Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation elects Tréchelle Bunn as youngest and 1st female chief

Friday marked a historic moment for the Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization. At just 25 years old, former Youth Chief Tréchelle Bunn has been elected as Chief of her community, making her the youngest — and the first woman — to ever hold the position.

Chief Tréchelle’s path began with an unexpected race against time. On the day of the election, Bunn was in Vancouver, scheduled to attend the Indspire Awards. However, she left early to hop on a plane and race back to her home community.

“My dad said in the past that when your community calls on you, it’s your time. So I thought I would maybe be older when I would be called upon,” said Bunn. “I am still soaking it all in, and I think it’s very much still coming to reality for me.”

Chief Bunn says the decision to run came after encouragement from elders and community members. It builds off the foundation of her previous role as Youth Chief with SCO.

“I think that was a really pivotal and instrumental part of my leadership journey — being able to be a Youth Chief for SCO and learn from great leaders like Grand Chief Jerry Daniels and the other 32 Chiefs,” said Bunn.

Chief Bunn also gave a special shoutout to Kevin Chief, saying he played a key role in her development.
“He was really one of the first people to take me under his wing and guide me — even throughout the entire campaign process,” she said.

In terms of next steps, Chief Bunn says she is prioritizing transparency and communication with the community, along with a strong focus on youth and education.

“I think getting back to community gatherings, meetings, and consultations will be very key. Those will be the small things that have really big effects on a community — to make sure everyone feels valued, heard, and seen in decision-making processes,” said Bunn.