Kolby KickingWoman
ICT
As 2024 winds down and the world gets ready to ring in a new year, ICT wants to take a look back and remember those who died this past year.
From tribal leaders and activists to journalists and artists, these people left an indelible mark on Indian Country and their impact lives on.
Below is a list of those who died in 2024 whose stories appeared in ICT.
January
Klee Benally (Died Dec. 30, 2023)
PHOENIX — Klee Benally, a Navajo man who advocated on behalf of Indigenous people and environmental causes, has died, his sister said. He was 48 years old.
Benally died Saturday at a Phoenix hospital, Jeneda Benally said. His cause of death was not disclosed.
Klee Benally was among the most vocal opponents of snowmaking at Arizona Snowbowl ski resort in Flagstaff. At least 13 tribes consider the mountain on public land to be sacred. READ MORE — Associated Press
Gary Fife
Award-winning reporter and storyteller Gary Fife of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation died Jan. 14 in Tulsa, Okla. He was 73.
A leader in Indigenous journalism, Fife produced thousands of stories for radio, television, and digital and print media during a 50-plus year career, and wrote opinion pieces using the name “Emvpanayv,” or “one who tells the story.”
In 2021, Fife told ICT that at the peak of the Civil Rights movement, he was studying journalism in college. READ MORE — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
N. Scott Momaday
Navarre Scott Momaday, Kiowa, a writer, poet, educator and master storyteller, has died. His Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel “House Made of Dawn” is credited with the start of a renaissance in contemporary Native American literature. He was 89. Momaday died Wednesday at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., publisher HarperCollins announced. He had been in failing health.
On Facebook, friends and organizations shared condolences and remembrances lamenting the loss of a “beloved member of our community and an inspiration to all” and “a giant of Native American literature.”
Vice Chairman of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Joseph Tsotigh said, “The Cáuigú and the world have lost one of the most eloquent voices of our generation! It’s with deep sadness that I acknowledge the passing of a magnificent, talented and irrepressible author, poet, and raconteur Dr. N. Scott Momaday. The world will never know another like him. Hegau ém âuibòñ:[dàu.” READ MORE — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
John Red Eagle
TULSA, Okla. – The Osage Nation flags are at half-staff this week as the tribe mourns the loss of former Chief John Red Eagle.
Red Eagle passed away Jan. 12 with his family at his side. His funeral and commemoration were held Tuesday morning at the Wakon Iron Chapel in Pawhuska.
The Osage Nation posted on Facebook: “We honor the life and legacy of former Chief John D. Red Eagle. May Chief Red Eagle’s teachings and good ways continue to guide us all. Rest in peace, Chief Red Eagle.” READ MORE — Felix Clary, ICT + Tulsa World
February
Ted Strong
A pillar of many Indigenous communities across the Pacific Northwest, Yakama elder Ted Strong passed away on Jan. 30, 2024. He was 76 years old.
That same day, hundreds of Native community members gathered in Portland for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Winter Convention. When word arrived that Strong had passed on, they took a moment of silence followed by an honor song from representatives of the Yakama Nation.
A leader, husband, father, grandfather and more, Strong was well-known and loved throughout his community. READ MORE — Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore News + ICT
March
Veronica Homer
The first woman president of the National Congress of American Indians, and a former vice-chair of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, has died.
Veronica Homer, Mohave, was also a co-founding board member of Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations, a former Miss Indian Arizona, and held national and regional positions for the U.S. Department of Interior. She died on March 5 at age 80.
NCAI President Mark Macarro, of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, in a prepared statement, highlighted her role as both a “trailblazer and a relentless advocate for the unity and strength of all Tribal Nations.” READ MORE — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
Nellie Moore
Nellie Moore was one of the first Indigenous reporters in Alaska, who could sew an atikluk, an Iñupiaq overshirt, as well as stitch news and information into stories that made a difference.
From radio to the Internet, the fabric of Moore’s life spanned a huge revolution in technology. She died recently at the age of 69 from complications due to a long illness.
Moore leaves behind a huge body of work that blends the best of Iñupiaq culture and modern Western journalism. READ MORE — Rhonda McBride, KNBA
April
Beverly “Bev” Stabber Warne
RAPID CITY, S.D. — Beverly “Bev” Stabber Warne often reflected on memories of her grandfather drumming and singing at the crack of dawn and at sunset. She was born in a traditional way, beside a creek surrounded by her Lakota culture, and despite living in Thailand, Mexico and Arizona, Warne always kept her Lakota ways close to her heart.
At 84 years old on Sunday, April 14, Warne died in Rapid City, S.D. She was enveloped in love from friends, family and those she’d mentored through her life. The Oglala Lakota woman left behind a long legacy as a nurse, a mentor, a teacher, a mother, a knowledge keeper, and a powerful activist in the Indigenous Rapid City community.
When she was 9, Warne’s family left the reservation and moved to Rapid City. Native people weren’t allowed to own homes or rent in the city, so the family lived in a tent by Rapid Creek in Camp Oshkosh – a community of Lakota people living in tents and small clapboard homes. As the eldest, Warne took care of her siblings. READ MORE — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal
Jeffrey Veregge
Beloved comic artist Jeffrey Veregge, from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, passed on last Friday at the age of 50.
