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Marcella Ryan LeBeau (October 12, 1919 – November 21, 2021), also known as Marcella Le Beau and Wigmuke Waste' Win, was a
LeBeau was awarded the Women in History Award from the Spirit of the Prairie Chapter of the
"Vulnerable Native Americans need protection from COVID-19"
op-ed by Marcella Lebeau in ''Indianz'' in 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:LeBeau, Marcella 1919 births 2021 deaths Alumni of Native American boarding schools American centenarians Female United States Army nurses in World War II Lakota leaders Native American activists Native American women in politics Native American United States military personnel People from Dewey County, South Dakota Recipients of the Legion of Honour 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native American politicians 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native American politicians Women centenarians Activists from South Dakota Military personnel from South Dakota 20th-century American politicians United States Army officers Cheyenne River Sioux people
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples
Place names
In the United States:
*Lakota, Iowa
*Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County
*Lakota ...
elder, politician, nurse, and military veteran.
Early life and education
LeBeau was born Wigmuke Waste' Win (English: ''Pretty Rainbow Woman'') in October 1919 in Promise, South Dakota on theCheyenne River Indian Reservation
The Cheyenne River Indian Reservation was created by the United States in 1889 by breaking up the Great Sioux Reservation, following the attrition of the Lakota in a series of wars in the 1870s. The reservation covers almost all of Dewey ...
. Her parents were Joseph M. Ryan and Florence Four Bear Ryan. Her mother was of the Two Kettles
Two Kettles ("Two Boilings" or "Two Kettles") are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). They reside on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
Together ...
subtribe of the Lakota. Her father was Irish-American. She was the oldest of five children in the family. Her mother died when she was ten and LeBeau was raised by her father. LeBeau also helped run the household, learning to cook and sew to care for her siblings. As a child, she attended an Indian boarding school
American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...
.
She earned her undergraduate degree in nursing in 1942 from St. Mary's Hospital in Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre ( ; lkt, Čhúŋkaške, lit=fort) is the capital city of South Dakota, United States, and the seat of Hughes County. The population was 14,091 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous US state capital after Montpelier, ...
.
Career
After graduation, LeBeau began working as aregistered nurse
A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...
in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit.
Founde ...
. In 1943, she enlisted in the United States Army Nurse Corps
The United States Army Nurse Corps (USANC) was formally established by the U.S. Congress in 1901. It is one of the six medical special branches (or "corps") of officers which – along with medical enlisted soldiers – comprise the Army Medical ...
to serve in World War II. LeBeau served in France, England and Belgium under the 76th General Hospital unit, including at the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
. She left the Army as a First Lieutenant.
When her service ended, she returned to South Dakota, specifically Rapid City
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
. While there, she experienced racial segregation
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...
, including not being allowed to purchase certain products, such as vanilla extract, at the grocery store.
LeBeau worked for the Indian Health Service
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an operating division (OPDIV) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Nativ ...
(IHS). LeBeau served as director of nursing at the IHS facility in Eagle Butte, South Dakota
Eagle Butte is a city in Dewey and Ziebach counties in South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,258 at the 2020 census.
Description
Eagle Butte is the tribal headquarters of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe on the Cheyenne River Indian ...
. She worked for IHS for 31 years before retiring. As a result of her medical career, she received the O. Marie Henry RNDNSC Chief Nurse and the Mable Ann Wagner Award.
In 1991, she was elected to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council. During her tenure on the council, LeBeau banned smoking in tribal chambers and promoted other anti-smoking policies. LeBeau's anti-smoking efforts on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation are credited with helping the reservation become the first smoke-free community in South Dakota.
Later life and death
In 2004, LeBeau was awarded theLegion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
for her World War II service.
LeBeau was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006.
LeBeau was awarded the Women in History Award from the Spirit of the Prairie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence.
A non-profit group, they promote ...
in 2016. LeBeau also has an honorary degree from South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...
. She celebrated her 100th birthday on October 12, 2019. That day was proclaimed Wigmuke Waste Win (Pretty Rainbow Woman) Marcella LeBeau Day by the state of South Dakota. She also received a Senatorial Tribute by Senator John Thune
John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005, and as the Party leaders ...
and a quilt from the North American Indian Women's Association, an organization which she helped found.
LeBeau supported the Remove the Stain Act in the United States Congress, which seeks to rescind the medals of honor awarded to American soldiers who participated in the Wounded Knee Massacre. In 2019, she spoke at a ceremony to introduce the bill, alongside Deb Haaland
Debra Anne Haaland (; born December 2, 1960) is an American politician serving as the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior, United States secretary of the interior. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she s ...
, at the U.S. Capitol.
In 2020, LeBeau was awarded a Leadership Award from the National Congress of American Indians
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is an American Indian and Alaska Native rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist federal government pressure for termination of tribal rights and assimilati ...
.
LeBeau died on November 21, 2021, at the age of 102. She was married and had eight children.
References
External links
"Vulnerable Native Americans need protection from COVID-19"
op-ed by Marcella Lebeau in ''Indianz'' in 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:LeBeau, Marcella 1919 births 2021 deaths Alumni of Native American boarding schools American centenarians Female United States Army nurses in World War II Lakota leaders Native American activists Native American women in politics Native American United States military personnel People from Dewey County, South Dakota Recipients of the Legion of Honour 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native American politicians 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native American politicians Women centenarians Activists from South Dakota Military personnel from South Dakota 20th-century American politicians United States Army officers Cheyenne River Sioux people