25-year-old makes history as Birdtail Sioux's youngest and 1st female chief

2 week_ago 14

Indigenous·New

In a whirlwind 24 hours this week, Tréchelle Bunn won an Indspire Award and an election, becoming the youngest serving main successful Manitoba.

Tréchelle Bunn besides received an Indspire Award the nighttime earlier the election

Stefan Richard · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 11, 2025 6:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

A pistillate with acheronian hairsbreadth successful a ponytail holds a brownish blazer implicit her shoulders portion wearing a multi-coloured agelong dress.

It was a engaged 24 hours for Tréchelle Bunn, the recently elected main of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation successful Manitoba.

On the evening of April 9, Bunn received an Indspire Award successful Vancouver. The adjacent day, Bunn was backmost location successful her assemblage astir 300 kilometres westbound of Winnipeg arsenic polls closed for the main and council election.

Bunn, 25, was elected with 191 votes, portion her opponent Gloria Chalmers-Rach got 85 votes. She is the archetypal pistillate to beryllium elected arsenic main successful her nation. She is besides present the youngest serving main successful Manitoba.

The erstwhile University of Calgary Dinos and Manitoba Bison hockey subordinate antecedently served arsenic Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) younker chief.

She'll service a four-year word and Bunn joked that it would instrumentality clip to get utilized to introducing herself arsenic conscionable "chief."

"I'm utilized to introducing myself arsenic younker main of the Southern Chiefs Organization, but I gave that up connected March 31 erstwhile a caller SCO younker main and assembly were elected," she said.

SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels congratulated Bunn successful a quality release.

"You marque galore radical truthful precise arrogant arsenic we witnesser your growth, and the acknowledgement, of your leadership," Daniels said successful the statement.

"Chief Tréchelle Bunn, I look guardant to continuing to larn from and collaborate with you, arsenic you instrumentality connected your caller relation of Chief of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation."

Rushing location from Indspire Awards

However, it was not the past portion of younker enactment that Bunn needed to wrapper up earlier the polls closed connected predetermination day.

The nighttime earlier her victory, Bunn was a younker recipient of a 2025 Indspire Award, a nationalist grant honouring achievements and contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.

Bunn was recognized for her enactment arsenic SCO younker main and as founder and contention director of the Reconciliation Run successful her community.

Jerry Daniels, Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, stands to the near of Tréchelle Bunn.

She received her grant and pin the nighttime earlier the main gala, arsenic she needed to instrumentality location for the election.

The time of the election, Bunn boarded a formation and arrived successful Winnipeg at 1 p.m., made it to Birdtail Sioux at 5 p.m., portion the polls closed astatine 8 p.m.

She said her parents were texting her updates from the ballot counting.

"When they posted the results connected Facebook of however galore votes I had, it was a beauteous surreal feeling, past seconds later, radical were driving into my grandparents' gait honking their horns," she said.

An elder from the assemblage joined Bunn's ain gramps successful the surviving country of the Bunn household home with a drum and sang her a triumph song.

"It was a truly affectional time, and everything happened truthful fast, but it's thing I'm going to cherish for the remainder of my life," she said.

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur also congratulated Bunn connected her predetermination win, successful a quality release.

"As a chap pistillate chief, I privation you to cognize that I basal with you and americium present to enactment you successful immoderate mode I can," she said successful a statement.

"Our nations are stronger erstwhile we uplift 1 another, and I look guardant to gathering that spot together."

Other results from the predetermination saw Carson Benn, Doug Hanska Sr., Heath Bunn, and Samantha D. Benn elected arsenic assembly members.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stefan Richard is simply a newsman for CBC Indigenous, based successful Treaty 1 territory. His enactment has appeared connected Corus Radio, Native Communications Inc., APTN, NPR, and Slam Wrestling. Stefan is simply a arrogant subordinate of Sagkeeng First Nation.

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