Wilma Mankiller, Photograph, 1992. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
Wilma Mankiller
(1945 - 2010)
Profession: Cherokee Chief
Hometown: Tahlequah
Inducted: 1994
Chief Wilma Mankiller was a prominent leader of the Cherokee Nation and trailblazing Native American activist. Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Mankiller moved to California with her family as a result of the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. While living in California, she discovered her passion for social activism through her volunteer efforts at San Francisco's Indian Center and served as the director of Oakland's Native American Youth Center. Mankiller earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from San Francisco State University in 1972 and afterwards she brought her daughters back to Oklahoma; where she began working with the Cherokee Nation.
As a civil servant, she focused on bettering the lives of the Cherokee people through various social initiatives, including Native American child welfare protocols, language services, and senior citizen programs. Despite several health setbacks and a major car accident, Mankiller was determined to continue her work for the Cherokee Nation.
Her first development program began in Bell, Oklahoma, where the residents built a 16 mile pipe for a shared water system on a Cherokee reservation. Mankiller's strong reputation as a community leader led to her election as the first female Deputy Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1983. Two years later, Mankiller became the Cherokee Nation's first female Principal Chief. She remained focused on improving people's lives by securing federal assistance for education, housing, and employment programs for the Cherokee Nation. She was recognized for her efforts when she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 by President Bill Clinton.