Wilma Pearl Mankiller - Atsilasgi Asgayadihi; November 18, 1945 - April 6, 2010
The first woman elected as Chief of the Cherokee Nation was Wilma Pearl Mankiller. She was born November 18, 1945 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her father was a full-blood Cherokee and her mother was of Dutch and Irish ancestry. Wilma served as Principal Chief from December 1985 - 1995.
Mankiller died on April 6, 2010 at age 64 from pancreatic cancer.
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Honors:
Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year in 1987.
National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton - 1998 ( Wilma Mankiller, the former chief of the Cherokee Nation, known for her work in reducing infant mortality and improving health and education among the Cherokees. )
Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 1986
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1994
Her autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People, was published in 1993.
The Cherokee Word for Water, directed by Charlie Soap and Tim Kelly. In 2015, the movie was selected as the top American Indian film of the past 40 years by the American Indian Film Institute
project in Kenwood received the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Certificate of National Merit.
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The Wilma Mankiller Foundation, a fund of Tulsa Community Foundation, seeks to continue Wilma Mankiller’s legacy of community development in Indian Country. The projects undertaken by the foundation support community development and focus on two essentials of life, water and food: promoting the movie and message of The Cherokee Word for Water, and our healthy food/community gardens projects underway in Adair, Cherokee and Muskogee counties.
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Wiki:
Throughout her life, she had serious health problems, including polycystic kidney disease, myasthenia gravis, lymphoma and breast cancer, and needed two kidney transplants. She died in 2010 from pancreatic cancer,
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President Barack Obama said this about her: “As the Cherokee Nation’s first female chief, she transformed the Nation-to-Nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the Federal Government and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she was recognized for her vision and commitment to a brighter future for all Americans. Her legacy will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work.”
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Photo Credits:
My Photo
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Video Credits:
Public Domain
Cherokee Nation
Every Day Heroes - yvimeo.com/915301119
Jane Addams Conference 1993
William J. Clinton Presidential Library
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