Wilma Mankiller was an author, activist, and former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her roots were planted deep in the rural community Mankiller Flats in Adair County, Oklahoma, where she spent most of her life. She has been honored with many awards, including the Presidental Medal of Freedom, and has received honorary degrees from such esteemed institutions as Yale University, Dartmouth College, and Smith College. Wilma Mankiller died in 2010 after a long battle with cancer. Contributors include: Linda Aranaydo, Muscogee Creek (physician) Mary and Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone (traditionalists) Angela Gonzales, Hopi (professor) Joy Harjo, Muscogee Creek/Cherokee (poet/musician) LaDonna Harris, Comanche (warrior) Sarah James, Nee'Tsaii Gwich'in (human rights activist) Debra LaFountaine, Ojibway (environmentalist) Rosalie Little Thunder, Lakota (Lakota linguist/artist) Lurline Wailana McGregor, Native Hawaiian (television producer) Beatrice Medicine, Lakota (anthropologist) Ella Mulford, Navajo (biologist) Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Salish Flathead (artist) Audrey Shenandoah, Onondaga (Clan Mother) Joanne Shenandoah, Oneida (musician) Gail Small (Head Chief Woman), Northern Cheyenne (environmental activist) Faith Smith, Ojibway (educator) Florence Soap, Cherokee (grandmother) Octaviana Valenzuela Trujillo, Pascua Yaqui (educator)
