25-year-old makes history as Birdtail Sioux's youngest and 1st female chief
It was a busy 24 hours for Tréchelle Bunn, the newly elected chief of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation in Manitoba.
On the evening of April 9, Bunn received an Indspire Award in Vancouver. The next day, Bunn was back home in her community about 300 kilometres west of Winnipeg as polls closed for the chief and council election.
Bunn, 25, was elected with 191 votes, while her opponent Gloria Chalmers-Rach got 85 votes. She is the first woman to be elected as chief in her nation. She is also now the youngest serving chief in Manitoba.
The former University of Calgary Dinos and Manitoba Bison hockey player previously served as Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) youth chief.
She'll serve a four-year term and Bunn joked that it would take time to get used to introducing herself as just "chief."
"I'm used to introducing myself as youth chief of the Southern Chiefs Organization, but I gave that up on March 31 when a new SCO youth chief and council were elected," she said.
SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels congratulated Bunn in a news release.
"You make many people so very proud as we witness your growth, and the acknowledgement, of your leadership," Daniels said in the statement.
"Chief Tréchelle Bunn, I look forward to continuing to learn from and collaborate with you, as you take on your new role of Chief of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation."
Rushing home from Indspire Awards
However, it was not the last piece of youth leadership that Bunn needed to wrap up before the polls closed on election day.
The night before her victory, Bunn was a youth recipient of a 2025 Indspire Award, a national award honouring achievements and contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.
Bunn was recognized for her work as SCO youth chief and as founder and race director of the Reconciliation Run in her community.
She received her award and pin the night before the main gala, as she needed to return home for the election.
The day of the election, Bunn boarded a flight and arrived in Winnipeg at 1 p.m., made it to Birdtail Sioux at 5 p.m., while the polls closed at 8 p.m.
She said her parents were texting her updates from the ballot counting.
"When they posted the results on Facebook of how many votes I had, it was a pretty surreal feeling, then seconds later, people were driving into my grandparents' yard honking their horns," she said.
An elder from the community joined Bunn's own grandfather in the living room of the Bunn family home with a drum and sang her a victory song.
"It was a really emotional time, and everything happened so fast, but it's something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life," she said.
Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur also congratulated Bunn on her election win, in a news release.
"As a fellow woman chief, I want you to know that I stand with you and am here to support you in any way I can," she said in a statement.
"Our nations are stronger when we uplift one another, and I look forward to building that strength together."
Other results from the election saw Carson Benn, Doug Hanska Sr., Heath Bunn, and Samantha D. Benn elected as council members.
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