 
                   PEOPLE OF NEVADA FOR PLACEMENT IN NATIONAL 
                   STATUARY HALL.

       (a) In General.--The statue of Sarah Winnemucca, furnished 
     by the people of Nevada for placement in National Statuary 
     Hall in accordance with section 1814 of the Revised Statutes 
     of the United States (2 U.S.C. 2131), is accepted in the name 
     of the United States, and the thanks of the Congress are 
     tendered to the people of Nevada for providing this 
     commemoration of one of Nevada's most eminent personages.
       (b) Presentation Ceremony.--The State of Nevada is 
     authorized to use the rotunda of the Capitol on March 9, 
     2005, for a presentation ceremony for the statue. The 
     Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police Board shall 
     take such action as may be necessary with respect to physical 
     preparations and security for the ceremony.
       (c) Display in Rotunda.--The statue shall be displayed in 
     the rotunda of the Capitol for a period of not more than 6 
     months, after which period the statue shall be moved to its 
     permanent location.

     SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL TO GOVERNOR OF NEVADA.

       The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit a 
     copy of this concurrent resolution to the Governor of Nevada.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honor to rise and welcome Nevada's 
second statue to the National Statuary Hall Collection, located inside 
of the United States Capitol. This statue, of Sarah Winnemucca, is a 
welcome addition.
  Sarah Winnemucca was a fascinating and intellectual woman who fought 
for justice, peace, and equality for all persons. Before she reached 
her 14th birthday, for instance, she had learned three Indian dialects 
and the Spanish and English languages. She was an interpreter for the 
United States Army and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and served as an 
aide, scout, peacemaker, and interpreter for General Olive O. Howard 
during the Bannock War of 1878, in Idaho.
  In 1883 she became the first Native American woman to publish a book, 
``Life Amongst the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims.'' In 1879 she gave 
more than 300 speeches throughout the United States concerning the 
plight of her people as a spokeswoman for the Northern Paiute Tribe. 
She went on to found a nongovernmental school for Paiute children near 
Lovelock, Nevada, which operated for 3 years and became a model for 
future educational facilities for Native American children. The people 
of Nevada should be so proud to have such a noble woman in their 
history, and we have a couple of Members today from Nevada whom I know 
are going to talk about that, and also very proud to display her 
likeness in the Nation's Capitol.
  Mr. Speaker, it is most fitting that Nevada's statue of Sarah 
Winnemucca, who represented the highest ideals of America, be welcomed 
into the Halls of the United States Congress. I am so please to be here 
today with the gentlewoman from Nevada and the gentleman from Nevada. 
And with that, I urge passage of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as the Congresswoman from Nevada, I am pleased to 
support H. Con. Res. 5, which provides for the acceptance of the statue 
of Sarah Winnemucca, presented by the State of Nevada, for placement in 
the National Statuary Hall Collection. It also allows for the use of 
the rotunda of the Capitol on March 9 for a presentation ceremony for 
the statue.
  The Nevada legislature designated Sarah Winnemucca as Nevada's second 
statue in 2001. The Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs and Nevada's 
Women's History Project raised the funds necessary to make this statue 
a reality.
  The statue of Sarah Winnemucca will join Nevada's other statue and 
will be the 99th statue in the overall collection, the eighth statue of 
a woman, and the fourth statue of a significant American Indian.
  Benjamin Victor sculpted the bronze statue of Sarah Winnemucca, which 
depicts Sarah as a young woman with her hair falling to her waist; a 
shell flower, for which she was named, in her outstretched right hand; 
a book under her left arm; and wind fluttering through her dress. The 
statue encompasses a sense of movement in order to signify the energy 
that Sarah Winnemucca had throughout her life.
  Sarah was born in Nevada in the Northern Paiute Tribe in 1844. She 
was the daughter of Chief Winnemucca and the granddaughter of Chief 
Truckee. Sarah's Paiute name meant ``shell flower,'' and according to 
Nevada folklore, one of Sarah's happiest memories was celebrating the 
Festival of Flowers every spring when she and all the girls named with 
flower names would go to see if their flowers that they had been named 
for were in bloom yet.
  By the time Sarah was 14, she had learned five languages, three 
Indian dialects, English, and Spanish. When she was older, she used 
these talents as an interpreter for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and 
the U.S. Army.
  Sarah spent her life as a champion of the Paiutes in Nevada and 
across the country. In 1879 she went on a nationwide speaking tour to 
teach people about the Indian culture and the difficult life on the 
Indian reservations. Trying to bridge two seemingly incompatible 
cultures, Sarah gave more than 400 speeches to publicize the injustices 
suffered by the Paiutes and met with high officials in the American 
Government, including President Rutherford B. Hayes, to improve the 
horrendous conditions of Indians living on the reservations.

