Wilma Mankiller and Respecting the Environment

Birth: 1945 - Death: 2010
Born In: Oklahoma,
Died In: Oklahoma
Achievements: Humanities
Educated In: California, Oklahoma, Arkansas
Schools Attended: Skyline College, San Francisco State University, Flaming Rainbow University, University of Arkansas
Worked In: California, Oklahoma

Wilma Mankiller

As the powerful positive first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller was responsible for 139,000 people and a $69 million budget.
spent her formative years in San Francisco, where she learned about the women's movement and organizing. When she returned to her native Oklahoma, Mankiller used her skills to help the Cherokee Nation, starting community self-help programs and teaching people ways out of poverty. In the early to mid eighties Wilma ran for deputy chief of the Nation, and in 1985 Wilma became Principal Chief. Mankiller brought about important changes for the Cherokees, including improved health care, better education, utilities management and promotion of improvement within tribal governments.  Higher education can have a higher influence on obtaining and attracting higher paying industry jobs, improving adult literacy, supporting women returning to school and provide other opportunities for growth. Chief Wilma Mankiller also assisted in advocating within the larger world, she was active in civil rights matters, lobbying the federal government and supported women's activities and issues. http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall/details/2/103-Mankiller

Wilma expressed at a conference I watched on utube her concerns for generations to come and our environment. Environmentally, Wilma has expressed the attention to natural resources and sacred lands an ongoing necessity as all people of this world share the same resources that Mother Earth has provided for survival. Chief Wilma in a spoke about the continuation of  keeping the traditional native language and cultural beliefs within tribes and native communities as keeping the culture and language of the natives alive for generations to come. Chief Wilma also discussed panindianness and the willingness to have a larger perspective on achieving interdependence within tribal communities with funding for better educational systems and medical care which is sometimes partially funded by Nations revenue from gaming casinos. Keeping the values and culture of individual tribal communities is something that can be kept through continuation of respect to tradition past down. Education for men in achieving higher degrees is important as chief Wilma in the Feb. 2006 speech discussed that native women had bachelor's degrees in higher percentage than men. Education being important in obtaining better paying jobs and brighter economic outcomes within families could result from higher achievement in education. Keeping a deep rooted understanding of where each native culture comes from and filtering out the negativity that is often part of society will help keep the mind clean and bring in more positive outcomes and decisions in the way we treat ourselves and others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVLgwpHSYv0

Here is a great video on water issues involving residue from crops concerning alga bloom and it's effects on our environment. Farm fertilizer, and the residue often gets into the ground and our water resources which is even deadly to a dog according to the video below. This environmental concern continues. There has to be a way to stop the use of harmful pesticides in farming. I personally would rather deal with an insect in my food than the unnatural chemicals and harmful causes that may result.
http://video.pbs.org/video/2365303066/#

Additional Sources:
Harris, Jo D. A Brief Interview with Chief Mankiller. Lewiston, Idaho: Confluence Press in association with Women's Action Committee, Lewis-Clark State College, 1996.

Mink, Gwendolyn, Marysa Navarro, and Gloria Steinem, editors. The Reader's Campanion to U.S. Women's History. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.

Yannuzzie, Della A. Wilma Mankiller: Leader of the Cherokee Nation. Hillside, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, 1994. NOTES: Juvenile Literature.

Editor with Vine Deloria, Barbara Deloria, Kristen Foehner, and Sam Scinta. Spirit & Reason: The Vine Deloria, Jr., Reader. Fulcrum Pub., 1999.

With Michael Wallis (contributor). Mankiller: a Chief and her People. St. Martin's Press, 1994.
to 'be of a good mind.' Today it's called positive thinking."