Maxine Racehorse Edmo

Maxine Racehorse Edmo, 91, passed away September 17, 2020 at her home in Ross Fork.

She was born May 4, 1929 to John Racehorse Jr. and Nettie Lucy Diggie Racehorse at the Diggie Orchard in Gibson.

She attended schools in Blackfoot, Idaho. She obtained her GED and later went on to Idaho State University Vocational Technical School to obtain her associates degree in marketing and management in 1989 at the age of 63.

She married Kesley Edmo Sr. in 1945 and they were married for more than 50 years before his passing. Together they had 11 children and also raised three grandchildren.

She was a strong advocate for Indian education and was first appointed to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes education committee in the 70s. There was a lot of prejudice in the surrounding public schools where Native students attended. Committee members often had to deal with school administrators to address the issues and they often became frustrated because of how the students were treated. They tried to get meetings at Fort Hall so the tribal people could have a voice in student's issues but sometimes they didn't succeed.

When their committee met, they shared a room with others so she decided to work on getting a building. The result was the Human Resource Development Center (HRDC) that the Economic Development Administration funded. Many trips to Boise were made to meet with EDA officials to convince them of the need.

She saw a need for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to have their own school so she started advocating for it in the late 1960's. In addition, she, along with her late husband Kesley Edmo Sr. knew they needed a stronger voice to get their concerns heard so they worked with local legislators including the late Emily McDermitt to get Sen. Robert Kennedy to visit the reservation.

Sen. Kennedy visited the Fort Hall Elementary School and different reservation homes in 1967. He witnessed the elementary school's library being housed in a small closet and the poor condition of the building. She said that information was put into the Congressional Record and later the Johnson O'Malley and Title IV programs evolved on Indian education.
Throughout her years serving on the Tribal Education Committee, Maxine also served on the education committees of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, the National Congress of American Indians and the National Tribal Chairman's Association.

It was important to serve on the committees, she said, because they were able to get resolutions approved that either strengthened existing programs or helped get new legislation approved.

In 1976, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. The appointment enabled her to travel all over the country to advocate for Indian education and also was a savings to the Sho-Ban Tribes in terms of travel costs.

The Intermountain Indian School Board was another responsibility she took on and served for approximately four years from 1978 to 1982. It was a boarding school located in Brigham City, Utah.

She was a 4-H leader for 20 years and devoted much of her time to the children of the Ross Fork District of the Fort Hall Reservation.
In addition, she served on the Federal Library Board that enabled her to lobby for funds for the Shoshone-Bannock Library.

She also served on the Sho-Ban School Board for many terms. Her efforts for a new tribal school finally succeeded and a new school was built in 1996.

Maxine was also a member of the Advisory Council for Indian Health Service national scholarship program.

Over the years she served on the Fort Hall Business Council, the Tribal Tax Commission, the Tribal Land Use Policy Commission and the Tribal Enrollment Committee.

Maxine was a founding member of the Chief Tahgee Elementary Academy language immersion school. She was also a Bannock language teacher.
Because of her dedicated service, Idaho Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) nominated her for an Esto Perpetua Award that she received from the Idaho State Historical Society in 2016.

In addition, she served on the Tribes Return of the Boise Valley People committee and Bannock Gathering committee to advocate for returning to original homelands and educating the public about the true history of the areas. She loved participating in the Tribes cultural events. She also was a strong advocate for tribal sovereignty and Fort Bridger Treaty rights.
She loved the outdoors, bird watching, collecting rocks, camping, hunting, picnicking and spending time watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren participate in rodeo and other sporting events. In her early days she was a rodeo secretary and timer.

She is survived by her sons: Leo Edmo, Kesley (Lynda Lee) Edmo Jr., Blaine J. Edmo, Wesley (Nancy Grant) Edmo and Gary (Stub) Edmo. Her daughters: Lorraine (Jerry Cordova) Edmo, Louise (Clyde Sr.) Dixey and Lori Edmo. A sister Velda (Fred Auck) Racehorse and a brother Everett Satellite Weiser. Three grandchildren she raised Eugene Edmo, Rebecca Ellsworth and Casey Ellsworth, along with 23 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren and 10 great, great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Kesley Edmo Sr., a son Kevin Chaunce Edmo, her parents and two daughters Linda Edmo Stevens and Lucille Moe Edmo. Three brothers Lonnie Racehorse, Vernon "Peewee" Racehorse and Ernie Racehorse, along with a baby sister Betty Nola. Her close cousins Althea "Sophie" Blackhawk, Hazel Osborne, Boyd Hootchew, Cleve Racehorse and Clifford Houtz.

Maxine will be featured in a "Trailblazing Women of Idaho" exhibit the Idaho State Historical Society will soon be opening.

She was a traditional Native woman always giving and caring for her Nanewe (tribal people).

A service was September 19, 2020 at Wilks Funeral Home in Chubbuck, Idaho. She will be taken to her home in Ross Fork, Idaho September 20, 2020 at 11 a.m. until time of burial at 2 p.m. September 21, 2020 at Gibson Cemetery in Gibson, Idaho.

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