Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims Paperback – July 31, 2017

Great book on life among the Indians. Recommend the following similar 99-cent books on life among the Indians:1.  Bird Woman (Sacajawea) the Guide of Lewis and Clark: Her Own Story Now First Given to the World (1918) 2.  My Life as an Indian: The Story of a Red Woman and a White Man in the Lodges of the Blackfeet (1907) 3.  The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth : Mountaineer, Scout, and Pioneer and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians (1856) 4.  Waheenee: An Indian Girl's Story (1921) (Active Table of Contents) 5.  The Old North Trail: Or, Life, Legends and Religion of the Blackfeet Indians (1910)  (2.99)6.  Two Wilderness Voyagers: A True Tale of Indian Life (1902) 7.  Stories from Indian Wigwams and Northern Campfires (1892) (Linked Table of Contents) 8.  Altowan, or Incidents of Life and Adventure in the Rocky Mountains (1846) 9.  Pocahontas: Alias Matoaka, and Her Descendants Through Her Marriage at Jamestown, Virginia, in April, 1614, with John Rolfe, Gentleman (1887) 10.  Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter and Trader (1791)

This book is a first hand account of the interaction of the Indian and white man in the American West. It is written by a female Indian who spoke and wrote the English language and was actively involved in fighting for their survival. Yes, survival!. It tells of their treatment by the white man and his government, specifically how many government Indian Agents sold the survival items promised the Indian after they were subjugated with the result that many Indians starved or froze to death. Promises from the President down were "like the wind", gone while the ink was still wet. It highlights the pleading of the Indian to be humanely treated and to be able to work and support his family. I believe every American should read this book and perhaps have a better understanding of the alcoholism and despair on Indian reservations present to this day. It is not enough to just feel sorry - this does not give them back their dignity and self respect.

For those interested in the history of western America in the 1800’s, this personal memoir from Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins provides an interesting alternate view. Grand-daughter and daughter of Piute chiefs, Ms. Hopkins’ initial encounter with “white men” inspired fear (she believed they would eat her).Ms. Hopkins overcame her fear and became a much-used interpreter between her tribe and the settlers and soldiers who assumed ownership of the land the Piutes had lived on for centuries. The book chronicles not only her personal history, but includes Ms. Hopkins’ struggle with remaining loyal to people who did not always follow through on their promises. It documents the first years of contact between the Piutes and the European American settlers.The Appendix presents numerous letters from soldiers and citizens, most of them corroborating the information Ms. Hopkins presents in her book. As a historical memoir, this book is considered the first known autobiography by a Native American woman. It should also be thought of as a must-read for any student of American history. Five stars.

Interesting narrative by Sarah Winnemucca on her life among her own Piute people, and the wrongs done to them by the various reservation agents who were supposed to be looking after the interests of the Indians but were instead stealing from them. I think Sarah may have exaggerated her influence among her people as women of that period in history weren't held in quite such esteem as she made out. I also believe she played down her peoples role in the hostilities going on at the time, understandably so, as she was desperate to minimize any punishment that might be meted out to them if seen as the guilty party. But it is hard to believe they were always in the right as she seems to suggest.I've given this book four stars instead of five because I suspect she wasn't always strictly truthful, but even taking that into account it was shocking what was done to the Piute people by those who ought to have been looking after them.

This is a very informative book about northern Nevada and Washington Indian and settler relations between around 1855 and 1900. Winnemucca was born in 1844, so there was much history between the Europeans, the US government and various Indian tribes before she got involved as a translator for the Army and various Indian agents. I think it shows how complicated things were, how prejudices often develop from mistaken facts and then things get compounded through revenge.

Sarah Winnamucca was daughter of a Piute chief. Her grandfather believed that the white men were good and wanted to live at peace with them. His attitude set the stage wherein his people tried to live in peace with the whites. As history shows the Piutes were instead taken advantage of. The Indian agents robbed them blind and were most unreliable in keeping their part of the agreements. Makes my heart so sad for what the whites did to the Native Americans.

Sara Winnemucca was an exceptional representative of her people during a time of great shame and mistreatment of the indigenous people during the great American expansion of the West. Told in her own words, the book gives an authenticity to her story that the reader must reckon with. An absolute MUST read for any American history buff. My only surprise was the large size of the paperback, perhaps created for young adults; I would have preferred a normal-sized version for easier transportation.

Good read though heavy going in parts. An alternative, rather harrowing view of the 'opening up' of the American West.

Very interesting to see life from the Piute side and the largely (conveniently) ignored part of American history, but can be heavy going to read sometimes.

Fantastic service

A lot of sad reading, would make an interesting extended film maybe.The cover photo appears to be Geronimo and some of his Apache renegades and not Piutes!

Not a bad read and point of view from a time of turmoil for the Indians

I am British, I am also very ashamed of the way the American Indian was (and is being) treated by my forebears. All tribes should be reinstated the lands which they, as the original peoples, are entitled. They looked after their lands and everything living on them, we whites do not, we destroy. I was moved by this book, as anyone should be. Give the American Indian their dignity back and maybe, just maybe, we whites may regain some self respect and dignity of our own.