OCR Text |
Show THE PAIUTES W E S H A L L R E M A I N : U TA H I N D I A N C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E 137 TEACHER BACKGROUND This lesson examines the experiences of women leaders in Paiute culture. The activity begins with Sarah Winnemucca, the daughter of a chief who lived in the second half of the nineteenth century. She became a leader and fought for Native American rights through peaceful negotiations with the United States. She was also the first American Indian woman to write and secure copyright to an auto-biography, Life Among the Piute: Their Wrongs and Claims. At a time when neither women nor Native Americans were regarded as political equals with white men, Sarah Winnemucca stood her ground, becoming a forerunner of later leaders who fought for the rights of women and American Indians. The lesson draws connections to present-day women leaders of the Paiute Tribe of Utah, such as former chairwomen Lora Tom and Geneal Anderson, current chair woman Jeanine Borchart, and cul-tural leaders Eleanor Toms, Karman Grayman, and Shanan Martineau. Objecti ve The student will understand the life of Sarah Winnemucca and be able to draw connections between Winnemucca's beliefs and accomplishments and the beliefs and impact of contemporary Southern Paiute women leaders. Student Materials Sarah Winnemucca, American Indian Leader Time Frame Three thirty-minute periods Teacher Materials At a Glance: Southern Paiute Women as Leaders We Shall Remain: The Paiute (chapters 6, 10:55-11:44; 7, 13:35-15:21; 11, 24:12-24:54) Female Leaders throughout Paiute History Procedure Have students brainstorm a list of women in politics or positions of power in society. Discuss their answers as a class. Ask the students if they would have had an easier time identifying men in politics or positions of power in society. Discuss the reasons that they think this is the case. Ask whether students believe a person's gender influences the type of leader they are. If so, is this true for women and men? Ask the students if they think their list of women leaders would have been easier or more difficult to fill in if they were talking about the "Old West." Ask students to volunteer any examples of women leaders from the "Old West." Review any answers you get, or discuss why there are not a lot of examples of nineteenth-century female leaders that they have learned about. Pass out the "Sarah Winnemucca, American Indian Leader" student sheets. Have students make two lists as they read, one listing the challenges that Sarah Winnemucca had to overcome and one detail-ing the things she was able to accomplish. (This can be classwork or a homework assignment.) |