Marcella Ryan LeBeau (October 12, 1919 – November 21, 2021), also known as Marcella Le Beau and Wigmuke Waste' Win, was a

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...

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 Promise is an unincorporated community in Dewey County, in the U.S. state of South Dakota. History A post office called Promise was established in 1911, and remained in operation until 1951. The community has the name of John Promise, a local mi ...

on the

Cheyenne 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 people, Lakota in a series of wars in the 1870s. The reservation covers almost ...

. Her parents were Joseph M. Ryan and Florence Four Bear Ryan. Her mother was of the

Two Kettles The Two Kettles or Two Boilings 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 with the Itaz ...

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. She earned her undergraduate degree in nursing in 1942 from St. Mary's Hospital in

Pierre, South Dakota Pierre ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,091. Pierre is the eleventh-most populous city of South Dakota, and the second-least populo ...

Career

After graduation, LeBeau began working as a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional 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 ...

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

. 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 Medica ...

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 or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

. She left the Army as a First Lieutenant. When her service ended, she returned to South Dakota, specifically

Rapid City Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed. It is the second-mo ...

. While there, she experienced

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

, 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 Native ...

(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. It is adjacent to the North Eagle Butte CDP. Description Eagle Butte is the tribal headquarters of the Cheyenne ...

. 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 the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

for her World War II service. LeBeau was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006. Marcella LeBeau at the robing ceremony for the Remove the Stains Act in 2019

Marcella LeBeau at the robing ceremony for the Remove the Stains Act in 2019

LeBeau was awarded the Women in History Award from the Spirit of the Prairie Chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

in 2016. LeBeau also has an honorary degree from

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the sec ...

. 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 serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. A Republican, Thune has been the Senate majority leader and Senate Republica ...

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 The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, involved nearly three hundred Lakota people killed by soldiers of the United States Army. More than 250 people of the Lakota were killed and 51 wounded (4 men and 47 women a ...

. 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 who served as the 54th United States secretary of the interior from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. representative for New M ...

, 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 Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indian and Alaska Natives, Alaska Native Indigenous rights, rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist U.S. ...

. 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 women centenarians Female United States Army nurses in World War II Lakota leaders Lakota activists Native American women in politics Native American United States military personnel People from Dewey County, South Dakota American 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 Activists from South Dakota Military personnel from South Dakota 20th-century American politicians United States Army officers Cheyenne River Sioux people Lakota women