Biography wilma mankiller documentary

The true story Wilma P Mankiller, a woman of the Cherokee nation who became its first prominent female activist in modern times.
MANKILLER tells the powerful and uplifting story of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Women & the American Story, Episode 41 Wilma Mankiller, a Native American activist who became the first female chief of her tribe.

•

“One of the things my parents taught me, and I'll always be grateful . . . is to not ever let anybody else define me; [but] for me to define myself . . .”

Wilma Mankiller is honored and recognized as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She is also the first woman elected as chief of a major Native tribe. She spent her remarkable life fighting for the rights of American Indians.

Born on November 18, 1945, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma was the sixth of eleven children born to Charley Mankiller and Clara Irene Sitton. The surname "Mankiller," Asgaya-dihi (Cherokee syllabary: ᎠᏍᎦᏯᏗᎯ) in the Cherokee language, refers to a traditional Cherokee military rank, like a captain or major.

Though Mankiller recalled that she never felt poor growing up, the family’s rural ancestral home had no electricity, indoor plumbing, or telephones. When she was 11, the family moved to San Francisco, California as part of a Bureau of Indian Affairs’ relocation policy, which aimed to move Indians off federally subsidized lands with the promi

•

VALERIE RED-HORSE , Director
VALERIE RED-HORSE , Producer

About the Project

When history fails to preserve stories from our past and present, it's up to us to correct the record. Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, is omitted from most history books. She was an activist and a champion to a nation – and it's time the world remembers her name. MANKILLER is a documentary celebrating a leader who defied all odds to make a difference for her people. During a time when American Indians found themselves disenfranchised and undervalued by the United States at large, Wilma emerged as a champion of the Cherokee Nation and became its first female Principal Chief in 1985.

This film is the passion project of director/producer Valerie Red-Horse (owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc.) and producer Gale Anne Hurd, the "First Lady of Sci-Fi." Although Gale is best known as the producer of iconic science fiction including THE TERMINATOR trilogy, ALIENS, and AMC's THE WALKING DEAD, she previo

•

Mankiller (film)

2017 film by Valerie Red-Horse

Mankiller is a 2017 documentary film directed by Valerie Red-Horse Mohl and executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd, concerning the life of Wilma Mankiller. The film had its US premiere on June 19, 2017, at the Los Angeles Film Festival.^[1] It was produced by Red-Horse Native Productions and Valhalla Entertainment and is a presentation of Vision Maker Media for PBS.

Synopsis

The film follows the life of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, from her childhood in Oklahoma, through her family's relocation to San Francisco,^[2] as well as her return to Oklahoma and her rise to power within the Cherokee Nation.^[2]

Mankiller utilizes original interviews with friends, family, and activists including Gloria Steinem as well as archival footage of Wilma Mankiller to depict a transcendent leader that overcame rampant sexism to usher in an era of improved stability and prosperity for the Cherokee Nation.

Production

Vision Maker Media rece