Dorothy Amora Stanley

Dorothy Amora Stanley (née Dudley; July 14, 1924 – October 10, 1990) was an American educator, consultant, Miwok activist, and politician. Trained in Northern Miwok culture during her youth, she became involved in Native American affairs – particularly the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians – after her fourth marriage. An advocate for Native American interests, she served as vice-chair of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Central California Agency's advisory board and as chair of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Tribal Council in 1980. She was also an educator and demonstrator on Miwok culture, including basket-weaving, as well as an archaeological and academic consultant.

Biography Early life and career Dorothy Amora Stanley was born on July 14, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, raised on the ancestral Fuller Ranch and Tuolumne Rancheria (both in Tuolumne County), and educated at the Stewart Indian School.

Career with the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Originally trained by William Fuller's wife Annie Jack Fuller in Northern Miwok culture during her youth, After serving in the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Tribal Council (TMTC)'s business committee, she was elected chair of the tribe in 1980,

She was a supporter of Native American rights, with her co-worker Shelly Davis-King recalling that Stanley once said that her experience with bureaucratic complications was "not red tape, but white tape". and at one point was reportedly one of their last speakers.

Personal life, death, and legacy In addition to three previous husbands, she had seven children with her Southern Sierra Miwok husband Elmer Stanley, whom she married in 1969, including basket weaver Jennifer Bates. The Modesto Bee reported that she was known as "a symbol of MeWuk pride and MeWuk identity",