It is with great sadness that the Tribal Council of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas announces the passing of our Second Chief, Mikko Poliika Istaaya, Millie Ann Thompson Williams. Millie made history as the first woman to ever be elected to a Tribal Chief position for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe. Mikko Istimatokla passed away on Friday, August 25, 2023, at a hospital in Lufkin, TX. She was 67 years old.
Poliika Istaaya, a proud member of the Bear clan, was inaugurated as the Second Chief of the tribe on January 1, 2023. She had been married to her husband, the late Kenneth “Woody” Williams for 47 years. Millie worked most of her life as a teacher with the Alabama-Coushatta Head Start Program and eventually became the program’s Health and Mental Health Manager. Being the first female to serve as a Tribal Chief, she hoped to inspire young girls to pursue their dreams. Millie was quoted as saying “I would like to encourage them; you can be whatever you want to be in life. You can go and reach for your goals. Reach out to the stars.”