Wilma Mankiller

Module 5 Blog

Review of the Native Nations Institute web site, University of Arizona Udall Center specific to the Wilma Mankiller, interview

 

 Having reviewed a great interview between Native Nations Institute and Wilma Mankiller, Principle Chief of the Cherokee 1945-2010, I found the care, consideration, thought, guiding principles, purpose and selflessness that defined her as a major leader for her people both humbling and refreshing. Her resolution to guide her people who had faced many decades of social and economic hardships, to redefine their cultural repressions in to resilience to be able to redefine the mindset of repression culture and not become resolved to status quo of poverty but work as a whole within the community to resolve and make the living conditions as a community better. It was quite enlightening to hear her statements as she put the teachings of native spirituality, sense of connectivity to natural surroundings to use and live those beliefs in working together as members of the community worked to lift themselves out from their repression.

The web resources chosen for the coursework that we are studying seem to emulate and lead us to a greater understanding of not only what should be curriculum resources but as resources of indigenous knowledge, perhaps making us able to better understand a greater spirituality of  thought of the learning material rather than the regurgitation of information more formally formatted.

Entering this course I thought would help to answer many questions that I had concerning the Native American peoples. The great thing is as many questions as were answered twice as many developed but I am happy in knowing that all of these can be answered by opening one’s mind, in having a “good mind” that all answers, as are questions, are connected spiritually.