WILMA MANKILLER
Wilma Mankiller former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma,
lives on the land which was allotted to her paternal grandfather, John Mankiller,
just after Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Surrounded by the Cherokee Hills and
the Cookson Hills, she lives in a historically rich area where a person's worth
is not determined by the size of their bank account or portfolio. Her family
name "Mankiller" as far as they can determine, is an old military title that was
given to the person in charge of protecting the village. As the leader of the
Cherokee people she represented the second largest tribe in the United States,
the largest being the Dine (Navajo) Tribe. Mankiller was the first female in
modern history to lead a major Native American tribe. With an enrolled
population of over 140,000, and an annual budget of more than $75 million, and
more than 1,200 employees spread over 7,000 square miles, her task may have been
equalled to that of a chief executive officer of a major corporation.
Initially, Wilma's candidacy was opposed by those not wishing to be led by a
woman. Her tires were slashed and there were death threats during her campaign.
But now as Wilma shares her home with her husband, Charlie Soap, and Winterhawk,
his son from a previous marriage, things are very different. She has won the
respect of the Cherokee Nation, and made an impact on the culture as she has
focused on her mission - to bring self-sufficiency to her people.
"Prior to my election, " says Mankiller, "young Cherokee girls would never have
thought that they might grow up and become chief." Mankiller had been asked by
Ross Swimmer, then President of a small bank, who assumed leadership of the
Cherokee Nation in 1975. He convinced Mankiller to run as his deputy chief. They
won. In 1985, Swimmer resigned as chief to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
and Cherokee law mandated that the deputy chief assume the duties of the former
chief.
In the historic tribal elections of 1987, Mankiller won the post out-right and
brought unprecedented attention to the tribe as a result. "We are a revitalized
tribe," said Mankiller,"After every major upheaval, we have been able to gather
together as a people and rebuild a community and a government. Individually and
collectively, Cherokee people possess an extraordinary ability to face down
adversity and continue moving forward. We are able to do that because our
culture, though certainly diminished, has sustained us since time immemorial.
This Cherokee culture is a well-kept secret."
Mankiller attibutes her understanding of her peoples history partially to her
own families forced removal, as part of the government's Indian relocation
policy, to California when she was a young girl . Her concern for Native
American issues was ignited in 1969 when a group of university students occupied
Alcatraz Island in order to attract attention to the issues affecting their
tribes. Shortly afterwards, she began working in preschool and adult education
programs in the Pit River Tribe of California.
In 1974, she divorced her husband after eleven years of marriage when their
views of her role continued to widen. She moved back to her ancestral lands
outside of Tahlequah, and immediately began helping her people by procuring
grants enabling them to launch critical rural programs. In 1979 she enrolled in
the nearby University of Arkansas, and upon returning home from class was almost
killed in a head-on collision in which one of her best friends who had been
driving the other car, was killed. After barely avoiding the amputation of her
right leg, she endured another seventeen operations. Mankiller says that it was
during the long process that she really began reevaluating her life and it
proved to be a time of deep spiritual awakening.
Then in 1980, just a year after the accident, she was diagnosed with myasthenia
gravis, a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes varying degrees of weakness
in the voluntary muscles of the body. She maintains that it was the realization
of how precious life is that spurred her to begin projects for her people, such
as the Bell project where members of the community revitalized a whole community
themselves.
It was the success of the Bell project that thrust Mankiller into national
recognition as an expert in community development. The election to deputy chief
did not come until two years later. In 1986, Wilma married long time friend and
former director of tribal development, Charlie Soap. Mankiller's love of family
and community became a source of strength when again a life threatening illness
struck. Recurring kidney problems forced Mankiller to have a kidney transplant,
her brother Don Mankiller served as the donor. During her convalescence, she had
many long talks with her family, and it was decided that she would run again for
Chief in order to complete the many community projects she had begun.
She has shown in her typically exuberant way that not only can Native Americans
learn a lot from the whites, but that whites can learn from native people.
Understanding the interconnectedness of all things, many whites are beginning to
understand the value of native wisdom, culture and spirituality. Spirituality is
then key to the public and private life of Wilma Mankiller who has indeed become
known not only for her community leadership but also for her spiritual presence.
A woman rabbi who is the head of a large synagogue in New York commented that
Mankiller was a significant spiritual force in the nation.
