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Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, will deliver the Cultural Celebration/Chimes Lecture at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, in Graham Chapel. Her talk, which is free and open to the public, will focus on contemporary tribal issues.
Elected deputy chief in 1983, Mankiller succeeded the previous principal chief upon his resignation in 1985. She went on to win a full four-year term in 1987 and re-election in 1991 with 83 percent of the vote. As chief, Mankiller guided the second largest Indian nation in the United States, leading a team that dramatically increased the revenue, services and stature of the Cherokee Nation. Her legacy includes the development of a comprehensive health care system.
The story of her life is chronicled in "Mankiller: A Chief and Her People," which she wrote in 1993 with Michael Wallis, a Tulsa journalist and author.
Mankiller has received numerous awards, including selection as one of 50 great Americans by Who's Who and a Chubb Fellowship from Yale University, both in 1995.
For more information, visit the Assembly Series Web page (http://wupa.wustl.edu/assembly) or call 935-5285.
