Wilma Mankiller

I think that these sources were selected because many of them offer personal accounts of actual people from varying tribes.  A good academic source does not necessarily have to be a refined one.  I would actually argue that a good source is an unfiltered source.  As in, the person compiling the data and recording the interactions between people often put their own personal spin, which could corrupt the information.  With technology, we have the opportunity to actually see first hand without any sort of medium, other than recording devices, to see and hear people, which is incredible. 


Wilma Mankiller is a Former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief.  She is a well spoken and articulate individual.  A point that she would like to stress is that she does not speak for all Native people, but she has an interest in all the different tribes.  The native people are deeply intertwined with the natural world, which she and other indigenous people revere.  The native people, particularly the Hopi and the Iroquois both have prophecies that describe that they world will end when the people no longer know how to care for it.  Ms. Mankiller shows off her interests in both science and history which she uses to describe how the earth is suffering at humankind’s hands.  She asserts that native people are closer to protecting the land because of the stories that their cultures are known for telling.  She also stresses that each native community is unique and that each community has unique subdivisions as well, but that the media does not help protect the uniqueness of their people.  Ms. Mankiller asserts that native people will certainly survive anything thrown at them, which includes: war; famine; massacres; loss of land; and loss of tribal ceremonies and traditions.  She states that no matter what, the tribes have not lost a sense of identity and responsibility.  

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 23, 2018 at 8:34 PM

    Thank you for the wonderful research you have done. Chief Mankiller is a very insightful person. I can see why she was elected by her people. One area you touched on that I want to touch on is the fact that the native people do all they can to preserve there culture. Their culture is what helps them know that to cherish the land is what will give them longevity on this earth. Also to preserve the culture is another factor that will ensure that the Native Peoples will survive.

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