Listen to Neltje's Story.

Resources:

Neltje.com

North of Crazy by Neltje

Jentel Artist Residency Program

Listen to Marilyn's Story.

Listen to Affie's Story. 

Affie Ellis was born to a working-class family in Jackson, Wyoming and spent weekends cleaning motel rooms with her mother, Lenora. Affie says she “wouldn’t trade that experience for anything,” because it taught her life long lessons of perseverance, hard work, a desire to better herself, and give back to others.

In January 2017, Affie was elected to her first term as a Wyoming legislature. She is the first Navajo and first Native American person to serve in the Wyoming State Senate. Affie is adamant that her rise to public office is a job that does not encompass her entire identity. A lawyer and mom of three, Affie is committed to doing the best work possible for Wyoming.

As a state Senator she has worked on legislation related to a variety of Native American issues, including enactment of laws to address the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and a state Indian Child Welfare Act law. She’s passionate about improving education in Wyoming, supporting legislation for the passing of computer science standards for all K-12 students, expanding scholarship opportunities for career and technical education students, and establishing a scholarship to provide financial assistance for adult learners to fill workforce needs. She’s also passed laws to protect evidence collected during sexual assault examinations. Affie was re-elected to the Wyoming State Senate in 2020.

Listen to Nimi's Story. 

Nimi’s storied life began in Madras, India where she became an established journalist- working for India’s first and to-date, only female Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. She attended Columbia School of Journalism, worked at WGBH- the PBS station in Boston, then ran her own station in Delhi. There, she met her husband, Pat and relocated because of Pat’s work to Casper, Wyoming where they've lived for the last 40 years.

In Casper, Nimi became the first woman of color to run a television news station, and later, ran for office and became the first Indian-born person in the entire US to serve in state government. Known as a community-minded person for years before running for office, Nimi helped start the hospice program in Casper as well as a weekly foreign film club. Her story is a true tale of courage, being yourself and embracing difference as a strength.  

Listen to Nina's Story. 

Listen to Clarene's Story.

Clarene Law was a force in Wyoming’s business and political community for more than 50 years. She grew up in a blue-collar family and was known in Wyoming as the “matriarch of the tourism industry” due to her successful hotel and business endeavors. Clarene did not think of herself this way, however. In her mind, her greatest success was her network of relationships with others; she said it was support from this network that helped her achieve her life goals. In addition to her business savvy, Clarene was equally known for her kindness and compassion, as well as for her roles in public service.

She served 14 years in Wyoming’s House of Representatives where she was named chairwoman of the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee and the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee. She served on numerous boards and commissions over the years, earning accolades for her service, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wyoming Business Report, the Wyoming Women of Influence Award, the Wyoming Business Person of the Year, and the Jackson Hole Citizen of the Year. She was inducted into the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame in 2013.

Clarene could be found most days working at the Antler Inn, her flagship motel, which she purchased in 1962. Why did she go to work everyday? “Because it needed to be done.”

Clarene’s images and interview for this project were recorded in 2018.