Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.  She gave an interview in 2008 concerning her career as a native community administrator, sharing her wisdom for the benefit of other native communities facing poverty and the need to prosper.

Mankiller’s prime message is one of personal empowerment.  Rather than expecting aid from external sources like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, her philosophy is that tribal reconstruction can only effectively occur when the community members first come to believe in themselves, in their own capability to rebuild their own nations.

After reviewing the tragic history of the Cherokee people and their severe setbacks and struggles to rebuild their nation, she cited a number of working examples from her personal experience to support the efficacy of her self-help philosophy.  In the 1970’s, the Cherokee nation’s Bell community was particularly impoverished and run down.  One quarter of the dilapidated homes had no indoor plumbing.  Mankiller helped start up a project with her to-be husband at the time, along with other community members, to help the community with their water problem.  They brought technical and material resources to aid in extending the water grid to all homes.

But rather than let the housing authority do the actual construction work for them (which was usually how it was done), Mankiller’s team recruited and employed workers from within Bell community.  She said it was in the people’s best interests to build the pipework themselves because it fostered a sense of control over their own lives.  A sense of helplessness had been dominating the community, which could only hold them back.  It took time for them to convince the community members over a series of meetings to believe they could actually not only change things for the better, but to do so by their own hands. 

Critics outside of the community verbalized skepticism at the time, citing the fact that many community members were on welfare.  How would Mankiller’s team motivate them to do the work?  Cutting through their presumption that all welfare recipients are lazy, Mankiller observed that they were instead largely on welfare because there were no work opportunities available and that this project would provide such an opportunity.  She has “always believed poor people would rise to the occasion if you partnered with them.”

Even Mankiller’s definition of tribal sovereignty reflects not only a nation’s control over its own land and resources, but the people’s control over their own vision and “determine [their] own destiny.”

Interdependence is another virtue emphasized in her interview.  Rather than being fully independent, “people helped one another” when she lived with her family as a child in an off-reservation BIA housing project in San Francisco.  She also added that local communities know best how to solve their own problems.  Outsiders may have ideas, but they cannot be successful since they do not know the community and its issues as intimately as locals do.  Solutions must come from the people themselves through cooperative efforts, with each member contributing their own skills to the situation.

This combined spirit of interdependence and local solutions is what she believes is required for effective change to happen. “Trust your own thinking,” she wisely advises community members.  If you think you can rebuild your own nation, then you can.

Work Cited

Mankiller, Wilma. “Wilma Mankiller: Governance, Leadership and the Cherokee Nation.” Leading Native Nations interview series, Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, U Arizona. 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 22 Sept. 2016. <https://nnidatabase.org/video/wilma-mankiller-governance-leadership-and-cherokee-nation>.

m5 Sharing Our Knowledge

I think the purpose of blogging is for us as students to understand that we have a voice. We as students should encourage one another to speak on what we believe. Being able to go beyond a virtual classroom is important because outsiders have access to read and learn with us. Having our thoughts made public will expand the native history topic beyond just classrooms. It will give people that are wondering about native culture access to talk about what they know. It will give people access to learn and expand their mind and knowledge. It is important to get our generation informed about topics and what is going on in classrooms. Indigenous leader, Wilma Mankiller says "It’s important to remind everyday Americans that tribal governments existed before there was a United States government and that many tribes, including the Cherokee Nation, had treaties with other governments before they had a treaty with the first U.S. colony. So the definition of sovereignty is to have control over your own lands and resources and assets, and to have control over your own vision for the future, and to be able to have absolute, to absolutely determine your own destiny." (mankiller 2016). Having access to our classrooms blog will allow others to do so. By blogging with students and giving outsider’s access, it is a way of bringing people together. In a blog you are conversa ting with people of all different backgrounds. It gives you satisfaction knowing you are not the only person who is questioning something, or you are not the only one thinking something. I think Professor Nesberg has encouraged us to share our knowledge because there are people who are not aware. There are people that know nothing about native histories (to be honest, I was one!). People need to understand that native people are not just a chapter in k-12 that our school covered. Native people are people who are living with us today who come from all different beliefs, culture and values. 

