Tessie Williams, 90, died at her home on the Umatilla Reservation on Monday, Nov. 21. She was born Dec. 14, 1931, to William and Nannie (née Crow) James at Cayuse and was an enrollee of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Her parents named her Ethel Marie and her grandmother called her Tessie. She attended St. Joseph Academy for High School then Haskell Institute and Yakima Valley Community College.
Tessie married James Joseph Parker who farmed on the Yakama Reservation and while fishing at Celilo, lived in The Dalles. They had two daughters, Teresa A. and Nancy M. Tessie was widowed in 1955. She married Robert (Bob) L. Williams of the CTUIR in July, 1958. They had one daughter Roberta L. Her three daughters blessed her with seven grandchildren: Trinette, Nannie, Gabe, Christopher, Caleb, Shalaya, and Charles; 19 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. She also adopted as daughters Laura Allen and Kathleen Peterson, each with three children.
In 1968, Tessie became an employee of the Confederated Tribes as one of the first Community Health Representatives (CHR) and served for more than 28 years. With other CTUIR women, they raised funds to address officials in Washington, D.C. to save the CHR program and advocate improvements in housing and health care. With the help of others, Tessie organized the First Aid Tent in the Round-Up Teepee Village.
In 1976, Indian Director Richard Koch asked Tessie to serve as chaperone to the Happy Canyon royalty and she did so for nine years. During her tenure, the selection process was held in the Longhouse. The sashes worn by the Happy Canyon court were Tessie’s idea and were made by Marie Dick. The beaded bags used each year by the princesses were commissioned by Tessie and made by the Hoptowit family. While chaperoning daughter Nancy during her 1976 reign, they toured Japan, the Philippines, and Hawaii met where they met Don Ho.
For many years, Tessie volunteered at the Junior Indian Beauty Contest, providing teepees, serving as a judge, and advising guest judges. She assisted the Pendleton Woolen Mills at the Saturday morning dance contests. Tessie was the featured on the 1982 Happy Canyon Night Show Program, received the 1987 Happy Canyon Appreciation Award, was named the 1990 Westward Ho! Parade Grand Marshall, and was inducted into the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame in 1991. In reflecting on her personal commitment to the annual event, Tessie said, “All my involvement with Happy Canyon and Round-Up is from my heart because I want things to improve and pass it on to the next generation”.
Tessie was devoted to both the George St. Denis Post 140 American Legion Auxiliary and the Tamkaliks Celebration in Wallowa. She was a faithful fan of Nixyáawii Community School basketball, the Oregon Ducks, Seattle Seahawks, and Golden State Warriors.
Through their maternal line, Tessie and her brothers Edward and Peter James descended from the Cayuse leader Five Crows, half-brother to Old Chief Joseph. Five Crows wielded considerable regional influence in historic events in the first half of 19th century and was among the 36 tribal headmen who eventually agreed to the Treaty of 1855 that reserved 512,000 acres in Eastern Oregon for the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples. Brother Edward carried the Five Crows name.
Services at the Mission Longhouse were held Nov. 28-29 and she was interred at the Homily Cemetery Nov. 29.
