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What was Wilma Mankiller known for?
Wilma Mankiller is honored and recognized as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She is also the first woman elected as chief of a major Native tribe. She spent her remarkable life fighting for the rights of American Indians.
How did Wilma Mankiller contribute to the movement?
Wilma Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. President Bill Clinton awarded her the Medal of Freedom in 1998. She revolutionized the largest Indianrun health care system in the country. She doubled annual tribal revenue and tripled tribal enrollment.
What were some problems that Mankiller encountered during her campaign?
There had never been a woman leader of a Native American tribe. She had many ideas to present and debate, but encountered discouraging opposition from men who refused to talk about anything but the fact that she was a woman. Her campaign days were troubled by death threats, and her tires were slashed.
Who was the first woman leader of the Cherokee Nation?
Wilma Mankiller
The first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller was a national icon.
What colleges universities did Mankiller attend?
Skyline College
University of ArkansasSan Francisco State University
Wilma Mankiller/Education
She attended four colleges, Skyline College, San Francisco State University, Flaming Rainbow University and finally attended University of Arkansas for graduate work. By attending college, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, which most likely helped her in her political career.
Where did Wilma Mankiller live most of her life?
Wilma was the sixth of eleven children; born to a Cherokee father, Charley Mankiller, and a Dutch-Irish mother, Irene Sitton, on November 18, 1945. When Wilma was 11, the family moved from their rural ancestral home in Oklahoma to the bay area of California.
When did Wilma Mankiller move back to Oklahoma?
She would bring back this knowledge to her own Cherokee community. Married from 1963 to 1977, Mankiller and her two daughters moved back to Oklahoma after a divorce. Her activism continued when she founded the Community Development Department for the Cherokee Nation, focusing on improving access to water and housing.
What kind of cancer did Wilma Mankiller have?
Wilma Mankiller died from pancreatic cancer in 2010 but her legacy continues in her work, and her autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People. The book is not simply the story of her life. Each chapter begins with a Cherokee myth or legend depicting a core attitude in the Cherokee culture.
When did Wilma Mankiller marry Charlie Soap?
While recruiting volunteers, she met and married Cherokee citizen Charlie Soap. Mankiller was elected to serve as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985. She led for 10 years, guiding a sovereign nation whose population more than doubled, from 68,000 to 170,000 during her tenure.