First Peoples of North America SUNY 2016SP1-HIS-243134-01

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Wilma Mankiller

The source reviewed was an interview of Wilma Mankiller by the University of Arizona on September 29, 2008. Wilma Mankiller was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who was the first female ever-elected Principal Chief of this nation. Mrs. Mankiller has done a lot of work to help develop the Cherokee Nation. She addresses that issues require change on a personal individual level as well as on a political policy making level. The interview was trying to convey the perspective of Native Americans, in particular Cherokee citizens. These web resources were selected to give a non-white, authentic Native American viewpoint of the issues that Natives are dealing with. A quality academic website draws upon factual information as well as gives different perspectives of issues. I believe a quality academic website also attempts to remove personal bias from subjects and tries to be as transparent as possible. I think the purpose of creating a blog is to be able to process, reflect and communicate the information learned. It also is good practice for learning to convey these important current issues; I feel that if this information is passed on to friends and relatives it will be a great help in raising awareness. As Mrs. Mankiller stated, there is a great degree of unawareness of Native American history and present condition on levels ranging from the general public to the Congressional political level. In raising awareness on at the personal level through a blog or though conversation, it can help initiate change on a grassroots level, as Mrs. Mankiller states, this is an excellent manner for initiating change.

Resources:

Mankiller, Wilma. "Governance, Leadership, and the Cherokee Nation." Leading Native Nations interview series. Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. September 29, 2008. Interview.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Sorry i forgot my source

Hartman, susan, Beloved Women The Political Lives Of LaDonna Harris And Wilma Mankiller,American Historical Review, June 2009

Thank you

Wilma Mankiller

I thought i would share some details about the early life and some other things of Wilma Mankiller. Wilma was born in Northeastern Oklahoma to a white mother and a Cherokee father. However at the age of ten she moved to the San Francisco area due to a government relocation program where she would live for another two decades. During this time in California she participated in Native protests regarding land rights.By the mid 70's she also participated in community development projects for the Cherokee nation.By 1983 she was deputy chief. Mankiller was a well known feminist that was at times in the center of american politics and provocative discussion related to women empowerment.However Mankiller never criticized the lives of Native women before white contact calling their lives duties due to gender roles and that challenging gender constructs at such a time would have been bad, but times have changed. She died in 2010.

Disallusioned, time is circular

We Weren’t First!

(openlibrary.org)

First Nations individuals are all too familiar with other cultures thinking they are doing something for the first time in history, for example, electing a national leader who happens to be a woman, when in actuality, other cultures, specifically First Nations cultures, have already done so. Wilma Mankiller, a world renowned indigenous leader, is the late and former Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and is an absolutely magnificent example of a primary source when discussing the trails, tribulations and accomplishments of the First Nations. (Mankiller, 2008) As an ideal example and resource, Mankiller provides in depth knowledge and insight regarding life for a Native Person in today’s modern day and age, and she does so with the help of Arizona University and together they have compiled footage of one interviewing Mankiller and discussing how she has and encourages others to partake in politics and make the world what you want it to be. Through this method of having direct dialogue with an individual such as Mankiller, the viewer is offered a window into the perspective of a wise, well-spoken and educated person who can illustrate their thought patterns and their views on happenings and provide greater depth than a history book retell. When being asked about political process and how the development of a committee that oversees the growth and development of the constitution for the Cherokee Nation, Mankiller responds “So again, the lesson I think from our experiences is to have broad participation and take it very slowly and have a great deal of discussion before putting it up for a vote.” (Mankiller, 2008) This shows that governing a group of people is a process that involves a lot of thought and patience; furthermore, she suggests that the key to working with the people, is to have a constitution that grows with the people. The committee she is referring to allows for changes and alterations and interpretations to come into play with changing times and a changing populace. This is actually in the U.S. constitution as well, but our political leaders obviously do not wish to see it, otherwise gay marriage would have not even been questioned.

Sources:

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

m5 blog

After watching the video, which took about an hour to load, I found the video to be very intriguing. As the first Female Cherokee tribal leader can I just point out the elephant in the room that her name is mankiller? I found it interesting that she didn’t actually get voted into the position but took over the role in 1985 when Chief Ross Swimmer became director of native affairs and stepped down. She also concluded that his whole tribal council opposed her. I went into this video thinking that a huge breakthrough for women’s rights had touched the native community, but in fact it fell into her hands after 82 percent of the votes made her deputy chief or second in command. Although the fact that they rest of the counsel did not oppose the position for ten years is a sign of equality within the sovereign government. I also love the fact that President Clinton gave her the highest civilian honor awarded in America and she accepted it. That is a testament to the bond that is slowly growing between two cultures in within the same country. During expansion Natives opposed becoming civilians of a U.S. Government, so for a Native Chief to be given that award with that title is groundbreaking in my eyes. As we learned this term President Clinton was known for his Native policies, which I’m sure helped the process. What I believe made her a successful leader was her remarks to running a tribe; “"I think the best advice I would give is to develop teams of interdisciplinary teams of people to help you in problem-solving; don’t try to do it by yourself”. That is very smart thinking when you have everyone watching you because you have changed the history of your people. It explains why she was leader for 10 years.