Module 5 Interview With Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller who was the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, sat down for an interview with Ian Record for the University of Arizona. The interview is really used to gain an in-depth and firsthand experience into many issues that faces Native Nations today, as well as an overview of Wilma's personal journey through life as a Native American women.
I believe that this particular resource was selected and put into this course because Wilma is a leading figure in the world of Native Americans and is also directly involved in the issues that face Native Nations especially the ones highlighted throughout this course.  A quality academic website in my opinion is a website that gives legitimate and pertinent information on a subject while also not being biased in anyway.  The Native Nations Institute website via the University of Arizona is the perfect example of an academic website.
The purpose of making a Native American focused journal into a blog is to promote free form expression as well as thinking, to critically analyze information while being able to compare your own views to that of others, without being held to strict and specific guidelines.  I think that we as a class were asked to express our knowledge in this type of forum because it shows a direct working knowledge of the subject as well as immediate feedback from peers as opposed to constant feedback from the instructor.  Which would promote an actual fun understanding of subject material in order to be used in everyday conversation and it also showed us different points of view about the same subjects.

Module 5 - Interview with Wilma Mankiller, Cherokee

Wilma Mankiller spoke with Ian Record from the University of Arizona, Tucson Campus Native Nation Institute. The topic was governance, leadership and the Cherokee Nation. Ms. Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma from 1985- 1995 (UOA, 2008). The Cherokee nation is the second largest Indian Nation with a diverse population and socioeconomic status (UOA, 2008).

            The purpose of this interview was to discuss the challenges that the Cherokee Nation has experienced and how Ms. Mankiller approached these difficulties.

The issue of sovereignty and self-governance were examined as they directly affect the ability of individual tribes to control their future and maintain self determination (UOA, 2008). MS. Mankiller relates that for any project to be successful, the idea and work must come from the people (UOA, 2008). Ms. Mankiller speaks extensively about her experiences in California during a relocation program and how they influenced her thoughts about leadership. The ‘solution comes from within’ when rebuilding families, communities and tribes (UOA, 2008). Ms. Mankiller emphasizes that people need to believe in themselves with a focus on assets not problems (UOA, 2008).

            The ability of Tribes to make decisions for themselves has been challenged throughout history despite declarations of sovereignty. Tribal Nations should be able to make their own decisions and allocate resources as they see fit through individual tribal councils (UOA, 2008).

            Although no longer a tribal leader, Ms. Mankiller hopes to continue improve the lives of the Cherokee Nation through education. The education of non-native people about the true history and culture of the Indian Nations will improve the current negative stereotyping and perception of the Native American (UOA, 2008).

"Wilma Mankiller: Governance, Leadership and the Cherokee Nation." University of         Arizona, Tucson, 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 16 Aug. 2016.

M5 Journal Blog

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. Throughout her discussion in the video assigned in this module “Governance, Leadership, and the Cherokee Nation”, you can tell that her life experiences gave her the empathy in order to successfully lead from the front, but also toughness to make judgments and decisions that upset some with a softer sensibility. Wilma Mankiller was not only an advocate for the Cherokee people, but she was also a spokeswoman for women rights.

Wilma Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on November 18, 1945. Four decades later, in 1985, Mankiller became the first female primary chief of the Cherokee Nation. As I mentioned earlier; her empathy from struggling with her family in San Francisco helped her relate to the current struggles of her Native American people. She worked to improve the tribal nation’s health care, education system and local government. She decided not to seek re-election in 1995 due to her declining health health. But her impact was set in stone and will be felt for generations.

Wilma Pearl Mankiller was a descendant of the Cherokee Indians, the Native Americans who were forced to leave their homelands; 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 to a great extent in their new environment due to dwindling finances and discrimination. This struggle is what gave Wilma Mankiller her strength, toughness, and leadership.

