Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo remembered as beloved leader, mentor
The Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, a beloved faith leader who was the first Native American woman ordained in the Lutheran Church and led All Nations Church in south Minneapolis for several decades, died Friday, July 22, at age 75.
Family, close friends, congregants and other community members gathered Tuesday at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis to mourn her passing and celebrate her life by sharing their memories of her with one another.
Helgemo, a tribal citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation who grew up in Wisconsin, was a Hunka relative — a traditional Lakota adoptive relative — to Alfred Walking Bull’s extended family. He says Helgemo was one of the first people who welcomed him to Minneapolis. It was Helgemo whose ministry helped his mother when she grew terminally ill.
“Pastor Marlene came and prayed with her and left her some sage from Rosebud for her journey,” Walking Bull recalled. “She invited me and my niece after my mother's passing that first Christmas without my mom. That's how we got through the first hard holidays.”
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Walking Bull reflected on what Helgemo’s passing means for her church and for members of the Native American community who, he said, relied on her leadership.
“All Nations Church is without a pastor and our leaders are without a compass. But I think that speaks to her constant presence in our lives.” said Walking Bull. “I think that the biggest gift that she left us, is we are an entire network.”
Robert Lilligren, executive director of the Native American Community Development Institute, said he met Helgemo during his time on the Minneapolis City Council.
“Marlene had a good understanding about how to work the levers of power within government at all levels,” said Lilligren. “We were very good allies during my city council career.”
Lilligren said Helgemo also played a key role in directing leadership within Minneapolis’ American Indian community.
“I was very proud to consider myself one of ‘Marlene's minions,’” said Lilligren. “I remember when I first felt like I became a minion when Marlene invited me to emcee the Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce annual gala out at Mystic Lake. It was a very large and important event. Marlene managed pretty much every detail of my participation — including my script, my schedule and rehearsal time, even my wardrobe!”
Lilligren said Helgemo's legacy is found in the many people she helped mentor.
“I believe that Marlene understood very well that to improve things for Native people, she could amplify her impact by advancing others into leadership positions, then telling them exactly what she wanted them to do!” he said.
As a friend, Lilligren said he will always remember Helgemo for her composure in the face of enormous challenges, challenges she met wearing her signature shade of purple.
“Pivotal was the trip to Standing Rock that Marlene invited me to take with her. It had a profound effect on my perspective of advancing Native progress in the 21st century,” remembered Lilligren. “Also, I was so impressed with how, even camping at Standing Rock, Marlene showed up every day with her impeccable purple eyeshadow in place!”
Gov. Tim Walz declared this past Tuesday, the day of her funeral, as Reverend Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo Day in Minnesota.
“Helgemo’s fierce and passionate advocacy for Indigenous rights inspired hope and changed lives,” Walz tweeted.