Virginia Klinekole
Virginia Shanta Klinekole | |
|---|---|
| Mescalero Apache Tribal Council Member and President | |
| In office 1959–1986 | |
| Tularosa School Board | |
| In office 1960s – late 1960s | |
| Mescalero Apache School Board | |
| In office 1980s–1990s | |
| New Mexico Indian Education Advisory Council | |
| In office 1980s–1980s | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Virginia Shanta June 13, 1924 Three Rivers, New Mexico |
| Died | March 13, 2011 (aged 86) Three Rivers, New Mexico |
| Spouse | Bruce W. Klinekole |
| Children | Bruce W. Klinekole II, Gregg A. Klinekole, Gina R. Klinekole, Ruth "Wonzie" Klinekole Tiger |
| Awards | Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexican Women, 1988 |
Virginia Shanta Klinekole (June 13, 1924 – March 13, 2011), born Virginia Shanta, was a Mescalero Apache politician from New Mexico. She was elected as the first woman president of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, and served on the Tribal Council for nearly 30 years. She was known for being the first elected female leader of a major tribe, and for her work in preserving the Apache language.
Early life and education[edit]
She was born Virginia Shanta and raised in Three Rivers, New Mexico, where she lived all of her life. She attended local and boarding schools. Shanta was reared in the Roman Catholic faith.
Career[edit]
Klinekole worked as the Tularosa Public School Educational Liaison for the Mescalero Tribe, and strongly supported education for the children of the reservation, working to preserve the Apache language. She was "a member of the Tularosa School Board in the late 1960s and served on the Mescalero Apache School Board in the 1980s and 90s. She served on the New Mexico Indian Education Advisory Council in the 1980s and received the third annual governor's award for outstanding New Mexican women in 1988."[1]
In 1959 she was elected as the first woman president of the Mescalero Apache,[2] becoming "the first woman elected to lead any major tribe in the United States."[1]
Following her term, she was repeatedly elected as a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council. She served as a member until 1986, taking part in every aspect of managing the reservation.[3]
Marriage and family[edit]
She married Bruce W. Klinekole, who was a survivor of the Bataan Death March.[1] They had four children: Bruce W. Klinekole II, Gregg A. Klinekole, Gina R. Klinekole, and Ruth "Wonzie" Klinekole Tiger.[3] Her granddaughter Lindsey Shakespeare is a beadwork artist and doll maker.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Former tribal leader dies : Past Mescalero president, council member, writer remembered". Alamogordo Daily News. 2011-03-15. Archived from the original on 2014-05-25. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
- ^ "Miscellany, Feb. 9, 1959", Time Magazine, February 1959, accessed 1 August 2011
- ^ a b "Obituary of Virginia Shanta Klinekole", LaGrone Funeral Chapel of Ruidoso Website, accessed 1 August 2011
- 1924 births
- 2011 deaths
- Presidents of the Mescalero Apache
- School board members in New Mexico
- Women in New Mexico politics
- Female Native American leaders
- People from Otero County, New Mexico
- 20th-century American women politicians
- 20th-century American politicians
- Native American women in politics
- 20th-century Native American women
- 20th-century Native Americans
- 21st-century Native American women
- 21st-century Native Americans