Wilma Mankiller

Hello! My name is Wilma Mankiller. I was born on November 18th, 1945, in a special place for my people, the Cherokee Nation, in Oklahoma. My last name, Mankiller, was a traditional Cherokee military title, given to the person who guarded our village. When I was a young girl, my family moved far away to a big city called San Francisco, California. It was very different from our home in the country, but I always kept the stories and traditions of my people in my heart.

Living in California, I saw how other Native Americans were working together to stand up for their rights. In 1969, a group of Native American activists took over an island called Alcatraz. They wanted everyone to pay attention to the promises that had been broken. Visiting them there made me feel so proud and inspired! It was then I knew I wanted to spend my life helping my people and making our voices heard.

In the 1970s, I moved back home to Oklahoma. I saw that many of my Cherokee neighbors needed help. Some families didn't have clean running water in their homes. I thought, 'We can fix this ourselves!' So, I gathered my neighbors, and together we learned how to build a waterline that stretched for miles. We worked hard, side-by-side, and when we finished, fresh water flowed to everyone's homes. It showed me that when we work together, we can do amazing things for our community.

People saw how much I cared about our community. In 1983, they elected me to be the Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Then, in 1985, something incredible happened—I became the Principal Chief. I was the very first woman to ever lead our nation! As chief, I worked to build new health clinics so people could see doctors, and I helped improve our schools. I wanted to make sure our children were healthy, happy, and proud of who they were. I was elected two more times, serving as chief until 1995.

Even after I was no longer chief, I kept writing and speaking up for Native Americans and for women everywhere. In 1998, the President of the United States gave me a special award called the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I lived to be 64 years old, and I hope people remember me as someone who believed in the power of community. I always knew that ordinary people, working together, have the power to change the world for the better.