Using this form of blogging has brought a new experience to my learning, in the beginning I felt it was very close to our requirements to the formal discussions in our class. But after participating in a couple, I found that it was the interactions with the other classmates that brought a new aspect to the learning. It was this kind of interaction I feel Wilma Mankiller was trying to enforce and motivate her Cherokee tribal community to learn. Greater strengths are with a community together, if its a course in college, or a tribal community trying to overcome discrimination. The strength will come in teamwork.    

Work Cited:

Mankiller, Wilma. "Governance, Leadership, and the Cherokee Nation." Leading Native Nations interview series. Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. September 29, 2008. Interview.

Czombel M5 Academic Journal Blog Assignment

In watching the video "Governance, Leadership, and the Cherokee Nation" where Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010), was interviewed by Ian Record, I was impressed with her personal and professional accomplishments, including receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 from then President Bill Clinton, the United States’ highest civilian honor.

Wilma describes sovereignty as the right to control your own lands, resources, and visions for the future, determining your own destiny.  It’s important to remind Americans that tribal government existed prior to the United States federal government that we know today, and that indigenous peoples’ had treaties with several other countries prior to those with the United States.

Mrs. Mankiller was elected in 1983 as the Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and assumed position as the Principal Chief in 1985 when Ross Swimmer resigned his post, becoming the first female ever elected as Principal Chief of her nation.  Wilma went on to win two additional elections, before leaving office in 1995.  Mrs. Mankiller described that a healthy Native American community is one that provides equal access to healthcare and education, active promotion of skills and abilities, while preserving a sense of interdependence. 

Mrs. Mankiller was very proud of her Cherokee Nation, and the resiliency her people showed when faced with adversity.  Whether it was the continuous shrinking of land base, the devastating removal process by the United States, or allotment policies, the spirit of survival prevailed.  In Oklahoma alone, the Cherokee Nation rebuilt through family and community, constructing government buildings including a supreme court building, establishing newspapers, school systems for children and even schools to educate women.

In terms of leadership, Wilma had many great ideas and philosophies to share.  “Trust your own thinking”.  Change can only be accomplished by including thoughts and ideas from both families and the community they live in.  Effective partnerships with outside parties may be necessary to move forward and find solutions, but make sure you listen to your people.  There is a role for everyone in transformation and growth, whether you can utilize a member’s skills to grant write, or another as a heavy equipment repair.  A specific example discussed was the Bell, Oklahoma community project that concerned a local population with over 95% Cherokee, of which only 25% had reliable indoor plumbing.  Mrs. Mankiller and her husband Charlie Soap led the project which provided the community with technical assistance and resources, but utilized the communities own people for physical labor to build a water system in order to provide clean drinking water and indoor plumbing for their homes.  This was a symbolic project, enabling the community to rise to the occasion so they could have a brighter future.

             Photo courtesy of http://www.thewaterwell.net/bell-waterline-project/

There is much more to glean from her video cited below, but in closing, it is essential as a good leader not to make unilateral decisions.  Develop and surround yourself with diverse teams to help you problem solve, establish clear roles for your members, remain focused on two or three major things you want to accomplish during your tenure, engage your citizens or people, and carefully balance your professional and personal life.

Work Cited

Mankiller, Wilma. "Governance, Leadership, and the Cherokee Nation." Leading Native Nations interview series. Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. September 29, 2008. Interview.

Dr. Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) - Module 3

Dr. Charles A. Eastman, M.D. (1858-1939), also known by his Dakota name Ohiyesa, was an extraordinary man of the Wahpeton Santee people (a Siouan band of Dakota-speaking people).  I’ve had the inspiring pleasure of reading one of his books some years ago, The Soul of an Indian.  He’s the primary reason why I’ve opted to investigate the closely-related tribal nations of the Santee (Dakota), Teton (Lakota), and Wiciyela (Nakota) peoples for my Reflexivity project, in fact.

Having long been interested in learning more about his life, I was pleased to find Paula Giese’s biography on Dr. Eastman through the Native American Authors web page.  Giese provides well cited information about him, with a bibliography that includes Eastman’s own books.  Her account of the life and times of this eloquent American Indian advocate, while on the brief side and suffering from a few grammatical errors and broken links, nonetheless portrays an accurate account of the good doctor’s life.