Chief Wilma Mankiller – Icon and Advocate of the Cherokee Nation

Chief Wilma Mankiller: Icon and Advocate of the Cherokee Nation

By: Jeremy Valdes-Riccardi

Throughout her tenure as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller dedicated her career to the advocacy, preservation, and prosperity of her people. Her call to action for the recognition of the inherent sovereign rights of indigenous people throughout North America garnered much respect and attention from world leaders and through her efforts served to create awareness and advocacy for Native Americans living today.

Born on November 18^th, 1945 as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Mankiller cemented her place in American history by becoming the first female elected chieftain of a major Native American tribe serving from 1985 to 1995. Notably, her achievements include advocating for the preservation of Cherokee lands and sovereignty, improving healthcare and education on reservations, and being credited with more than doubling tribal enrollment throughout her ten year service as Principal Chieftain.

In her 2008 “Leading Native Nations” interview with the renowned Native Nations Institute (NNI), Mankiller stressed the importance of local community involvement, both Native and non-native, and how in order to help build Native communities up in a positive light the essential ground works to thrive must be laid in the active and conceptualized understanding of the culture, heritage, and community that one is fighting for.

“The basic work first, I think, is working with people and making sure that people trust their own thinking first and have a strong sense of self-efficacy and believe in themselves,” explained Mankiller. “Once they believe in themselves and have that strong sense then they can do anything.”

Wilma Mankiller receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor

During her service as Principal Chieftain, and throughout the rest of her life, Mankiller’s accolades and dedication to the advancement of indigenous communities earned her much respect as a leader and advocate of her people and community, and eventually led to her receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor in 1998.

Mankiller’s vision of rebuilding Native nations and equipping those communities with the tools necessary to thrive is a testament to her life as a leader, voice, and icon of the Cherokee Nation and would inspire countless generations, Native and non-native, to advocate for the advancement of indigenous people by understanding the history and direction of Native American Communities. “If they want to see our future they just simply need to look at our past to believe in ourselves, to believe in our intellectual ability, to believe in our skills, to believe in our ability to think up solutions to our own problems,” explained Mankiller. “I think that is critical to our survival."

Mankiller standing in front of the seal of the
Cherokee Nation

Wilma Mankiller continued to fight for the advancement of the Cherokee Nation and other indigenous tribes throughout North America until her death on April 6^th, 2010. She left behind a legacy of activism and the desire for a positive society in which the contributions of Native Americans are not only acknowledged but celebrated. Her legacy is a testament to the endurance of the human spirit and a reminder to all that in order to garner the recognition one feels they deserve, a person must be willing to take a stand and lead the path for others to follow in order to truly change the world and ensure that the mistakes of the past are learned from and never repeated.

Sources:

"Wilma Mankiller: Governance, Leadership and the Cherokee Nation." Indigenous Governance Database. https://nnidatabase.org/video/wilma-mankiller-governance-leadership-and-cherokee-nation.

"Wilma Mankiller, the Inspiring First Woman Cherokee Chief.". http://www.aauw.org/2013/11/20/wilma-mankiller/.

Wilma Mankiller- a advocate for the Cherokee Nation

I was directed to watch an interview by a women by the name of Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010). To tell you the truth I was hesitant to watch anything with a title of Mankiller in it. However, what i saw was a strong women who was the first elected female Chief of the Cherokee Nation who helped led her tribe during their transition to a sovereign nation. I heard from a women who faced many obstacles in her career that the foundation of any leader is caring about the people, and involving the whole family instead of just a selected few. What I found the most interesting about Wilma Mankiller is that she is not full blooded Cherokee. Her father Charley was, however her mother Clara was Dutch-Irish. Yet, Wilma felt that she was not hindered by that status, and was still able to prove her willingness to improve the Cherokee Nation. After reading so much literature on preserving blood lines in order to keep the Native American tribes pure, it is amazing that she was able to go so far and show everyone that it is a product of heart and soul rather than blood that makes you a part of the tribe.

Wilma Mankiller status of an inspiration women was set in ‘stone’ when in 1993 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1998, President Clinton awarded Wilma Mankiller the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her dedication to furthering Native American Communities. Well-deserved Mrs. Wilma!

"Wilma Mankiller: Governance, Leadership and the Cherokee Nation." Wilma Mankiller: Governance, Leadership and the Cherokee Nation. Indigenous Governance Database, the University of Arizona, 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <https://nnidatabase.org/video/wilma-mankiller-governance-leadership-and-cherokee-nation>.

Editors, Biography.com. The Biography.com website. 2016. article. 27 04 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109 >.