Review of Mankiller: A Chief and Her People

Wilma Mankiller's book, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People, provides a fascinating insight into the life of the Cherokee people over the last couple of centuries and shows the many ways that they have been able to survive in the modern world. Despite the policies of the United States during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries and the many misconceptions that people still have of them, they have been able to survive and keep alive their way of life. Wilma Mankiller is one example of this ability to adapt and to survive despite insurmountable odds. Her life before her election to Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, during her terms in office, and the way in which she conveys her story and that of her people provide an example of strength that is inspiring even today.

In 1956, just before she turned 11, Wilma Mankiller's family was directed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to relocate to California. The primary reason for the move was that the United States government had come to a point where it wanted to "get out of the Indian business" (p. 69). The U.S. government wanted to have Indian families move and become self sufficient, in a sense breaking up the reservations. Upon arriving in California, the Mankiller family experienced discrimination and poverty, much the same as they had in their home on the reservation in Oklahoma. Mankiller equates this with the Trail of Tears in which native people were forcibly removed from their homes in the southeast United States in the 19^th century. The Mankiller's moved from a place where they knew their neighbors and felt at home, to a place where Wilma herself says she felt different. She says that when her name was called for roll in school, others laughed and "the other kids also teased me about the way I talked and dressed" (p. 73). Mankiller uses this point as a reminder that all ethnic minorities have at one point or another been harshly discriminated against in California, so they weren't the first to go through this. Although she talks about how her family's financial position eventually progressed from living in the ghetto to owning a house, she still makes it clear that the idea of a better life that the BIA put forth was not the reality that was experienced.

During the late 1960's and into the 1970's, Wilma Mankiller become very active in trying to bring more awareness to and a better life for all the native people's who lived in California, mostly in the San Francisco area. She became an active part of the American Indian Center there in San Francisco. She describes it as a common meeting place that eventually led to "delegations of native people..appearing before the state board of education to demand fairer treatment of Native Americans" (p. 162). Although she was married by November of 1969 and a mother, the seizure of Alcatraz Island by native groups "citing a forgotten clause in treaty agreements that said any unused federal lands must revert to Indian use" (p. 163) galvanized her spirit. She began to fight harder than before for the recognition she believed her people deserved. This fight became even stronger after her divorce and subsequent move back to Oklahoma with her two daughters.

The 1970's and 1980's saw Wilma Mankiller become an important figure in the Cherokee nation and an example for all native people, especially women. In late 1977, Mankiller received her first job with the Cherokee nation, working as an economic stimulus coordinator. She says that her primary responsibility was "to get as many native people as possible trained at the university level in environmental science and health, and then to help integrate them back into their communities" (p. 217). Mankiller progressed from this role into others, where her work in writing grant proposals and finding ways to get them funded got her noticed by the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. 1983 was a pivotal moment in her life, when Principal Chief Ross Swimmer nominated her to be his running mate and to campaign to be his deputy chief. This was a first in the history of the Cherokee, and didn't sit well with some people. After a contentious election and a subsequent runoff, Mankiller was elected deputy Chief. Things changed drastically when Chief Swimmer resigned to work for the BIA in Washington, D.C., and Mankiller took over the role of Principal Chief. This was a monumental event in the history of the Cherokee and of native people all over the country. From the beginning, "staff members and many other people felt that the Cherokee Nation would crash and burn with a woman in charge" (p. 244). Despite the criticism, Mankiller completed the remaining term and was reelected twice, proving to the Cherokee Nation and to all other people that prosperity can indeed be found with a woman at the helm.

The examples shown by Wilma Mankiller in her book prove that no matter what the hardship, it is still possible to survive and to prosper. Despite being persecuted and forced from their homes, the Cherokee were able to survive and maintain their culture, though not without tremendous hardship over almost two hundred years. The world changed around them, and the Cherokee managed to maintain their way of life while at the same time adapting to the things around them. It was through this that they have become the second largest native group in the country and were able to elect the first female chief in history.

Source
Mankiller, Wilma Mankiller: A Chief and Her People