After Sam’s accidental death in 1940, Viola became Chieftess of the
Prescott Yavapai Native American tribe. For twenty-six years, until her death on December 7, 1966, Viola guided her tribe with wisdom and kindness. Her leadership helped the
Yavapais achieve better living conditions and more modern facilities than most other tribes. Jimulla's personal strengths and skills helped her people adapt and grow with the surrounding
Anglo community. Although Jimulla formed a bridge between the two cultures,
Anglo and Indian, she still honored the traditions of her tribe. Not only was Jimulla a great leader for her tribe, she was also influential in religious matters. She was the first
Yavapai to be baptized into the
Presbyterian Church. In 1922, she and others of her tribe revitalized the
Yavapai Indian Mission to become the
Presbyterian Mission. Jimulla served the mission as an elder, a Sunday School superintendent, and an interpreter. In 1950, she became a commissioner to the
General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati where she made a speech on behalf of the mission. In 1951, the mission became an organized church and later, in 1957, it was reorganized as the
Trinity Presbyterian Church which recognized the three founding entities – the new Presbyterians in Prescott, the founding church, and the Presbyterian Indian people. Under Jimulla’s leadership,
The Prescott Yavapai Tribal Council was formed to better ensure the people's voice in their own governing. Jimulla's descendants continued to guide her people. Two of her daughters, Grace Mitchell and Lucy Miller, became chieftess in the years following their mother's death. In 1986, Viola was elected to the
Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame. A statue of Viola teaching
basketry to a young Yavapai is in the lobby of the Prescott Resort and Conference Center. The young girl in the statue is her granddaughter Patricia McGee, who, in 1972, became tribal president. ==References==