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 The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Modoc War The Modoc War, or the Modoc Campaign (also known as the Lava Beds War), was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and southeastern Oregon from 1872 to 1873. Eadweard M ...

(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 Alfred Benjamin Meacham (1826–1882) was an American Methodist minister, reformer, author and historian, who served as the U.S. Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon (1869–1872). He became a proponent of American Indian interests in the ...

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 Kintpuash, also known as Kientpaush, Kientpoos, and Captain Jack (c. 1837 – October 3, 1873), was a chief of the Modoc tribe of California and Oregon. Kintpuash's name in the Modoc language meant 'Strikes the water brashly.' He led a ...

(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 Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

during the California Gold Rush. 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

.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

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 The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

in present-day Oklahoma. Some other Modoc, including the Riddle family, returned to the Klamath Reservation. Meacham continued to champion Native American rights. 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 The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

of 1876 in Philadelphia, and the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

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 Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon ** Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States ...

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.

References

External links