Wilma Mankiller Cherokee Chief, Activist, Feminist

Known for: first woman elected chief of the Cherokee NationDates: November 18, 1945 - April 6, 2010Occupation: activist, writer, community organizerAlso known as: Wilma Pearl Mankiller Born in Oklahoma, Mankillers father was of Cherokee ancestry and her mother of Irish and Dutch ancestry. She was one of eleven siblings. Her great-grandfather was one of the 16,000 who had been removed to Oklahoma in the 1830s in what has been called the Trail of Tears. The Mankiller family moved from Mankiller Flats to San Francisco in the 1950s when a drought forced them to leave their farm. She began attending college in California, where she met Hector Olaya, whom she married when she was eighteen. They had two daughters. At college, Wilma Mankiller was becoming involved in the movement for Native American rights, particularly in raising funds for activists who had taken over Alcatraz prison and also became involved in the womens movement. After completing her degree and getting a divorce from her husband, Wilma Mankiller returned to Oklahoma. Pursuing more education, she was injured on the drive from the University in an accident that injured her so seriously that it was not certain she would survive. The other driver was a close friend. She then was stricken for a time with myasthenia gravia. Wilma Mankiller became a community organizer for the Cherokee Nation and was notable for her ability to win grants. She won an election as Deputy Chief of the 70,000 member Nation in 1983 and replaced the Principal Chief in 1985 when he resigned to take a federal position. She was elected in her own right in 1987 -- the first woman to hold that position. She was re-elected again in 1991. In her position as chief, Wilma Mankiller oversaw both social welfare programs and tribal business interests and served as a cultural leader. She was named Ms. Magazines Woman of the Year in 1987 for her achievements.  In 1998, President Clinton awarded Wilma Mankiller the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians in the United States. In 1990, Wilma Mankillers kidney problems likely inherited from her father who died of kidney disease, led to her brother donating a kidney to her. Wilma Mankiller continued in her position as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation until 1995 During those years, she also served on the board of the Ms. Foundation for Women, and wrote fiction. Having survived several serious illnesses, including kidney disease, lymphoma, and myasthenia gravis, and a major automobile accident earlier in her life, Mankiller was stricken with pancreatic cancer and died April 6, 2010. Her friend, Gloria Steinem, had excused herself from participation in a womens studies conference to be with Mankiller in her illness. Family, Background Mother: Irene MankillerFather: Charlie MankillerSiblings: four sisters, six brothers Education Skyline College, 1973San Francisco State College, 1973-1975Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities, B.A., 1977University of Arkansas, 1979 Marriage, Children husband: Hector Hugo Olaya de Bardi (married  November  1963, divorced 1975; accountant)children:Felicia Marie Olaya, born 1964Gina Irene Olaya, born 1966husband: Charlie Soap (married October 1986; rural development organizer)Religion: PersonalOrganizations: Cherokee Nation