Chief Winnemucca
| Winnemucca | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | Wobitsawahkah, Mubetawaka, and Poito |
| Born | ca. 1820 |
| Died | 1882 |
| Known for | Northern Paiute war chief |
| Spouse(s) | Tuboitonie, Old Winnemucca's daughter |
| Children | Daughter, Sarah Winnemucca, son, Natchez |
| Relatives | Numaga (son or nephew) |
Winnemucca, (ca. 1820–1882) (also called Wobitsawahkah, Bad Face, Winnemucca the Younger, Mubetawaka, and Poito), was born a Shoshone around 1820 in what would later become the Oregon Territory.
When he married the daughter of Old Winnemucca, he became a Paiute according to their tribal rules. They were of the Kuyuidika band of the Northern Paiute. His father-in-law honored him by naming him "Winnemucca the Younger". The name means "The Giver of Spiritual Gifts." Winnemucca the Younger became a war chief with the Kuyuidika.
Winnemucca the Younger (his alternative name "Bad Face" will be used in the remainder of this article) eventually became war chief of the Kuyuidika. He distrusted white settlers more than did his father-in-law.
Trying to define his role in Northern Paiute politics has been an area of controversy for historians. He is primarily known through the writings of his daughter, Sarah Winnemucca. She downplayed his Shoshone roots and connections to distinguish her father and her people as peaceful and to protect them from the prejudice many settlers held against the more warlike Shoshone, also called "Snake Indians". She exaggerated his influence over the Paiute people, saying that he was the principal chief of all the Paiute tribes. Since she served as an interpreter in the area, her viewpoint was adopted by many contemporary Oregonians. Modern historians and ethnologists view Winnemucca more as a "first among equals", with considerable influence over the bands in the Pyramid Lake region.
He was a leading proponent of the Pyramid Lake War of 1860. At the time of the formation of the Paviotso Confederacy at the Ochoco Council of 1851, the Paiute were more allied with his father-in-law, (Old) Chief One Moccasin's plea to keep the peace. The Paiute did not then join the Shoshone and Northern Ute warriors in the war effort. Later, Bad Face led several Paiute units in warfare, and they were mistakenly identified as Snake warriors.
At 3:00 am on March 17, 1865, while Sarah Winnemucca and her grandfather, Old Winnemucca were in Dayton, Nevada, Captain Almond D. Wells' Nevada Volunteer cavalrymen raided their family camp on the shore of what is now known as Winnemucca Lake. The cavalry killed 29 of the 30 old men, women and children in the camp, including two of Old Winnemucca's wives. Bad Face's wife and a daughter were shot, sustaining mortal wounds. His baby son was killed by being thrown into a fire. In 1868 Bad Face surrendered. After that war, his influence decreased considerably. He had little control over events at the Malheur Reservation leading to the Bannock War of 1878.
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