                              {time}  1415

  Eventually, Sarah received many promises from our government to make 
improvements for her people. Unfortunately, our government broke those 
promises, causing many of her own people to lose confidence in her.
  On Sarah's East Coast speaking tour, she secured thousands of 
signatures on a petition calling for the promised allotment of 
reservation land to individual Paiutes. Congress passed a bill to that 
end in 1884, but once again our government did not live up to its 
commitments.
  Sarah, however, never gave up. In 1883, this extraordinary woman 
wrote a book, ``Life Among the Paiutes,'' which was the first book ever 
published that was written by a Native American woman. Do keep in mind 
that while she was publishing this book, women were not even allowed to 
vote in this country. ``In Life Among the Paiutes,'' Sarah wrote about 
western history from the perspective of the American Indian.
  Sarah was also a dedicated teacher to the Paiute children and 
established Nevada's first school for Indian children called Peabody's 
Institute near Lovelock, Nevada. Unfortunately, the school closed 
within 2 years when Federal funding failed to come through.
  On October 17, 1891, Sarah died of tuberculosis at the age of 47. 
Sarah is remembered in Nevada for her dedication

[[Page H802]]

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. It is with great pride that I helped sponsor this resolution. 
The people of the State of Nevada are very proud and very excited about 
this and are looking forward to the dedication.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this concurrent resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada 
(Mr. Gibbons), and appreciate his support for this resolution.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from 
Ohio for yielding me time to rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 5, 
the Sarah Winnemucca Statue Resolution.
  As we have heard this afternoon, in 1864, the same year the State of 
Nevada entered this Union, the National Statuary Hall was designed and 
designated as a public gallery to honor notable Americans. Each State 
was bestowed the honor of sending two statues to this public gallery, 
depicting citizens who were illustrious for their historic renown or 
for distinguishing civic and military service.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, there are 98 statues from all 50 States, but only 
seven of which are women who are blessing the halls of this Capitol. So 
today I rise with great honor to bring H. Con. Res. 5 to the floor, 
which will allow for Sarah Winnemucca to become the 99th statue and the 
8th woman in this hallowed hall.
  Sarah Winnemucca, whose Indian name says Shell Flower, has a 
distinguished history and life story, a story that symbolizes the 
spirit of American acceptance of diversity.
  Sarah was born in 1844, and was the daughter of Chief Winnemucca and 
the granddaughter of prominent Chief Truckee of the Northern Paiute 
tribe who led John C. Fremont and his men across the Great Basin to 
California.
  By the age of 14, Sarah had learned to speak five languages, which 
served her well as a post interpreter at Camp McDermitt in Northeastern 
Nevada.
  In addition, Sarah's autobiography, Life Among the Paiutes, was the 
first book written by a native American woman. It was Sarah's story of 
the life and customs of the Northern Paiutes and her struggle for 
justice for her people.
  Her national notoriety as a tireless spokeswoman for the Northern 
Paiute tribe led her many times to Washington, D.C. itself, where she 
even pleaded her case in front of then President Rutherford B. Hayes.
  However, no other time in Sarah's long history of distinction serves 
as a better example of her courage and strength than when the Bannock 
War broke out in 1878. During this time, Sarah, without regard for her 
own life, rescued some of her own tribe from hostile Indians. Also 
during this campaign, Sarah served as General Oliver Howard's guide, 
scout and interpreter. In General Howard's own words he called Sarah 
``the most famous Indian woman of the Pacific Coast'' and that ``her 
name should have a place beside the name of Pocahontas in the history 
of this country,'' which is exactly what we are doing here today.
  It is with Benjamin Victors' artistic talent that he truly captures 
Sarah Winnemucca's strength, courage and spirit. It will surely be a 
treat for everyone to witness this magnificent statue.
  I would like to thank the work of our Governor and First Lady who 
were instrumental in facilitating this process, as well as the Nevada's 
Women's History Project, which raised the necessary private funds to 
create this statue.
  Sarah Winnemucca died in 1891, but her fight for peace, justice and 
equality for all persons represents the highest values and ideal of 
this great country even today. Sarah Winnemucca represents Nevada's 
history with honor, and that is why as both a Nevadan and a U.S. 
Congressman, I am proud to welcome Sarah Winnemucca into Statuary Hall, 
so that her spirit will be immortalized in these hallowed halls.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter) and thank him for his support of 
this resolution.
  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about H. Con. Res. 5, 
a bill that is presented before Congress by people of the great State 
