[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN MEMORY OF THE LATE MARTHA MANUEL CHACON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 13, 2000

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness that I inform my colleagues 
of the passing of a great individual, a person who graced our world and 
the lives of so many people with love and compassion.
  Martha Manuel Chacon, who passed away on March 28, 2000, was a 
beloved tribal elder of the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians. 
She was totally dedicated to providing a better way of life for her 
tribal members as well as for future generations of Serranos and all 
Native Americans.
  Mrs. Chacon's legacy will live on forever in the many lives she 
touched during her 89 years on this Earth. She demonstrated to all of 
us complete and total honesty and strength as well as leadership and 
courage.
  Martha Manuel Chacon was and remains so much a tremendous person in 
our thoughts and in our memories. I appreciate so much and will long 
remember the many good and positive things she brought into the lives 
of so many people and to the lives of the people of the San Manuel 
Tribe.
  I join with Martha's friends and family members in honoring such a 
truly remarkable and outstanding person, someone who gave so much to 
those she loved. Each of us is better and more fortunate for what she 
unselfishly gave to us and gave to our world, a world made so much 
brighter and gentler by her life and her presence.
  Mr. Speaker, I join with all of those who loved Martha Manuel Chacon 
in extending our prayers, knowing that God's heaven will forever be 
blessed and graced by her presence.

                   Tribal Matriarch Chacon Dies at 89

                            (By Joe Nelson)

       San Bernardino--Martha Manuel Chacon was the backbone of 
     the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians--possessing 
     honesty, strength, leadership, and courage. She was 
     considered a true friend in every sense of the word, family 
     members say.
       After a lifetime of service to the San Manuel tribe, Chacon 
     died Tuesday at St. Bernardino Medical Center in San 
     Bernardino. She was 89.
       Chacon was the granddaughter of Santos Manuel--for whom the 
     tribe is named.
       Manuel was responsible for saving the tribe during 
     difficult transition times in 1866, when settling in one 
     place was a challenge because American Indians routinely were 
     forced to move from one location to another as land got 
     swallowed up. It was Manuel who was key in settling the tribe 
     near Highland, were it has remained to this day.
       Chacon helped bring electricity to the reservation in the 
     1950s and running water to tribal homes in the 1960s. Her 
     leadership helped the tribe improve its quality of life and 
     plan its future, members said.
       One thing family members said they will remember about 
     Chacon was her strong connection to Serrano ancestry, culture 
     and heritage.
       Chacon's daughter, Pauline Murillo, 67, remembers the 
     stories her mother told her when she was a child--part of the 
     American Indian oral tradition.
       Chacon often would converse with family members in the 
     Cahuilla language.
       ``We shared the customs. She would call me or I would call 
     her and we would speak Indian,'' Murillo said.
       As a young adult, when jobs were scarce and she faced 
     extreme poverty, Chacon commuted to Los Angeles and spent the 
     work week there as a house cleaner to make ends meet. She 
     would return to the reservation on the weekends to be with 
     her family, Murillo said.
       The time away never negatively impacted Chacon's 
     relationship with her family, relatives said.
       ``She was a very strong person. She was like the backbone 
     to our whole family,'' said granddaughter Audrey Martinez, 
     who serves as the tribe's secretary-treasurer.
       Chacon is survived by her husband, Raoul; children Pauline 
     Murillo, Roy Chacon, Rowena ``Rena'' Ramos, Sandy Marquez, 
     Raoul ``Beanie'' Chacon Jr., and Carla Rodriguez; 18 
     grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and four great-great 
     grandchildren.
       A rosary will be recited at Chacon's home on the San Manuel 
     Reservation at 7 p.m. Monday. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. 
     Tuesday, also at Chacon's home.
       Donations in Chacon's memory can be sent to: Loma Linda 
     University Children's Hospital Foundation, 11234 Anderson 
     Road, Room A607, Loma Linda 92354.

     

                          ____________________