Wilma Mankiller

This interview with Wilma Mankiller spoke volumes for me as she talks of morals that I wish still existed more frequently in the society of today. Communities really do need a sense of interdependence and I feel that is one thing that many of the white communities no longer possess. My girlfriend's dad talks of times where he could walk two houses down to the neighbors to get sugar in exchange for a dozen eggs that he had just recovered from the chicken coop. Nowadays, I would walk to the neighbors and ask for such an exchange and my neighbor would look at me like I am crazy. I couldn't say it any better than when Wilma Mankiller states that for a community or nation to prosper, the people truly have to take care of each other (Mankiller, 2008).

I also like how she talks of the concept that revitalization only is possible from the inside out. Those that know the community from the inside have to begin the process, not saying that they can't reach outside for resources and assistance, but it has to be initiated from behind the lines (Mankiller, 2008). This idea says a lot to me as I want my community to change to the way it used to be and even though I try to help my neighbors and offer support when I can and need be, I feel that I need to start being an advocate as well. I can't change it all by myself, but I can talk to others who will in turn talk to others and maybe just maybe someday I will see change and if I don't at least my children may see change.

The last idea that I want to address is that she talks of the qualities of a good leader. An effective and great leader will work with the people; teamwork is of the essence, will stay focused, and should conduct themselves in a manner that is right and respectful (Mankiller, 2008). In my current society, we do not all work together as we all have different political affiliations that guide many of our decisions. Where Wilma Mankiller talks of finding common ground in order to develop a strong society, my country has yet to do so (Mankiller, 2008). Instead, the parties find ways to knock other parties and beliefs down so that they can surpass the political candidates running for the other parties. Not only do you see the general populous doing this, but the running mates as well. Just in the news recently, the democrat party was knocking the republican party for the fact that Donald Trump said 711 instead of 911 in one of his speech conferences. Just as the Native Americans have had to rebuild time and time again due to the white man, I feel that it is time for the white man to look at himself and think about what our fore fathers wanted when they started the country. My belief is that we have strayed away from what their initial intentions were.

Mankiller, W. (2008). Wilma Mankiller: Governance, Leadership, and the Cherokee Nation. Retrieved from https://nnidatabase.org/video/wilma-mankiller-governance-leadership-and-cherokee-nation 

M5 Academic blog

The source that I reviewed for this blog was an interview of Wilma Mankiller that was conducted by the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy in 2008. The perspective of the interview to me is the strength, resilience and community that the Cherokee people continue to possess despite all the challenges they have faced. I was not aware of the population size of the Cherokee nation, over 250,000, in any group that large social challenges will be present and Mankiller speaks to the need for people to take action not wait for government assistance to improve their lives.

I believe that this web resource was selected because of the many achievements of the interviewee and her professional manner of presenting the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Wilma Mankiller was the first female elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and served in many high level tribal positions during a time of transition to a more sovereign nation. A quality academic website presents ideas in a manner that is conducive to learning and does not attempt to portray opinion as facts. The facts that are presented should be verifiable by outside sources for a quality academic site. I believe that this site is quality, facts such as the transfer of services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the Cherokee Nation can be verified by outside sources.

It is my opinion that the purpose of the Native American blog was to allow a more personal dialog about the topics that are being taught in class. The ability to express ideas and opinions is better suited to using a blog rather than a classroom forum. Classrooms are focused on facts and are not conducive to discussions of a personal nature.

                                                       
                                                                 Work Cited

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.

M5 Academic Journal Blog: Chief Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller

The focus of this M5 Academic Journal Blog is the influential female Chief Wilma Mankiller. Chief Wilma Mankiller was the first female principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation currently boasts close to 300,000 citizens, making it the largest federally recognized Cherokee tribe in America. Chief Mankiller served as principle Chief for a decade (1985-1995) and was responsible for nearly tripling the population through the success of her Cherokee Nation Community Development Department. In 1998 President Bill Clinton awarded Chief Mankiller the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her dedicated work improving indigenous communities. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award that can be bestowed on a civilian. She is also the author of the best-selling book Mankiller: A Chief and Her People. After she stepped down as principal Chief she remained heavily involved in development efforts at a community level until her passing in 2010.

            Wilma Mankiller believed heavily in the concepts of sovereignty and community responsibility. She defined sovereignty for native nations as the inherent human right to determine your own destiny. That entails control over tangible things such as your own lands, resources, and assets, as well as intangible things like the vision for your future. She believed it was essential for a community to be sovereign if it ever wanted any hope to be healthy and productive.

