Ralphaelita Stump, 90, of Crowheart, Wyoming passed away on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at the Thermopolis Rehab and Wellness center. A wake will be held at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, December 6, 2013 at Crowheart Community Center. A funeral service will be Thursday, December 7, 2023, 10:00am at Crowheart Community Center. Burial will follow at the Stump family cemetery.
Ralphaelita Velda Stump was born on December 18, 1932 in a cabin on the Bannock Creek in Idaho to Curtis Callina Pocatello and Lucy (Hill) Bonatsie. When she was two years old, she moved to Crowheart, Wyoming via a wagon, to live with her mother and step-father, Ed Bonatsie. She lived the rest of her life in Crowheart. She was given her Native Name, Inga-Hootchoo meaning “RedBird” by grandfather, Red Lake. She is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the 3rd generation of Chief Pocatello, her great grand-father.
She was a baptized into the Episcopal Faith and was also a member of the Native Americana Church. She was a sundancer and a member of big wind singers and believed in sweat lodge
Ralphaelita was awarded an honorary Bachelor’s Degree from the Wind River College. She was instrumental in bringing the Johnson-O’Malley Program to the Schools and was one of the founders of HUD housing on the Wind River Reservation. She served her community in several areas over the years including a translator for the General Council, liaison between state and tribe, she also worked as a jailor at Fort Washakie. She loved to dance and liked all kinds of music and was a member of Powwow committee in Crowheart. She sat on the language certificate committee, was a Shoshone linguist, and fluently spoke Shoshone language. She was an active member of the Shoshone museum committee and was in the Wyoming PBS Documentary “What Was Ours.”
She experienced racism and rose above it and became a strong woman making her mark in many different areas. she loved life was easygoing but wasn’t afraid to tell people what’s what. She hunted and owned the R middle iron ranch. A favorite quote of her’s was, “Don’t ride on the shirttails of anyone. Make your own way in life. That way you don’t ever regret it.” She knew the historical knowledge of her people, culture, and the land. She loved sharing and teaching anyone willing to listen.
She is survived by her grandson, Quinlin Hernandez; great grandson, Arick Hernandez; and brother, Wayland Bonatsie.
She was preceded in death by her father, Curtis Pocatello; mother Lucy Bonatsie; step-father, Ed Bonatsie; husband, James Stump; daughter, Raphaella Stump; brothers, Erving Bonatsie and Eastwood Bonatsie; sisters, Helene Bonatsie and Deatrice “Debbie” Bonatsie; and numerous relative in Idaho.
On-line condolences may be made at TheDavisFuneralHome.com
Services under the direction of Davis Funeral Home, Crematory, and Monuments.