Fort Hall, Idaho (January 12, 2024) – After twelve years of service to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Enterprise, Bonnie Wuttunee-Wadsworth announced her retirement as the Donzia Gift Shop Manager. The Donzia Gift Shop is located inside the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel and until recently was managed by the Tribal Enterprise. It is now being managed by the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel.
“We are extremely grateful and honored to have had Bonnie’s knowledge and experience in art, museum studies, and the Tribes to help make the Donzia Gift Shop what it is today. We wish her good health and happiness during her much-deserved retirement,” stated Lee Juan Tyler, Fort Hall Business Council Chairman.
Bonnie began her duties as the manager in September 2011. She officially retired in November 2023. Her main focus was to promote the contemporary fine arts of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. She purchased high-quality beadwork and hides directly from local tribal artists. She was also responsible for acquiring apparel and souvenirs to sell in the gift shop.
Bonnie is a Shoshone-Bannock tribal member. Bonnie also served as the former Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum Director for ten years before attending and graduating from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico with a Museum Studies and Fine Arts degree. Bonnie’s knowledge and experience were used to display beadwork in a gallery museum style to highlight items as Shoshone-Bannock art. She has a respect for cultural propriety and avoided selling any items that were stereotypical of the Native American culture.
“The Donzia Gift Shop is unique to our community and within Indian Country. It was an honor to work with tribal artists of the past and present. The staff were a big part of the shop’s success, and it was my pleasure to have worked with them. I am pleased to see the shop under the hotel as it was originally planned and look forward to seeing future success in highlighting our contemporary fine arts,” stated Bonnie. Bonnie looks forward to spending as much time as possible with her family during her retirement.