She was the daughter of Joseph Quintasket, from the Okanogan Tribe and her mother, Lucy Stukin, from the Colville Tribe.

Her mother died when she was only 14. Her family who took in an older Indian woman, took over as role of Grandmother and spiritual advisor. She helped raise Christine. Her limited formal education came from the Goodwin Mission School in Kettle Falls, Washington.

She later on spent a few years at the Fort Spokane School in Washington for Indians. After that she went to Montana at the Fort Shaw School, and later in Alberta, Canada. She made her way back to Washington. She was married twice, but never had any children. Her second husband was Fred Galler.

By day she was a migrant worker as a vegetable and fruit picker, by night, she'd pen stories. She completed 4 novels…Cogewea-The Half Blood, Coyote Stories, Tales of the Okanogans, and Mourning Dove: A Salishan Autobiography. At the last few weeks of her life, she became suddenly feeble and disoriented, on and off. She was put in a State Hospital, called Medical Lake, where she died. Cause of death was listed as: Manic Depressive Psychosis. She was just 48. Her gravestone reads simply…Mrs. Fred Galler.

B. 1888

D. Aug. 8, 1936

PIA MISSION CEMETERY~STEVEN CO. WA.