CHARTER MEMBER PROFILE
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JEAN RAINEY COFFIN I
t would be an understatement to say that Jean Rainey Coffin (Shoshone, registered at Fort Hall, Idaho) has led a very full and fascinating life. Coffin
(nee Potter), 86, who grew up in Nevada and now resides in Boise, Idaho, has a longstand- ing avid interest in her family’s history. Her knowledge goes back generations. Many members of her family, including
Coffin herself, have served illustriously in the U.S. military. Her grandfather, Charles W. Rainey, an interpreter, was present at the signing of the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 between the United States and the Eastern Band of Shoshone. Joseph Rainey, her grand- uncle, was an interpreter for General Oliver Howard, “until he started chasing Chief Jo- seph of the Nez Perce Tribe,” she notes. Her father, Charles Patrick Rainey, attended Carl- isle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, served in World War I and had a great gift for languages. A runner during the war and recipient of the prestigious Croix de Guerre, he also was the most decorated World War I veteran in Nevada. Coffin, a Vietnam veteran, completed a
manual for military supervisors of civilian personnel at Stead Air Force Base in Reno, Nev. Years later when the Vietnamization Program went into effect, she was selected to be the administration chief in the Directorate of Civilian Personnel, 7th
Air Force at Tan Son
Nhut Air Base in Vietnam. She was also the signatory for civilian matters for the 7th
Air
Force commanding general. She is a charter member of Women in Military Service for America. Coffin has been a Charter Member of the National Museum of the American In- dian since 2000. She speaks warmly about Dr. Herman Viola, the highly respected National Museum of Natural History curator emeritus and historian, crediting him as the one who got her involved with our Museum. The way Coffin tells the story, Dr. Viola
paid a visit to Boise, and she showed him a photograph of her grandfather at the Fort Bridger Treaty signing. She recalls that Viola replied, “You won’t believe this but that picture
62 AMERICAN INDIAN SUMMER 2013
Museum member Jean Coffin with director Kevin Gover
has hung in my office for 25 years.” Their con- nection further deepened when Coffin shared her research on Native women in the military. Viola had recently published his book, War- riors in Uniform: The Legacy of American Indian Heroism (National Geographic, 2008). Coffin recalls Viola saying he wished that he had had access to her research when he was writing his book. Coffin has visited the Museum in Wash-
ington, D.C., four times in recent years. She attended the 2004 grand opening, the five- year anniversary and two Director’s Council of Friends conferences – one in 2011 and another just this past September. “It was wonderful to be at the grand
opening,” remembers Coffin. “I was with my Southern Cheyenne friend Dianne McCoy. She trilled in the most beautiful way during the parade. It was fabulous to hear that.” She also speaks fondly of the new friendships that she has forged with the Museum staff over the years. “I have nothing to worry about when I visit the Museum. If I have a problem someone
will help right away,” says Coffin. “When I go back to the Museum, it’s like being with family.” Why is Coffin a Museum Member? “I am
proud of my heritage,” she says. “My feeling is that Native American children need to learn what Mother Earth provides. To be stewards of the land, protecting the animals – learn- ing from their actions. Be knowledgeable of plants and what the plants provide to keep us healthy. Get rid of the phrase, ‘We Indians are expected to be drunks.’ Have a drink not a drunk! We need to take care of and appreci- ate these things. This will be the survival of our nation and of Mother Earth. My interest is in education and that’s why I think that people should be involved and consider be- ing Members. “It’s not just reading the Museum’s maga-
zine, it’s about participating and contributing – not just financially but with knowledge – these are the important factors,” says Coffin.X – Liz Hill
Liz Hill (Red Lake Ojibwe) is a business owner, writer and radio producer in Washington, D.C.
PHOTO BY KATHERINE FOGDEN
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