JupiterSunsation
04-07-2010, 09:28 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY — Former Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller, one of the nation’s most visible American Indian leaders and one of the few women to lead a major tribe, died yesterday after suffering from cancer and other health problems. She was 64.
Ms. Mankiller, whose first taste of federal policy toward Indians came when her family ended up in a housing project after a government relocation project, took Indian issues to the White House and met with three presidents. She earned a reputation for facing conflict head-on.
As the first female chief of the Cherokees, from 1985 to 1995, she led the tribe in tripling its enrollment, doubling employment, and building new health centers and children’s programs.
“We are better people and a stronger tribal nation because of her example of Cherokee leadership, statesmanship, humility, grace, determination, and decisiveness,’’ Chief Chad Smith said.
Ms. Mankiller met snide remarks about her surname — a Cherokee military title — with humor, often delivering a straight-faced “Mankiller is actually a well-earned nickname.’’
Struggles with her health did not seem to deter her. A 1979 car accident nearly claimed her life and resulted in 17 operations. She developed the muscular disorder myasthenia gravis and had a kidney transplant in 1990.
Ms. Mankiller used hospital stays to work on her autobiography with Michael Wallis, which came out in 1993. In “Mankiller: A Chief and Her People,’’ she said she wanted to be remembered not just for being the tribe’s first female chief but for emphasizing that Cherokee values can help solve contemporary problems.
“Friends describe me as someone who likes to dance along the edge,’’ she wrote. “I try to encourage young women to be willing to take risks, to stand up for the things they believe in, and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in leadership roles.’’
Born at W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, Ms. Mankiller moved with her family to San Francisco in the 1950s after their farm failed. Ms. Mankiller moved back to her family’s land in Oklahoma after getting divorced in 1975. A decade later, she succeeded former Chief Ross Swimmer, who had tapped her as his running mate because of her business savvy. During her reelection campaign, she pledged to improve economic interests.
As chief of the Tahlequah-based tribe, Ms. Mankiller was less of an activist and more of a pragmatist. She was criticized for focusing on social programs instead of pushing for smoke shops and high-stakes gaming.
Ms. Mankiller decided not to seek reelection in 1995, and accepted a teaching position at Dartmouth College, where she held an honorary degree. She received Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian award — in 1998.
Ms. Mankiller, whose first taste of federal policy toward Indians came when her family ended up in a housing project after a government relocation project, took Indian issues to the White House and met with three presidents. She earned a reputation for facing conflict head-on.
As the first female chief of the Cherokees, from 1985 to 1995, she led the tribe in tripling its enrollment, doubling employment, and building new health centers and children’s programs.
“We are better people and a stronger tribal nation because of her example of Cherokee leadership, statesmanship, humility, grace, determination, and decisiveness,’’ Chief Chad Smith said.
Ms. Mankiller met snide remarks about her surname — a Cherokee military title — with humor, often delivering a straight-faced “Mankiller is actually a well-earned nickname.’’
Struggles with her health did not seem to deter her. A 1979 car accident nearly claimed her life and resulted in 17 operations. She developed the muscular disorder myasthenia gravis and had a kidney transplant in 1990.
Ms. Mankiller used hospital stays to work on her autobiography with Michael Wallis, which came out in 1993. In “Mankiller: A Chief and Her People,’’ she said she wanted to be remembered not just for being the tribe’s first female chief but for emphasizing that Cherokee values can help solve contemporary problems.
“Friends describe me as someone who likes to dance along the edge,’’ she wrote. “I try to encourage young women to be willing to take risks, to stand up for the things they believe in, and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in leadership roles.’’
Born at W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, Ms. Mankiller moved with her family to San Francisco in the 1950s after their farm failed. Ms. Mankiller moved back to her family’s land in Oklahoma after getting divorced in 1975. A decade later, she succeeded former Chief Ross Swimmer, who had tapped her as his running mate because of her business savvy. During her reelection campaign, she pledged to improve economic interests.
As chief of the Tahlequah-based tribe, Ms. Mankiller was less of an activist and more of a pragmatist. She was criticized for focusing on social programs instead of pushing for smoke shops and high-stakes gaming.
Ms. Mankiller decided not to seek reelection in 1995, and accepted a teaching position at Dartmouth College, where she held an honorary degree. She received Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian award — in 1998.