Wilma Pearl Mankiller 1945–
First Female Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Wilma Mankiller was born in the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah (tah LEH kwah), Oklahoma. Her family farmed the land that was passed down to them from her Cherokee great-grandfather. Lack of rain made farming hard, and the family was poor. Mankiller's family decided to move to San Francisco where her father could find different work.
While at college in San Francisco, Mankiller met American Indians who felt that the governement was treating their nations unfairly. She decided to work for change along with them.
In 1977, she moved back to Oklahoma to work for the Cherokee nation there. She helped people find ways to solve community problems such as poor housing. Her work for the Nation led her to her election in 1987 as the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Critical Thinking
Do you think it is necessary for people in communities to work together to solve community problems? Explain.