Mankiller : A Chief and Her People
- Book Review,
by Wilma Mankiller, Michael Wallis
From Publishers Weekly
Since 1985 Wilma Mankiller has been Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the first woman to hold this post in a major tribe. Her work in rural development, especially the Bell Project in Oklahoma, has received national acclaim. With Wallis ( Route 66 ), Mankiller recounts the tragic history of the Cherokees and her own personal struggles. In the 1950s, her family moved from rural Oklahoma to San Francisco in a government relocation project. It was a traumatic change for the 11-year-old and her 10 brothers and sisters and brought her face-to-face with racism and poverty. The 1969 Indian occupation of Alcatraz, which she supported strongly and participated in to a slight degree, proved a turning point in Mankiller's life. She became an activist in Indian affairs, eventually leaving her husband and returning with her two daughters to her old home. Surviving a debilitating automobile accident and a kidney transplant, she continues to lead her people. In this inspiring story, Mankiller offers herself as a valuable role model--for women as well as Native Americans. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Written jointly with Wallis ( Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd , LJ 3/1/92, among others), this book is an adroitly fashioned dual story of Chief Mankiller's life and a compact history of crucial and poignant episodes in Cherokee history. This contemporary account of the first woman principal chief of the Cherokee Nation describes the development of a modern-day leader. A tale of personal triumphs and tragedies, it begins with a childhood spent on an allotment farm in Mankiller Flats, Oklahoma, and moves through teenage years in the 1960s as an "urban Indian," a near brush with death, and a life of solid accomplishment in service and tribal leadership rooted in Cherokee culture. As more Native American women are celebrated, it is hoped that many high-quality books like this one will appear. Shelve it next to Gretchen M. Bataille's Native American Women (Garland, 1993). Enthusiastically recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/93.- Margaret W. Norton, Montay Coll., ChicagoCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Mankiller, the first woman to head a major Native American tribe, places her remarkable personal odyssey firmly within the "extraordinary story of the Cherokee people and their indomitable courage." Her startling (to non-Indians) name is an old and revered Cherokee surname that began as a title or rank, like major or captain. No one ever made fun of Mankiller's name or heritage while she, her 10 siblings, Cherokee father, and white mother lived in Mankiller Flats, Oklahoma, on the land the federal government allotted her grandfather, but after they relocated to San Francisco as part of an ill-conceived "mainstreaming" project, Mankiller experienced blatant racism and ridicule. She came of age in this culturally diverse city during the 1960s and now traces her political "awakening" to both the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz and the emergence of the women's movement. Modest and self-effacing, Mankiller devotes much of her eye-opening autobiography to recounting the history of the U.S. government's appalling mistreatment of the proud and sophisticated Cherokee Nation. The tribe's survival is nothing short of miraculous as it flourishes, 140,000 strong, under Mankiller's guidance, but the same can be said of Mankiller herself. Her triumphs as a spiritual and political leader in the face of profound adversity are, in themselves, majestic achievements, but add to them her recoveries from a near-fatal automobile accident, a bout with myasthenia gravis, and an ongoing struggle with kidney disease and we find ourselves, frankly, in awe of her seemingly limitless strength and conviction. A must-read for everyone interested in, specifically, the history of Native Americans and women and, in general, tales of exceptional people. Donna Seaman
From Kirkus Reviews
Disappointing autobiography by the first woman to lead a major Indian nation. Mankiller made history in 1985 when she become principle chief of the Cherokee Nation. She holds the reins of power well, and has been reelected to her post. But structuring an autobiography is not her strong suit, although fault may lie with coauthor Wallis (Route 66, 1990) or with Gloria Steinem, whom the acknowledgements credit for ``suggesting the format for this book.'' Instead of a forthright life, readers will find a choppy mix of autobiography, traditional tales, and a lengthy history of the Cherokee. Mankiller's chronicle of her people churns with energy, whether she's raking the federal government over the coals or celebrating past Cherokee leaders like Sequoyah, inventor of an Indian syllabary. Often, though, history lies crushed beneath the weight of her angry rhetoric--demonizing Columbus, ridiculing missionaries, attacking academic scholarship that doesn't fit her political agenda. Coupled to this awkward polemic is her own life story, from childhood poverty to the cultural revolution of Haight- Ashbury in the mid-60's to her ethnic awakening during the Indian occupation of Alcatraz in 1969. Her battle against devastating personal illnesses--including kidney disease and myasthenia gravis- -evokes admiration for her courage but doesn't wash away an impression of self-importance: Her text prattles on about her ``innate love of all people'' and her ``public and private aura'' to which ``spirituality is...the key'' (an assertion for which the book provides little evidence). Mankiller also claims that a religious vision foretold her election as chief. Important as testimony from a historical figure, but shallow and predictable. For a more nuanced and powerful Native American autobiography, try Peter MacDonald's The Last Warrior, reviewed above. (Thirty-two pages of b&w photographs--not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Book News, Inc.
