[2][3] Clara Nomee was born on May 12, 1938, in Crow Agency, Montana, to parents, Henry Pretty On Top, Sr. and Susie White Hip.
Her parents gave her the Crow name of Xooxaashe iisaashe itshe, meaning "Good Corn Stock".
She encountered difficulties and a tribal glass ceiling during her first campaign, telling the Billings Gazette in 1992, "When I first ran, men said my place was at home, raising children and taking care of the husband.
[3] Nomee was able to increase and attract federal and private revenue streams into the Crow Tribe's coffers.
[3] Her administration settled a long running reservation border dispute, which centered on the 107th meridian and had lasted for more than 100 years.
The dispute was settled in favor of the Crow Tribe, which resulted in millions of dollars in new revenue from a trust fund from a federal coal mine, which was now located on tribal lands.
[3] However, Nomee's five terms as Chairperson were also marred by a scandal and subsequent conviction stemming from her purchase of land from the Crow Tribe in 1994.
The sale was approved by the Land Resources Committee, which was composed of both elected members and Nomee political appointees.
[2][3][5] Birdinground nullified all deals made by Nomee's administration after her 1997 indictment and fired approximately 130 Crow Tribe government employees after taking office.
[2] (Two years later, Birdinground was convicted of one count of bribery by a federal court and sentenced to a prison term of 37 months.