Background
She was born Virginia Shanta and raised in Three Rivers, New Mexico, where she lived all of her life.
She was born Virginia Shanta and raised in Three Rivers, New Mexico, where she lived all of her life.
She attended local and boarding schools.
She was elected as the first woman president of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, and served on the Tribal Council for nearly 30 years. She was known for being the first elected female leader of a major tribe, and for her work in preserving the Apache language. Shanta was reared in the Roman Catholic faith.
Klinkole worked as the Tularosa Public School Educational Liaison for the Mescalero Tribe, and strongly supported education for the children of the reservation, working to preserve the Apache language.
In 1959 she was elected as the first woman president of the Mescalero Apache, becoming "the first woman elected to lead any major tribe in the United States." She served as a member until 1986, taking part in every aspect of managing the reservation.
She was "a member of the Tularosa School Board in the late 1960s and served on the Mescalero Apache School Board in the 1980s and 90s. Following her term, she was repeatedly elected as a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council.