Born into the Northern Paiute tribe of Nevada in 1844, Sarah Winnemucca straddled two cultures: the traditional life of her people, and the modern ways of her grandfather's white friends. Sarah was smart and good at languages, so she was able to link the two worlds. As she became older, this made her a great leader. She used letters, speeches, and her autobiography, Life among the Piutes, to provide detailed accounts of her people's starvation and unjust relocations.