When he graduated from Boston University Medical School in 1890, Dr. Eastman was one of the first American Indians to earn a medical degree.  Unlike many other American Indian advocates of his generation, Eastman was traditionally raised by his grandmother, Uncheeda, in the Santee tradition.  He did not enter the white American world until age fifteen.  It was at this time that his father, Many Lightnings, who had participated in a Santee reservation uprising fueled by very inadequate food and horrendous treatment by the U.S., returned from prison.  Taken aback by the overwhelming power of the United States he’d experienced firsthand, Many Lightnings had Ohiyesa baptized into Christianity as Charles A. Eastman, and sent him to the Flandreau Santee Normal Indian School.  Eastman tells us, in Soul of an Indian (page xi) that his father advised him, “it is the same as if I sent you on your first warpath. I expect you to conquer.”

Dr. Eastman wanted to use his medical education to serve his people.  He found an opportunity to do so at the Pine Ridge Indian agency in South Dakota, where he was hired as a physician.  He met his wife-to-be here as well, the newly appointed agency’s white supervisor Elaine Goodale.  Goodale was sympathetic to American Indians, and advocated for their welfare and education.

At the Wounded Knee Massacre, Eastman witnessed firsthand the sheer cruelty the United States was capable of.  Many unarmed Lakota men, women, and children were slaughtered by the U.S. 7^th Cavalry in this massacre.  Their bodies were left to freeze in the blizzard that came soon after that night.  Both Eastman and Goodale spent the night and the following day rescuing and medically treating the survivors.  Dr. Eastman would soon after find himself fired by his supervisors for favoring American Indian needs over conflicting Bureau of Indian Affairs policies his position required him to follow.

The married couple moved to St. Paul Minnesota, where Dr. Eastman practiced medicine again for a short time.  But he was affronted by racists who could not believe an American Indian man could legitimately obtain a medical license or possess the wherewithal to practice medicine.  Now with two children, Eastman decided to drop the fight and found work as a program organizer for the YMCA on reservations.  He also worked for a time at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.  At Carlisle, he met Lakota activist and writer Zitkala-Sa who encouraged Eastman to begin his writing career.

Dr. Eastman went on to become a courageous orator and writer, advocating on behalf of American Indians more broadly.  His writings leave us with a heartfelt portrayal of his native people’s profound spiritual and social values, which he sought to educate white audiences about.  They also reflect his own perpetual conflict, the struggle to live in a hostile world, ever treading the line between native and white ways, or as he described them the ways of life based on spirit and life based on commerce, respectively.  He found the teachings of Jesus to be in essence identical with his native religion, despite the hypocrisy of Christians who sought after material wealth at all costs.  His background in both worlds made Dr. Eastman uniquely qualified among the prominent American Indian advocates of his era to directly educate white audiences about native social and spiritual values.

His life’s work also revolved around combatting the injustices suffered by American Indians more broadly, including treaty violations and the concerted efforts of whites to annihilate native culture such as through boarding schools.  Dr. Eastman also sought to keep the old stories of his people alive for children in particular.  Indeed, his concerns for both native values and children led him to help pioneer the Boy Scouts program in America.  He believed it was a great way to teach non-white children the sense of wonder and values he’d experienced growing up in the wild, helping to bridge the divide between two worlds.

Image courtesy of LegendsOfAmerica.com

Works Referenced

Eastman, Charles Alexander. The Soul of an Indian: And Other Writings from Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman). Ed. Kent Nerburn. Novato: New World Library, 2001. Print.

Eastman, Charles Alexander.  The Essential Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa): Light On the Indian World. Ed. Michael Oren Fitzgerald. Kindle ed. World Wisdom, 2007. eBook.

Giese, Paula. “Dr. Charles A. Eastman.” Native American Indian Resources. 13 July 1996. Web. 5 Aug. 2016. <http://www.kstrom.net/isk/stories/authors/eastman.html>.