            Mankiller learned the importance of support from within a community while growing up in the impoverished Hunter’s Point housing projects in San Francisco. Her family was moved there from Oklahoma as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs relocation program. Since then she championed the need for a community to fix itself from within. She believed that the rebuilding of native nations must emanate from grassroots instead of top-down to be successful. She believed that it was essential to include regular families in the conversation instead of only tribal leaders in order to get a better picture overall. She also believed that the best way to help people is to provide them the means to help themselves. This is essentially the old saying, “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” In order to accomplish this she advocated the pairing of members of the local populous (who are experts in their specific community) with external resources and experts in other areas that provide a benefit to the community.

            Wilma Mankiller firmly believed that things would get better for the indigenous people of America. She cited the incredible resilience that her nation, the Cherokees, have demonstrated throughout history. She believed that no matter what the world threw at the Cherokee, they would be able to weather it and persevere. Chief Wilma Mankiller felt that there was nowhere else to go but up. She serves as an inspiration to us all and will live on through the legacy of her work.

Sources:

"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>.

"Wilma Mankiller." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109>.

Wilma Mankiller 

 
      

Mankiller became the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. She sought to improve the nation's health care, education system and government.  But she also sought to raise  awareness for people to find a common ground. She speaks of unity and the importance of indigenous people working together to build strong communities. She promotes the idea of a “community where people trust their own thinking, where people believe in themselves, when people are able to define for themselves what they want for their community". 

 After learning about her I feel that her philosophies are very much like Oren Lyons the Faith keeper philosophies. I believe what is being conveyed is that a tribe’s strength lies in self determination. That it is important to have a vision of the future and in doing so we must remember to have a "sense of responsibility for one another and interdependence."  She also points out that as people we have "to believe in our intellectual ability, to believe in our skills, to believe in our ability to think up solutions to our own problems."

The link to Wilma Mankiller’s interview is really good source to solidify our knowledge on modern time issues native nations are facing. In addition, it is a great example of matriarchal leadership. Through this web source we are reminded that we women can also be strong conscious leaders. It is important to note that sharing our knowledge in a public forum allows us to multiply the knowledge, to raise awareness on Native American issues. But also, on issues of self efficacy. We have to rethink the values and knowledge we've learned in the past if we want to bring about change.

  

Works Cited:

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.

M3 Academic Journal Blog: American Indian Film Institute

For my M3 Academic Journal Blog I chose to develop the online resource American Indian Film Institute. The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) is a non-profit organization based out of San Francisco, CA. The AIFI was created around the American Indian Film Festival. The American Indian Film Festival has been organizing a venue for independent native filmmakers to display their prowess since 1975. This past gathering marks 40 consecutive years of the festival providing a means for Native American expression through film. This makes the American Indian Film Festival the world’s longest running exposition of independent Native American/ First Nations filmmakers.

The goals of the AIFI are to bring native voices into focus in mainstream media, advocate authentic representation of first nation peoples in cinema, and develop an appreciation for this genre of film in both native and non-native audiences. The festival provides native filmmakers with workshops, networking opportunities, screenings, panel discussions, and an awards ceremony. The festival has screened over 3,000 native films since 1975. In addition to the festival the AIFI conducts an off-season program in which it tours North America providing training for tribal youth who are interested in getting involved with the film industry.

The perspective that is conveyed by the AIFI is the idea that film is a transformative tool that has the ability to destroy ignorance and bring the different communities closer together through understanding. Cinema that is created by the subjects themselves provide a means of accurate representation that is instrumental in dispelling stereotypes and mitigating prejudice.

I believe that this online resource was included within our course materials to provide a means of further development of our understanding of native culture moving forward. The AIFI has introduced me to independently created native films and filmmakers that I likely would not have come into contact with had I not been involved in this course. A quality source is one that contributes in a meaningful manner to your overall understanding of a topic. For this reason I feel that the American Indian Film Institute is an excellent resource that should be included in the course in future semesters.

I am not certain that this resource has necessarily changed my overall viewpoint of native communities. I have seen many examples (for instance the wonderful film Songs My Brothers Taught Me filmed on location in the Pine Ridge Reservation and starring an all-native Lakota cast) of the depth of artistic capability present within the native community. It came as no surprise that there was a festival championing the accomplishments of these incredibly talented filmmakers. If anything I would say that it strengthened the viewpoint that I already maintained by providing me a plethora of evidence to support it.

Sources:

"About." American Indian Film Institute. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.aifisf.com/about/>.  

"American Indian Film Festival." FilmFreeway. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <https://filmfreeway.com/festival/AIFF>.

"Songs My Brothers Taught Me." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3566788/>.