28 Facts About Numaga

Numaga died of tuberculosis, a "white man's disease", in 1871.

Numaga was said by some to be the son of Chief Winnemucca and brother of Sarah Winnemucca.

Numaga was called "Young Winnemucca" by the whites, or sometimes just "Winnemucca".

Numaga was at least six feet tall, a man of great physical strength with a quiet dignity which gave him an air of superiority.

Numaga picked up English while working for several seasons as a field hand for the Mission Fathers in the Santa Clara Valley of California.

Numaga was friendly with Poito, whose daughter Sarah and her younger sister were staying in his house to be educated in English and in reading and writing.

Natchez, son of Chief Winnemucca, was the peace-chief at that time and Numaga was the war-chief.

Numaga sent five men to the camp of the Washoe leader Captain Jim to ask him to give up the guilty men, since the arrows had been made by Washoes.

Myron Angel, in his 1881 History of Nevada, said that Numaga was the only chief who spoke in favor of peace.

From his experience with the whites in California, Numaga was more aware of their resources than most of his audience.

Numaga agreed that the white men had greatly wronged the Indians, but pointed out that the whites would be bound to win any war.

Numaga argued that a peaceful course would be wiser, letting the Indians keep their ancestral lands.

The Paiutes led by Numaga lured this force into a dangerous position.

Numaga released two of them in exchange for a promise that they would return with their leader, Naanah.

On 21 August 1860 Numaga met with Lander at the agreed location, and after eating food prepared by Lander's men the two men smoked for a while.

Numaga said he was pleased to hear no promises, because the whites had never kept any promises they had made in the past.

Numaga said he could not guarantee being able to prevent attacks by roaming bands of Paiutes, any more than the "Great Father" had shown he was able to prevent whites from killing Indians.

Numaga said that the violence was due to the hostile attitude of whites, who had ravaged Paiute women and killed their men without cause.

Numaga disclaimed responsibility for the Williams Station incident, which he blamed on a group of Bannocks over whom he had no authority.

Lander asked Numaga to try to restrain the Paiutes from hostilities for a year, and he would try to arrange a treaty under which they would retain possession of the lands they held and regain possession or be paid for lands that had been seized from them.

Numaga said he would try to bring Poito to meet with Frederick Dodge, the Indian agent, to arrange a formal truce.

In 1863 Numaga came to the town of Como, near Virginia City, to issue a formal complaint against the destruction of pine-nut trees.

Numaga explained that the "pine-nut groves were the Indian's orchards", and they depended on them for food.

Numaga was visited by many Paiutes from the Truckee and Walker River reservations.

Numaga was the main speaker, professing friendship for the whites but presenting the Indian grievances.

The warriors who had accompanied Numaga put on an impressive display of horsemanship.

Numaga said that he would take all the Indian prisoners whom Halleck had captured back to the Truckee Reservation, where he would keep watch on them.

Numaga died of tuberculosis on 5 November 1871 near Wadsworth, Nevada.