Wilma Mankiller has been the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation since 1985. She tells her personal story (her political awakening came during the 1970 occupation of Alcatraz Island), interwoven with the complex history of the Cherokee Nation. Includes photos. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Midwest Book Review
The principle chief of the Cherokee Nation tells the story of her life and the history of her people in this deeply moving autobiography. Ably read by Joy Harjo we hear in Wilma Mankiller's own words the struggles she faced as a Native American and as a woman. Overcoming centuries of ignorance and genocide, Wilma Mankiller is leading her Cherokee people into new and more successful relationships with the broader American culture -- despite resistance, at times, from within her own community.
Review
"Autonomy is achieved, Mankiller teaches us, only when it happens simultaneously in the life of the individual and the life of a people."—Susan Faludi
"Here is a strong and well-told story of survival and it is told with honesty and eloquence."—N. Scott Momaday
"Public servants everywhere can learn something from Chief Wilma Mankiller's story."—Governor Ann Richards
"Chief Mankiller tells a story of a modern tribe that is carrying the Cherokee traditions into the future."—U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell
"Wilma Mankiller is someone I feel I've known in this lifetime and many lifetimes before. I recognize in her the greatest beauty, dignity, and truthfulness."—Alice Walker
"As one woman's journey, Mankiller opens the heart. As the history of a people, it informs the mind. Together, it teaches us that, as long as people like Wilma Mankiller carry the flame within them, centuries of ignorance and genocide cannot extinguish the human spirit."—Gloria Steinem
"[Wilma Mankiller] is a colorful, intelligent advocate for all of America's indigenous peoples."—The Boston Globe
Review
"Autonomy is achieved, Mankiller teaches us, only when it happens simultaneously in the life of the individual and the life of a people."—Susan Faludi "Here is a strong and well-told story of survival and it is told with honesty and eloquence."—N. Scott Momaday "Public servants everywhere can learn something from Chief Wilma Mankiller's story."—Governor Ann Richards "Chief Mankiller tells a story of a modern tribe that is carrying the Cherokee traditions into the future."—U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell "Wilma Mankiller is someone I feel I've known in this lifetime and many lifetimes before. I recognize in her the greatest beauty, dignity, and truthfulness."—Alice Walker "As one woman's journey, Mankiller opens the heart. As the history of a people, it informs the mind. Together, it teaches us that, as long as people like Wilma Mankiller carry the flame within them, centuries of ignorance and genocide cannot extinguish the human spirit."—Gloria Steinem "[Wilma Mankiller] is a colorful, intelligent advocate for all of America's indigenous peoples."—The Boston Globe
Book Description
In this spiritual, moving autobiography, Wilma Mankiller, former Chief of the Cherokee Nation and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, tells of her own history while also honoring and recounting the history of the Cherokees. Mankiller's life unfolds against the backdrop of the dawning of the American Indian civil rights struggle, and her book becomes a quest to reclaim and preserve the great Native American values that form the foundation of our nation. Now featuring a new Afterword to the 2000 paperback reissue, this edition of Mankiller completely updates the author's private and public life after 1994 and explores the recent political struggles of the Cherokee Nation.
About the Author
Wilma Mankiller was Chief of the Cherokee Nation for over ten years. She lives in Oklahoma.
Michael Wallis is an award-winning historian of the Old West and author of Route 66: The Mother Road.
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