His wife, Christina Veregge shared on Facebook that he passed that morning unexpectedly from a heart attack, while in the hospital battling lupus. Well known for his work with Marvel, crafting breathtaking comic art with a Native twist, Veregge called himself the #NDNGeek.
“For 1025 days, he fought lupus like the superhero we knew him to be,” she wrote. “The strength, faith, determination and courage he showed while being in the hospital for a total of 925 days was an inspiration to us all. He fought so hard for his family and his 3 children, who were his absolute pride and joy. He will be missed more than words can express. This world was a better place because of him.” READ MORE — Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore News + ICT
May
Cole Brings Plenty
RAPID CITY, S.D. – When actress Lily Gladstone made their debut at the Met Gala on May 6, she chose to use her spotlight to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, specifically fellow actor Cole Brings Plenty.
“It’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s week and I’m wearing braids in my hair for Cole Brings Plenty who passed away recently. He should have graduated from Haskell last week. Braids for Cole,” Gladstone said in a red carpet-interview.
When Gladstone graced the red carpet, the Siksikaitsitapii and Nimíipuu actress donned two long black braids in honor of Brings Plenty, whose hair was reportedly cut before he was found dead on April 5. READ MORE — Amelia Schafer, ICT + Rapid City Journal
Leona Carlyle-Kakar
Leona Carlyle-Kakar is considered one of Ak-Chin Indian Community’s greatest leaders and the chairman of the southern Arizona community will forever know her as “Leona Legend.”
Carlyle-Kakar was the first woman to serve as chair of Ak-Chin. She was known as a fierce leader in Arizona tribal water rights and agriculture. She served her community for decades.
Carlyle-Kakar died April 14 at the age of 88. READ MORE — Kalle Benallie, ICT
June
Edward Velarde
Edward Velarde passionately and tirelessly served the Jicarilla Apache Nation in northern New Mexico for decades. He served as a council member, vice president and president, the latter being a role he fulfilled from 2019 until his death.
Velarde died at age 76 on May 12. Vice President Sonja Newton has resumed his duties as president.
Velarde served in the U.S. Air Force as an engine mechanic and was a Vietnam War veteran. Afterward, he returned home to Dulce, N.M., and worked as a housing director and maintenance director. READ MORE — Kalle Benallie, ICT
Ernie Stevens Sr.
In August 1969, Interior Secretary Walter Hickel appointed Louis Bruce to serve as the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Bruce, St. Regis Mohawk and Oglala, had served in government before and had operated a 600-acre dairy farm in upstate New York.
This was a new era in the federal government – and Bruce was bringing in a new team to rethink the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bruce described the BIA as a “vortex of a surge toward true and lasting self-determination” for tribal nations.
“Although the commissioner preferred the name of ‘New Team’ to describe his closest staff, they themselves took on the name used by their detractors,” wrote Charles Trimble in ICT a few years ago. “The Katzenjammer Kids, most of whom deserve their own ‘unsung heroes’ praise, were an eclectic team of activists not well known in Indian Country. These included Ernie Stevens Sr., Oneida, as director of community services; Alexander ‘Sandy’ MacNabb, Micmac, as director of operating services; and Leon Cook, Red Lake Chippewa, as deputy director for economic development.” READ MORE — Mark Trahant, ICT
August
Brook Kristovich
A leader in the national and regional tribal housing arena has passed away. Brook B. Kristovich died on July 13, 2024, at the age of 61. He was Nishga and Ingiluk Athabascan and was an enrolled member of the Native Village of Napaimute in Alaska.
Kristovich took on leadership roles in the National American Indian Housing Council as well as regional housing authorities in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest.
On his LinkedIn page, he said he had experience running programs on low rent, homeownership, low income housing tax credit units, and other financing. Kristovich said he was experienced in turning around troubled organizations and worked directly with tribal councils and housing boards of directors. READ MORE — Joaqlin Estus, ICT
September
Cathy Merrick
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada — In a moment that shocked and saddened First Nations and allies across Canada, Grand Chief Cathy Merrick died abruptly Friday, Sept. 6, after collapsing outside a Winnipeg courthouse during a press conference.
Merrick – who became the first woman elected as grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in 2022 – was a history-maker who worked tirelessly and fearlessly to defend the rights of her people and those most vulnerable.
She had been speaking to reporters about the acquittal of a corrections officer in the death of a First Nations inmate and another case when she collapsed. READ MORE — Miles Morrisseau, ICT
December
Frank Paro
For the past several days, members of Frank Paro’s family, his friends and members of the community gathered at Pow Wow Grounds — a coffee shop and community gathering place — to mourn and to remember him.
Community members lit a fire in honor of Paro outside the coffee shop and shared their stories of him, a tradition in many Ojibwe families and communities.
Robert Lilligren heads the Native American Community Development Institute, a nonprofit in south Minneapolis. Paro was a regular visitor to Pow Wow Grounds, which shares a building with the nonprofit. READ MORE — Melissa Olson, MPR News
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