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Quick Facts
- NAME: Wilma Mankiller
- OCCUPATION: Women's Rights Activist, Political Leader
- BIRTH DATE: November 18, 1945
- DEATH DATE: April 06, 2010
- EDUCATION: Skyline College, San Francisco State University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Tahlequah, Oklahoma
- PLACE OF DEATH: Adair County, Oklahoma
- Full Name: Wilma Pearl Mankiller
- AKA: Wilma Mankiller
Best Known For
Wilma Mankiller worked for several years as a leading advocate for the Cherokee people, and became the first woman to serve as their principal chief in 1985.
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Play NowWilma Mankiller. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 01:58, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109.
Wilma Mankiller. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"Wilma Mankiller." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 01:58 http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109.
"Wilma Mankiller," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"Wilma Mankiller," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
Wilma Mankiller [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109.
Wilma Mankiller, http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
Wilma Mankiller. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-mankiller-214109. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
Synopsis
Wilma Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on November 18, 1945. Four decades later, in 1985, Mankiller became the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. She sought to improve the nation’s health care, education system and government. She decided not to seek re-election in 1995 due to ill health. After leaving office, Mankiller remained an activist for Native-American and women's rights until her death, on April 6, 2010, in Adair County, Oklahoma.
Contents
Quotes
"I've run into more discrimination as a woman than as an Indian."
"A lot of young girls have looked to their career paths and have said they'd like to be chief. There's been a change in the limits people see."
"Growth is a painful process."
"As the Cherokee Nation's first female chief, [Wilma Mankiller] transformed the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America. Her legacy will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work."
Younger Years
Born on November 18, 1945, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Wilma Pearl Mankiller was a descendant of the Cherokee Indians, the Native Americans who were forced to leave their homelands in 1830s; she was also of Dutch and Irish descent. She grew up on Mankiller Flats, located near Rocky Mountain, Oklahoma, before moving with her family in the mid-1950s to San Francisco, California, in hopes of a better life. Unfortunately, the family still struggled greatly in their new home due to dwindling finances and discrimination.
Mankiller attended Skyline College and San Francisco State University in California before enrolling at Flaming Rainbow University in Oklahoma, where she earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences. Thereafter, she took graduate courses at the University of Arkansas.
Early Roles
In 1963, at age 17, Wilma Mankiller married Hector Hugo Olaya de Bardi. The couple would later have two daughters: Felicia Olaya, born in 1964, and Gina Olaya, born in 1966.
In the 1960s, Mankiller was greatly inspired by the attempts by Native Americans to reclaim the island of Alcatraz to become more active in Native American issues. Always passionate about helping her people, she decided to return to Oklahoma in the mid-1970s, not long after filing for divorce from Olaya de Bardi. Soon after returning to her native state, she began working for the government of the Cherokee Indian Nation as a tribal planner and program developer.
In 1979, Mankiller nearly lost her life in a serious car accident, in which she was struck head on by her best friend. Her friend died, and though Mankiller survived, she underwent numerous surgeries as a part of a long recovery process. She then had to battle a neuromuscular disease known as myasthenia gravis, which can lead to paralysis. Once again, Mankiller was able to overcome her health challenges.
Cherokee Indian Nation's First Female Chief
Wilma Mankiller ran for deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1983 and won, subsequently serving in that position for two years. Then, in 1985, she was named the tribe's principal chief—making history as the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee people. She remained on the job for two full terms thereafter, winning elections in 1987 and 1991. A popular leader, Mankiller focused on improving the nation's government, and health-care and education systems. Due to ill health, she decided not to seek re-election in 1995.
Later Career and Death
For more than two decades, Wilma Mankiller led her people through difficult times.
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