Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
The Menominee Indian Tribe is mourning longtime tribal leader, educator and advocate Lisa Waukau.
Waukau, a schoolteacher who taught Menominee history and who served four terms as the tribe’s chairwoman, died Saturday at her home in Keshena. She was 71.
Menominee leaders ordered flags at all tribal facilities to be flown at half-staff for 10 days in her memory and honor.
“The Menominee Nation has lost an extraordinary leader,” Tribal Chairwoman Joan Delabreau said in a prepared statement.
Officials said Waukau, who had been battling cancer, was determined to complete her final term as a member of the Menominee Tribal Legislature. With term limits ending her time in office, she attended her final meeting of the governing body on Feb. 4.
She died Saturday at home surrounded by family members.
Nanette Corn, a member of the Menominee Indian School Board, said Waukau was a popular teacher in the classroom and also was a community leader who often could be seen stopping to talk with former students or others on the reservation north of Shawano.
“She was well liked by everyone,” Corn said. “She’s sure going to be missed.”
Waukau dedicated much of her life to the betterment of the Menominee tribe, serving for 37 years as a teacher in the Menominee Indian School District. She focused on social studies and always emphasized that students should know their Native American history and culture.
In 2009, she co-authored a book titled “Teach Native American Across the Curriculum: A critical inquiry.”
In 1995, Waukau was elected to the Menominee Tribal Legislature. She held several leadership positions and served four one-year terms as tribal chairwoman.
In announcing Waukau’s death, Delabreau hailed her as “strong, inspiring and honorable in her resolve.”
“She exuded the air of diplomacy and was able to do battle from one issue to the next, while also maintaining friendly relationships with her peers and constituency,” Delabreau said. “She will be greatly missed, but will live on in the memory of all whose lives she touched.”
Funeral services are scheduled for Friday in Keshena.