Virginia Shanta Klinekole (June 13, 1924 – March 13, 2011), born Virginia Shanta, was a

Mescalero Apache Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-c ...

politician from

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. 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

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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

faith.

Career

Klinkole 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." In 1959 she was elected as the first woman president of the

,"Miscellany, Feb. 9, 1959"
''Time Magazine'', February 1959, accessed 1 August 2011 becoming "the first woman elected to lead any major tribe in the United States." 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.

Marriage and family

She married Bruce W. Klinekole, who was a survivor of the

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March (Filipino: ''Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan''; Spanish: ''Marcha de la muerte de Bataán'' ; Kapampangan: ''Martsa ning Kematayan quing Bataan''; Japanese: バターン死の行進, Hepburn: ''Batān Shi no Kōshin'') was ...

. They had four children: Bruce W. Klinekole II, Gregg A. Klinekole, Gina R. Klinekole, and Ruth "Wonzie" Klinekole Tiger."Obituary of Virginia Shanta Klinekole"
LaGrone Funeral Chapel of Ruidoso Website, accessed 1 August 2011 Her granddaughter Lindsey Shakespeare is a beadwork artist and doll maker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klinekole, Virginia 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