On Sarah Winnemucca (1)

Yuen M. Ho
English 48B
January 26, 2007
Journal #15 Sarah Winnemucca

I. Quote

“You call my people bloodseeking. My people did not seek to kill them, nor did hey steal their horses—no, far from it. During the winter my people helped them. They gave them as much as they had to eat. They did not hold out their hands and say: -- ‘You can’t have anything to eat unless you pay me.’ No, -- no such word was used by us savages at that time.”

II. Summary

In the above quote, Sarah Winnemucca was trying to protest for her people by clearing out some stereotypes many White people might have at that time. Most White Americans had no understanding of Native Americans and deemed them as ferocious and primitive. Winnemucca felt very disappointed, or even furious at these labels and misunderstanding behind them. Therefore, she tried to present a true picture of her people by telling her story.

III. Response

I admire Sarah Winnemucca for her courage and strong conviction. As an ethnic minority living on foreign soil, sometimes I can also detect some unfriendly glances or meet with blank-faced rebuff when initiating a conversation. Instead of making an effort to help others better understand my culture, I tend to stay behind the curtain refraining myself from unnecessary social contact.

Stereotypes often arise from lack of understanding and knowledge. People tend to rely on what they have heard, rather than from their own experience. In the international community, Chinese are often labeled as being dirty and lousy. I do not demur that these labels reflect part of the reality. Nevertheless, there are many Chinese who are cultured, gentle and well-behaved. It is unfair if bad behavior from some Chinese is generalized to represent the image of all Chinese. There are also Whites who are dirty and lousy, but not all of them are, right?

The use of the word “savages” in this quote is notable because it implies a double meaning. Not just was Winnemucca using it to express her anger towards this untrue label, she was also being sarcastic by implicitly referring the White people who gave them this label as savages themselves, for some White people back at her grandfather’s time had cold-bloodedly killed her community.