Watching Wilma Mankiller was very interesting and eye
opening. It touched on many things that we learned in this course. Before
watching the video, her name -- Mankiller-- already spoke volumes. Although she
is not known to many, including myself (before this video of course), Mankiller
has done so much for American society. She is an example how Native Americans
contribute to the United States but are often not known.
What fascinates me the most about this woman is that she was
the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation. This information was dear to me
because of the Cherokee blood that I have. As a leader, she did all that she
can to improve the lives of Cherokee. She impacted areas that included health
sysytems as well as education. Not only did she find ways to improve the
imperfections within her Nation, she also stood for women and Native American
rights around the U.S. In the video, Mankiller also touches on the relationship
between the Native Americans and the United States government and how the
government broke many treaties that were in place and other issues that greatly
affect the Native American community. She goes on to discuss the beliefs that
Americans have about the Native Americans and the stereotypes portrayed due to
the media. Mankiller didn’t understand why many Americans knew so little about
Native American culture and history and go based on those stereotypes.
Mankiller continues by discussing the similarities and differences between
tribes, tribal governments, and the importance of passing down history to the
next generation.
I enjoyed watching and learning from Wilma Mankiller. She
was very inspiring and played a major role in the Cherokee Nation. To me, it’s
no surprised that many Americans know very little about Native American
culture. If it wasn’t for this course, my views would still be where they once
were regarding the First Peoples. Therefore, I am happy that I took this course
because I am now more conscious of Native American history, culture, and their
heritage.
