Washoe Tribal Elder JoAnn Martinez dies

Washoe Tribal Elder JoAnn Smokey Martinez, whose passion for cultural traditions placed her in the company of President Clinton, died Wednesday of a heart attack. She was 85.

She was remembered by her family as an outspoken advocate for education and tribal traditions.

"She was secure in her faith in God and passed on the Washoe ways and beliefs," said her son, Harold Holbrook of Carson City. "She was a woman who spoke her mind and felt strong about keeping the Washoe culture alive through basketry and the Washoe language."

Martinez attended Stewart Indian School and nursing school in Las Vegas.

"Her family was one of the first to live in Dresslerville when William Dressler deeded the land to the tribe," said her niece, Sadie Jo Smokey. "They lived in a tent while her dad built their house."

Her grandparents worked on the Dangberg ranch and Martinez used to help round up chickens.

Smokey said her aunt lived in Las Vegas for awhile and supported herself as a maid cleaning houses for reputed mobsters. She returned to Dresslerville in the 1980s and became part of the "renaissance of Washoe culture."

Martinez and her older sister Theresa Smokey Jackson were selected to offer a traditional Washoe blessing at the opening ceremonies of President Clinton's July 1997 visit to Lake Tahoe.

Holbrook said his mother cherished her friends.

"She appreciated everyone and really enjoyed people who took the time to stop by and say hi, visit, or ask if she needed help with anything," he said,

"JoAnn passed on the Washoe tribal values and will be missed by many," he said.

Smokey remembered her aunt as being most at-home with her family.

"I remember her being so strong, supportive and comforting. Whenever I was struggling with homesickness, I would write her or call and she would be so proud of me. It hasn't hit me yet that she's gone," said Smokey, who lives in Phoenix.

Smokey named her 9-month-old daughter Isabella JoAnn after her aunt.

"She blessed my daughter and made her a cradleboard," Smokey said.

Martinez worked for many years as a cook at the Dresslerville senior center and was a member of the senior advisory board.

She taught piano to her many nieces and nephews as well as Washoe language lessons and basketweaving at the senior center.

"She just wanted to share what she knew," Smokey said. "She had the most interesting life. She loved to go to the Pine Nuts and camp out in the mountains."

Family members said funeral arrangements were pending.