of Nevada in order to allow for the placement of our second statue, of 
Sarah Winnemucca, into National Statuary Hall.
  Sarah Winnemucca was born into the Northern Paiute tribe around 1844, 
as my distinguished colleagues have mentioned this afternoon. 
Throughout her life, she lived in various parts of Northern Nevada, 
including Pyramid Lake, McDermitt and Lovelock, Nevada.
  Her life came at a time of major historical changes for her people, 
the Paiutes, and she played a pivotal role in building communications 
between her people and the settlers while defending the Paiute tribe's 
rights.
  At the time of her birth, the Northern Paiutes and Washoes were the 
only inhabitants of what is now Northern Nevada. When the settlers 
started to come through their land, Sarah Winnemucca had to reason 
between the two very different philosophical views that her family 
held. Her grandfather, Chief Truckee, welcomed the arrival of his white 
brothers, whereas her father, Chief Winnemucca, looked upon their 
arrival with disdain.
  Some historians now believe that this inherent conflict between her 
grandfather and father taught Sarah how to better relate to the new 
settlers while working to maintain the integrity of the tribe.
  Sarah led an incredible life, Mr. Speaker. First introduced to the 
settlers at the age of six, by the time she was 14, she had acquired 
five languages, including English and Spanish, a challenge even for 
today.
  By the time Sarah was an adult, immigration had continued to the 
point where Native Americans started being forced into reservations, 
ending the days of hunting and gathering for her tribe.
  At age 27, Sarah began working as an interpreter at the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs at Fort McDermitt on the Nevada-Oregon border. As if 
that was not enough, Sarah even served as an interpreter and scout to 
the Army, traveling at one point without sleep over 200 miles in 48 
hours over all parts of Idaho.
  Sarah was a fearless advocate and speaker on behalf of Native 
American rights throughout the Western United States, Washington D.C., 
and throughout the Eastern U.S., giving more than 400 speeches on 
behalf of the Paiutes.
  Near the end of her life, Sarah dedicated herself to teaching school 
to Paiute children and opened a school near Lovelock, Nevada, for 
Native American children.
  Sarah Winnemucca died in 1891 at the age of 47. Although her life was 
short, she 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 Capital, as only the 
eighth woman ever to be represented.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here today with the other members of 
our delegation in order to welcome Sarah Winnemucca to our National 
Statuary Hall. She is an example for all of us to live up to.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring recognition to 
one of the most influential Native American women of the late 19th 
Century, Sarah Winnemucca, whose statue will be accepted into National 
Statuary Hall this 1st of March 2005. Statuary Hall, a true testament 
to the great diversity of our Nation's heroes.
  Sarah Winnemucca was born to the Northern Paiute tribe in 1844 near 
the Humboldt River in Western Nevada. At the time of her birth, 
Northern Paiute and Washos were the only inhabitants of the land.
  At the age of six, she was introduced to caucasians and was at first 
frightened. She did admire their luxuries and culture. As she grew 
older, her grandfather, as well as many other Paiute, welcomed their 
``white brothers.'' By age 14, she knew five languages and became an 
interpreter for the military.
  As she reached maturity, all Native Americans were moved onto 
reservations and problems for her people began to mount. During the 
Bannock War on 1878, many Paiute's were held prisoner and their land 
was taken. In 1880, Sarah traveled to Washington, DC to

[[Page H803]]

plead for the release of the prisoners and the restoration of their 
land. However, her requests were not granted.
  For the remainder of her life, Sarah was dedicated to giving lectures 
on the East Coast to promote Native American rights. In her lectures, 
she advocated the idea that her people could and should run their own 
lives without the interference of Federal authorities. On October 17, 
1891, Sarah died of tuberculosis at the age of 47. Just before her 
death Sarah founded a school for young Indian children in Lovelock, 
Nevada.
  In 1883, she published the first book written by a Native American 
woman, ``Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims,'' which gave 
a Native American viewpoint of settlers in the west. In her book, she 
wrote of Thocmetony, the name she was given as a young child, and of 
the legacy for which she aspired, ``Somebody will always admire me; and 
who will come and be happy with me in the Spirit-land? I shall be 
beautiful forever there. Yes, she be more beautiful than my shell-
flower, my Thocmetony!''
  Although it is not the Spirit-land of which she speaks, soon we will 
all be able to admire her beauty forever in Statuary Hall, and more 
importantly admire the beauty of her dreams and the work she did to 
make these dreams a reality.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank the gentlewoman from Nevada 
(Ms. Berkley) for her support of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
5, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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