Wilma Mankiller former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma,
lives on the land which was allotted to her paternal grandfather, John Mankiller,
just after Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Surrounded by the Cherokee Hills and
the Cookson Hills, she lives in a historically rich area where a person's worth
is not determined by the size of their bank account or portfolio. Her family
name "Mankiller" as far as they can determine, is an old military title that was
given to the person in charge of protecting the village. As the leader of the
Cherokee people she represented the second largest tribe in the United States,
the largest being the Dine (Navajo) Tribe. Mankiller was the first female in
modern history to lead a major Native American tribe. With an enrolled
population of over 140,000, and an annual budget of more than $75 million, and
more than 1,200 employees spread over 7,000 square miles, her task may have been
equalled to that of a chief executive officer of a major corporation.
Initially, Wilma's candidacy was opposed by those not wishing to be led by a
woman. Her tires were slashed and there were death threats during her campaign.
But now as Wilma shares her home with her husband, Charlie Soap, and Winterhawk,
his son from a previous marriage, things are very different. She has won the
respect of the Cherokee Nation, and made an impact on the culture as she has
focused on her mission - to bring self-sufficiency to her people.
"Prior to my election, " says Mankiller, "young Cherokee girls would never have
thought that they might grow up and become chief." Mankiller had been asked by
Ross Swimmer, then President of a small bank, who assumed leadership of the
Cherokee Nation in 1975. He convinced Mankiller to run as his deputy chief. They
won. In 1985, Swimmer resigned as chief to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
and Cherokee law mandated that the deputy chief assume the duties of the former
chief.
In the historic tribal elections of 1987, Mankiller won the post out-right and
brought unprecedented attention to the tribe as a result. "We are a revitalized
tribe," said Mankiller,"After every major upheaval, we have been able to gather
together as a people and rebuild a community and a government. Individually and
collectively, Cherokee people possess an extraordinary ability to face down
adversity and continue moving forward. We are able to do that because our
culture, though certainly diminished, has sustained us since time immemorial.
This Cherokee culture is a well-kept secret."
Mankiller attibutes her understanding of her peoples history partially to her
own families forced removal, as part of the government's Indian relocation
policy, to California when she was a young girl . Her concern for Native
American issues was ignited in 1969 when a group of university students occupied
Alcatraz Island in order to attract attention to the issues affecting their
tribes. Shortly afterwards, she began working in preschool and adult education
programs in the Pit River Tribe of California.
In 1974, she divorced her husband after eleven years of marriage when their
views of her role continued to widen. She moved back to her ancestral lands
outside of Tahlequah, and immediately began helping her people by procuring
grants enabling them to launch critical rural programs. In 1979 she enrolled in
the nearby University of Arkansas, and upon returning home from class was almost
killed in a head-on collision in which one of her best friends who had been
driving the other car, was killed. After barely avoiding the amputation of her
right leg, she endured another seventeen operations. Mankiller says that it was
during the long process that she really began reevaluating her life and it
proved to be a time of deep spiritual awakening.
Then in 1980, just a year after the accident, she was diagnosed with myasthenia
gravis, a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes varying degrees of weakness
in the voluntary muscles of the body. She maintains that it was the realization
of how precious life is that spurred her to begin projects for her people, such
as the Bell project where members of the community revitalized a whole community
themselves.
It was the success of the Bell project that thrust Mankiller into national
recognition as an expert in community development. The election to deputy chief
did not come until two years later. In 1986, Wilma married long time friend and
former director of tribal development, Charlie Soap. Mankiller's love of family
and community became a source of strength when again a life threatening illness
struck. Recurring kidney problems forced Mankiller to have a kidney transplant,
her brother Don Mankiller served as the donor. During her convalescence, she had
many long talks with her family, and it was decided that she would run again for
Chief in order to complete the many community projects she had begun.
She has shown in her typically exuberant way that not only can Native Americans
learn a lot from the whites, but that whites can learn from native people.
Understanding the interconnectedness of all things, many whites are beginning to
understand the value of native wisdom, culture and spirituality. Spirituality is
then key to the public and private life of Wilma Mankiller who has indeed become
known not only for her community leadership but also for her spiritual presence.
A woman rabbi who is the head of a large synagogue in New York commented that
Mankiller was a significant spiritual force in the nation.