Description (longer than blurb):
As part of its series "Leading Native Nations," the Native Nations Institute (NNI) interviewed Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee). In 1985, Mankiller became the first-ever female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She subsequently won two elections as her nation’s chief executive, the second with 82% of the vote, before leaving office in 1995. Among Mankiller’s many accomplishments, during her tenure she oversaw the Cherokee Nation’s historic self-determination agreement with the federal government, whereby the nation took over control of programs and services from the BIA. She also is author of the national best-seller "Mankiller: A Chief and Her People." Perhaps the most notable of her many accolades came in 1998, when then-President Bill Clinton awarded Wilma the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
About Wilma Mankiller
In 1985, Wilma Mankiller became the first-ever female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She subsequently won two elections as her nation’s chief executive, the second with 82% of the vote, before leaving office in 1995. Among Mankiller’s many accomplishments, during her tenure she oversaw the Cherokee Nation’s historic self-determination agreement with the federal government, whereby the nation took over control of nation programs and services from the BIA. She also is author of the national best-seller "Mankiller: A Chief and Her People." Perhaps the most notable of her many accolades came in 1998, when then-President Bill Clinton awarded Wilma the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
