Toby "Winema" Riddle (1848–1920) was a

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language **Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc *Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Mo ...

woman who served as an interpreter in negotiations between the Native American Modoc tribe and the United States Army during the Modoc War (also called the Lava Beds War). She warned the peace commission of a possible Modoc attack, and she saved the life of the chairman Alfred B. Meacham when the 1873 attack took place. She and her family toured with Meacham after the war, starring in his lecture-play "Tragedy of the Lava Beds", to inform American people about the war. Meacham later published a book about Winema, which he dedicated to her. In 1891 Toby Riddle was one of the few Native American women to be awarded a military pension by the United States Congress, for her heroic actions during the peace negotiations in 1873. (Her first name also appears spelled as "Tobey" in historical records.)

Early life and education

She was born Nannookdoowah, which means "strange child," as she was born with red-tinted hair. As a girl, she was named Winema'','' (woman chief) after rescuing some playmates from being caught in cascades in their canoe.Bales, Rebecca
"Winema and the Modoc War: One Woman's Struggle for Peace"
''Prologue Magazine'', Spring 2005, Vol. 37, No. 1, National Archives 2005, Retrieved 30 October 2011 As a young woman, she was said to have ridden with raiding parties of men to gather horses from enemy camps. Winema was a cousin of Kintpuash (also known as Captain Jack), the leader of the Modoc tribe at the time of the Modoc War. Episode 809: Story 2: "Modoc Basket"
''History Detectives'', PBS, account by Debra Herrera, great-great-granddaughter of Toby Riddle, Retrieved 31 October 2011

Marriage and family

Winema married Frank Riddle, a white settler who had emigrated from Kentucky to California during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. They settled near her family in the Lost River area and had a son, ''Charka'' ("the handsome one"). They also named him Jefferson C. Davis Riddle, in honor of the Army general

Jefferson C. Davis Jefferson Columbus Davis (March 2, 1828 – November 30, 1879) was a regular officer of the United States Army during the American Civil War, known for the similarity of his name to that of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and for his kil ...

who ended the Modoc War.

Interpreters

Winema Riddle was one of several Modoc who learned English, and her husband Frank had learned her language. They both served as interpreters before and during negotiations related to the creation of the Klamath Reservation. They served as interpreters again to the peace commission appointed in 1873 to settle the Modoc War.History of the Modoc War by Indians
Indian School Journal: Volume 16, Number 3, p. 230 During the 1873 negotiations, sometimes Winema carried messages between General Edward Canby and Kintpuash'';'' as a woman, she was considered peaceful. After taking a message to Captain Jack's Stronghold to schedule a peace talk, Winema learned of a Modoc plot to assassinate Canby. She warned the peace commission, but they went on as planned with the meeting. Canby and Thomas were killed by Modoc, and other peace commissioners and staff were wounded. Toby Riddle was there and saved Alfred B. Meacham from being scalped and killed. Afterward the US Army, commanded by General

, finally captured Captain Jack and other Modoc leaders. They were tried and convicted before a US military court, and Captain Jack and three others were executed. 153 members of the band were removed as prisoners of war to Indian Territory in present-day

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Some other Modoc, including the Riddle family, returned to the Klamath Reservation. Meacham continued to champion

Native American rights Native American civil rights are the civil rights of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the United States. Native Americans are citizens of their respective federally recognized tribes, Native nations as well as the Cit ...

. He wrote a lecture-play "Tragedy of the Lava Beds", starring Winema, Frank, and their son Jeff, and toured with them and Klamath representatives across the country for the next two years. They reached New York before returning to make their home in Oregon.Rebecca Bales, "Winema, Peacemaker"
, The History Channel Club, 2011, Retrieved 31 October 2011 Meacham said that ''Wi-ne-ma'' was popular with audiences, as she had worked for peace between the peoples. He also published a book about Winema in 1876 and dedicated it to her:

This book is written with the avowed purpose of doing honor to the heroic Wi-ne-ma who at the peril of her life sought to save the ill fated peace commission to the Modoc Indians in 1873. The woman to whom the writer is indebted, under God, for saving his life.

Meacham wrote, the name of

Winema has taken its place beside those of Sara Winnimucca and Sacajawea in the annals of the early west. The personal daring of these Indian Women and the roles they played as negotiators between their people and the palefaces have lifted them above considerations of race into the ranks of the great women of all time.Alfred B. Meacham, ''Wi-ne-ma (The Woman Chief) and Her People'', Hartford: American Publishing Company'', 1876

Because of her heroic role in trying to save the peace commissioners during the 1873 talks, Meacham petitioned Congress to award Riddle a military pension. In 1891 the US Congress authorized a military pension for Toby Riddle of $25 per month, which she received until her death in 1920. Toby and Frank's son Jeff C. Riddle wrote his own account of the Modoc War, to give the Indian perspective, which he published in 1914. Toby attended the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, and the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. In later years, Riddle lived at Yainax Butte, Oregon, on the Klamath Reservation. Many of the Riddle descendants continue to live in the area of the Klamath Reservation.

Legacy and honors

* Winema Riddle was one of the few Native American women to be honored by the US Congress authorizing a military pension for her because of her heroism. * Several regional landmarks are named "Winema" in her honor, including the

Winema National Forest Toby "Winema" Riddle (1848–1920) was a Modoc woman who served as an interpreter in negotiations between the Native American Modoc tribe and the United States Army during the Modoc War (also called the Lava Beds War). She warned the peace ...

References

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