Esther Motanic

In 1926 Esther Lee Motanic was the first Native American Round-Up Queen and the first Native American to graduate from Pendleton High School. Her heritage traces to the Nez Perce, Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla tribes. A mezzo-soprano and a violinist, Esther sang in many church choirs. When dedicated in 2013, Esther Motanic’s statue was the first piece of female Native American public art in Pendleton.