Political life Winnemucca (Paiute leader)

winnemucca younger dressed in army uniform.

during winter of 1872-1873, bad face refused settle on farm @ malheur reservation, despite daughter sarah s asking him join her. said might starve there. took refuge @ base of steens mountain, near reuben , dolly kiger ranch in harney county, oregon. 1873, settlers , government in oregon worried paiute under bad face might join shoshone under chochoco (has no horse). worried potential collaboration of tribe former enemies, modoc people, being led john schonchin , captain jack (modicus), in became modoc war. on april 11, 1873, modoc war ended.

by 1874, winnemucca, sarah , daughter, , 8 warriors appearing @ metropolitan theater in sacramento, california in series of skits on indian life, performed 5 years. while agency led indian agent samuel parrish, in 1875, bad face went , malheur reservation considerable freedom.

parrish built irrigation canals , school reservation. had expanded reservation secure better farmland shoshone, although had no permission. annexed pony blanket s cultivated land , shoshone s traditional hot springs. caused conflict powerful local settlers wanted land; included ranchers henry miller , pete french. started successful campaign have parrish replaced.

in april 1875, bad face, sarah winnemucca, , pony blanket attempted persuade officers @ fort harney reinstate parrish. william v. rinehart , other wealthy opponents retaliated falsely accusing officers @ fort harney, fort mcdermitt, , fort bidwell of supplying food shoshone refused stay on malheur reservation, , helping them stay away. rinehart sworn enemy of both shoshoni , paiute, preferring absolute authority , extermination of indigenous people, possible. parrish replaced rinehart on june 28, 1876, 3 days after custer s fall @ little bighorn. began defrauding , abusing both reservation , non-reservation native people, not giving them adequate supplies of rations.

northeastern oregon settlers prevailed upon congress overturn president ulysses s. grant s pact let nez perce stay in wallowa. on june 13, 1877 chief joseph went on warpath. after refusing move 500 of people high mountain meadow in wallowa valley fort hall reservation in idaho, killed 4 white men. (the reservation have included camas prairie, due clerical error, did not.) paiute, had been leaving malheur reservation escape rinehart , starvation, returned en masse, knowing safer @ reservation during wartime.

bad face , of warriors traveled boise city, dined guests of honor governor mason brayman; assured him of peaceful intent. still, neither go onto malheur reservation rinehart insisted , conditions continued worsen. 2 shoshone dog soldiers came malheur reservation in march 1878 , threatened war there grass. brayman wrote senator w. j. mcconnell on behalf, agreeing shoshoni banattee snakes @ fort hall reservation had ample justification methods pursued, given ongoing loss of natural food supply, camas root, settlers hogs.

on june 16, 1878, salt lake city tribune reported laughing hawk (tambiago), imprisoned @ idaho territorial penitentiary, had informed officials buffalo horn (kotsotiala) meet bad face , has no horse in juniper mountains . officials ignored warning. on may 27, 1878, after holding council of war, shoshone started uprising in eastern oregon killing of james dempsey, white gun dealer lived in harney valley. shoshoni wife. had purchased arms in october 1877 mormons @ salt lake city , sold weapons bannock/bannatte robber snakes, after having urged them year go war. informed idaho governor brayman war eminent. uprising turned second shoshone war, americans called bannock war.

on june 5, sarah winnemucca met pony blanket (egan), left hand, dancer, , 3 coyotes @ malheur indian agency , learned snake indians being starved out of malheur reservation, not buy clothes, , paiute horses being shot. 3 coyotes reported rape of indian girl , confiscation of weapons , horses @ fort hall reservation. gathered money send sarah washington tell president rutherford b. hayes of these problems. left on june 9, 1878. day captain reuben f. bernard caught black buffalo , old bull near oregon-idaho border, after having men pull down telegraph lines shut off war zone communications. wounded both men. before last of lines pulled down, general irvin mcdowell got message through bad face , son natchez, asking them come , keep peace hostile snake @ malheur reservation. consented planned join snakes @ war. on june 10, 1878, congress declared war on western shoshoni nation.

bad face died of poisoning in 1882. san francisco chronicle reported winnemucca died in october 1882 @ coppersmith station, nevada.