Wuzzie George facts for kids
Wuzzie Dick George (born around c. 1880 – died December 20, 1984) was a talented craftswoman from the Northern Paiute tribe. She worked hard to keep the old ways and customs of her people alive. Wuzzie was a very important helper for Margaret Wheat, an anthropologist who studied the Northern Paiute way of life.
Wuzzie's Early Life
Wuzzie Dick George was born between 1880 and 1883. Her original name was Wizi?i, which meant "Small Animal." This name later became Wuzzie in English. Her parents were Sam and Suzie Dick. They belonged to a group called the "Cattail-Eaters." Wuzzie was a member of the Northern Paiute tribe in western Nevada.
The Paiutes used to move around a lot, following food sources. Wuzzie was born during a trip to gather pine nuts in the Stillwater Mountains. But she lived most of her life in places now known as Fallon and Stillwater, Nevada.
When Wuzzie was a girl, her grandparents, Stovepipe and Mattie, taught her many things. Her grandmother especially shared tribal customs and old stories. These were the traditions Wuzzie would later work to save. When she was 10, her parents separated. Wuzzie then started working for a white family named Ernst. This is how she began to learn English. She also went to the Indian school near Carson City for a short time. But her father took her out after six months because of a measles outbreak.
As a young woman, she met and married Jimmy George. They had eight children together, and five of them lived to be adults. They stayed married until Jimmy passed away in 1969.
Saving Traditional Ways
Wuzzie George taught traditional ways to keep them alive. She taught her own children and grandchildren. She also showed others, even giving demonstrations at schools. For about 40 years, until the mid-1950s, she also helped her husband. He practiced traditional shamanic medicine, and Wuzzie would translate for him.
For three decades, Wuzzie also worked to write down tribal practices. She wanted to make sure they would be remembered for the future. She worked with the anthropologist Margaret Wheat. Wuzzie was a big part of Wheat's book, Survival Arts of the Primitive Paiutes. She also worked with other anthropologists, Catherine S. Fowler and Sven Liljeblad. Wuzzie traveled with Margaret Wheat to give talks and demonstrations. One time, they even built a cattail house at the Idaho State Museum. After her husband stopped practicing medicine, he helped Wuzzie with her important work.
Many of the things Wuzzie made, like baskets and duck decoys, were carefully kept. She gave some of her work to the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Her work is also at the Nevada Historical Society in Reno and the Churchill County Museum in Fallon. The National Museum of the American Indian also has some of her creations.
Her Legacy
Wuzzie George passed away in 1984. She was reported to be 104 years old. In 1995, the Nevada Assembly honored her. They praised her for helping to save the Paiute folkways. The stories she told and the objects she left behind are still used today. They help people learn and do research. A children's book author named Nancy Raven also wrote about Wuzzie. Her 2008 book was called Wuzzie Comes to Camp.
