Spokane Indian leader dead at 59

SPOKANE — Bruce Wynne, an artist and major figure in Northwest Indian issues, has died of an apparent heart attack.

Wynne, 59, died Saturday in Wellpinit on the Spokane Indian Reservation.

Wynne was president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians from 1991-1999, representing 55 tribes. He also helped guide the Spokane Tribe’s entry into casino operations, and was a noted sculptor. He served on President Clinton’s transition team and on the boards of several Indian health groups.

He was also an area vice president for the National Congress of American Indians.

"He was both a talented artist and a trusted voice for tribal issues," Gov. Gary Locke said.

Wynne served on the Spokane Tribal Council for 16 years, and was chairman from 1989-2000.

"The quality of Bruce’s leadership is unsurpassed," Spokane tribal chairman Warren Seyler said.

Wynne devoted years to working to get his tribe compensated for the flooding of 17 miles of the Spokane River Valley land when Grand Coulee Dam was built.

Wynne was born in 1944 in Wellpinit. He graduated from Mead High School in Spokane and studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., graduating in 1964 with a degree in sculpture. He later graduated from the University of Colorado with an arts degree.

As a sculptor, he worked primarily in alabaster, granite and limestone, and won numerous awards. Wynne’s work is owned by several museums, including the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, Okla., and the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyo.

Wynne is survived by three children.