Beaded Indian Tribal Ritual Wear...

Grandma Iola to Muckleshoot Tribe members - known to others as
Iola Winifred Lobehan Bill.

Mrs. Bill age 89 died on Sept. 29, 2005 of natural causes at home on
the Muckleshoot reservation near where she was born back in 1916.
She had more than 400 people attending her services. She was well
loved. Mrs. Bill had such a zest for life. She would often be seen
laughing as she enjoyed teaching dance classes. She was always
there to help whomever, whenever. She will be missed.

Grandma Iola qualifies for mention here on Beaded.org
because of her love of beaded Tribe items....

She would wear wonderful beaded accessories when teaching
traditional Indian paddle dances at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn.

Iola grew up speaking Whulshootseed the native language on the
Muckleshoot reservation. She was also educated at a boarding school
in Salem, Oregon where she met and Indian named Lyman Willard Bill,
whom she married in 1937.

Iola and Willard had three children. Lyman Bill who died in 1965,
Claran Kay Spencer, who died in 2003, and survived by her son and
daughter-in-law, 11 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren. and one
great-great grandchild.

Mrs. Bill worked for 20 years as a clerk in the tool shop of Boeing,
surviving many a company layoff. She also had a wonderful garden of
flowers and herbs. An interesting tidbit, Iola's mother was a tribal
medicine woman.

Beaded.org would like to recognize Iola Winifred Lobehan Bill
- "Grandma Iola" for being awarded the Skopapsch Kiyah - the title
of royalty, awarded at annual tribal powwow's to elder women. Iola
received the award in 2003. See the beaded headdress in the
accompanying photo. Such intricate tribal beaded work. Lovely
beaded headpiece. You won't see too many pictures of Grandma Iola
for awhile, it is a tribal custom for the pictures of one deceased
to be removed for the mourning period of one year, then replaced.

The Indian Tribal culture is a rich and interesting one. Perhaps along
the way as we learn more about Indian Tribal culture and Indian bead
work - we'll have a section devoted to Indian Bead Work.



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