About Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller was the first woman elected Principal Chief by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in a historic tribal election in 1987. Her roots are deeply planted in the rural community of Rocky Mountain in Adair County, Oklahoma. She is committed to the empowerment of people at the local level, to rural development, and to the concept of community self-help. She has devoted years to raising awareness of American Indian concerns and to strengthening intergovernmental relations.