Lucy Tayiah Eads or Cha-me (also known as Chief Lucy) (1888–1961) was elected the first female

tribal chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

of the Kaw Indians in 1922.Ad Astra: First female head of Kaw Nation ‘finest example of what an Indian should be’ , Wichita Eagle
/ref> She was the first chief of the Kaws since 1908.The Scranton Republican › 2 July 1923 › Page 10 – Newspapers.com
/ref>

Personal life

Lucy Tayiah was born in 1888 in

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

, along Beaver Creek. Her parents were Lezitte Betrand (also known as Mo Jan Ah Hoe) and Little Tayiah. Her mother, Lezitte Betrand, was

Kaw Kaw or KAW may refer to: Mythology * Kaw (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology * Johnny Kaw, mythical settler of Kansas, US * Kaw (character), in ''The Chronicles of Prydain'' People * Kaw people, a Native American tribe Places * Kaw, Fr ...

and

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

. Little Tayiah, her father, was Kaw. Taiyah also had one brother, Emmett (also known as Ki He Kah Mah She). Around 1892, both of her parents died of

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

. Tayiah and her brother became

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

s. They were adopted by Chief Washunga. Their adoption by the Kaw tribal chief was part of tribal tradition. She attended Haskell Indian College in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, where she studied

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

. She moved to New York City. She married Herbert Edward Kimber around 1908. They had three children, all girls. Eventually they divorced. She married John Rhea Eads around 1913. They would have six more children. After serving as tribal chief, Eads returned to working as a nurse at Haskell Indian College. She, with her family, eventually relocated to

Pawhuska, Oklahoma Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', wh ...

. She died in 1961.

Chief Lucy

Chief Washungah died in 1908. It was not until 1922 that the Kaws would have another tribal leader. Eads was elected in November of that year. She was the first woman to become tribal chief of the Kaw. She was voted in by eight council members. Eads went by the name Chief Lucy during her tenure as chief. She tried to gain recognition for the tribe from the federal government, in 1924, but this was said to be contrary to the Allotment Agreement and denied.The official site of Kaw Nation » History of the Government of the Kaw Nation Since 1902
/ref> In 1929, she attended the

Inauguration of Herbert Hoover The inauguration of Herbert Hoover as the 31st president of the United States was held on Monday, March 4, 1929, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 36th inauguration and marked the commencement of ...

, representing the Kaw Nation. In 1928, after Eads was reelected, the Kaw government was abolished until its restoration under the

Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936 (also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act) is a United States federal law that extended the 1934 Wheeler-Howard or Indian Reorganization Act to include those tribes within the boundaries of the state of Oklahoma. ...

of 1936.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eads, Lucy Tayiah 20th-century Native Americans 1888 births 1961 deaths Kaw people Native American leaders American women in politics People from Pawhuska, Oklahoma Haskell Indian Nations University alumni Female Native American leaders 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Native American women