Josephine Montes Villa

Josephine is a traditional Apache and Yaqui native woman and adopted by the Barbareno Chumash Nation. She is a wife, mother of six and grandmother of two.

Josie, Deidre and Shyanne at Camp Emerson in the Indian Camp, Idyllwild, Ca. summer 2009

In 2005 she had her coming out as a Northern Buckskin Dancer at an all Southern Powwow in Oklahoma where she says there is nothing like southern hospitality.

She has been head lady dancer at various powwows throughout Southern California. She enjoys attending traditional gatherings such as Bear Dances throughout Southern and Northern California. She participates in sweat lodge, drum ceremonies, talking circles, yearly ceremonial gatherings on the island of Limuw, and Spirit camp in Yosemite. Her travels often take her back home to the land of her ancestors to participate in the Sunrise Ceremonies in Mescalero and San Carlos Reservations.

She has been a Powwow advisor for UCRiverside and liaison for Southern California Gourd Society Powwow. She is a committee member of the Annual Sherman Indian High School Inter-tribal Powwow. Josephine enjoys assisting Alumni and families with their genealogy at the Sherman Indian Museum to reconnect them with their tribes.

Since fall 2007 she has worked in the Culture Traditions Program at Sherman Indian High School managing the school museum and Clarke Cultural Center which she is co-founder of. Clarke Cultural Center is the first Culture Center on the Sherman Campus and offers a variety of traditional and healing programs for the students she serves.  She has guided the youth in building of our sweat lodge at Sherman for our students. In fall of 2009 she founded and sponsors the first all girls hand drum group White Rose Singers at SIHS which consist of 13 young native women.

Josephine coordinates the weekly Powwow night workshop at Sherman, working with the students to gain the knowledge of powwow protocol. Through these efforts the students will be planning, and implementing the Sherman Indian High School Inter-tribal Youth Powwow on the 17th of April 2010.

She will be sharing her knowledge of native crafts, such as bead & leather work, hand drum workshop, native jewelry and basketry, songs and storytelling, Regalia, powwow protocol, powwow dances, and for medicinal plant gathering the importance of it, uses and honor.

Josephine welcomes the opportunity to share her culture traditions and that of our student body with the public at invited events and activities through out Southern California.