Wilma Mankiller

I am currently reading the autobiography of Wilma Mankiller, former principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her philosophies on life, which are the philosophies shared of course by her tribe and by other Native American tribes, are amazing and inspiring. The absolute atrocities that the aboriginal peoples of this land have endured for the past few centuries would do any of us in for good, but Wilma Mankiller still encourages the Cherokees to "dance" and retain their ancient way of living. I'm only about 50 pages into the book, but she is an incredibly inspiring woman who's strength knows no bounds:

Wilma Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, lives on the land which was allotted to her paternal grandfather, John Mankiller, just after Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Surrounded by the Cherokee Hills and the Cookson Hills, she lives in a historically rich area where a person's worth is not determined by the size of their bank account or portfolio. Her family name "Mankiller" as far as they can determine, is an old military title that was given to the person in charge of protecting the village. As the leader of the Cherokee people she represented the second largest tribe in the United States, the largest being the Dine (Navajo) Tribe. Mankiller was the first female in modern history to lead a major Native American tribe. With an enrolled population of over 140,000, and an annual budget of more than $75 million, and more than 1,200 employees spread over 7,000 square miles, her task may have been equalled to that of a chief executive officer of a major corporation...