TOPPENISH, Wash., June 20 (UPI) -- William Yallup Sr., a longtime leader of the Yakama Nation of Indians in Washington state, has died at the age of 79.
Yallup was a member of the tribal government for 45 years, the Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic reported. He resigned from the Tribal Council last year because of deteriorating health.
A descendent of Wish-Och-Kmpits, who signed the Yakama treaty with the United States, Yallup was born during the Ellensburg Labor Day Rodeo in 1926. He grew up speaking both Yakama and English and spent much of his adult life moving between two worlds, the Herald-Republic said.
Yallup served in the U.S. Army for three years and was a member of the Marine Reserves for 12 years. He also worked as Indian Affairs Coordinator for the state of Washington.
After his election to the Yakama Tribal Council in 1960, Yallup served as assistant to the secretary, the newspaper said. He became a full-fledged member of the council in 1972.
