The first female principal chief of
the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller, spoke at Sonoma State University in
2008. Wilma Mankiller has numerous
honorary degrees, has worked tirelessly for the Native American rights movement
in the United States, and at Sonoma State spoke of American Indian resilience,
identity and the issues of Native Americans in modernity. In her speech “Context is Everything”, she
provides a brief history of American Indians to give her listeners a framework
of understanding for tribal concerns.
Mankiller made a point of saying
that it is very difficult without historical context for members of Congress or
their constituents, to understand the importance of things like tribal land,
water rights, and jurisdiction issues.
Throughout the speech Mankiller
chronicles the misunderstandings between tribal and non-tribal people, and that
too few people know the history of the conflict between the two groups. Part of the problem with successful communication
concerning tribal issues is lack of understanding of Native history, culture
and the contemporary lives they now live.
She points out that just because a tribal member may dress like, live
like, and live in the contemporary world the same way as non-tribal members, it
does not mean they think of things alike, and that their concerns about the
world are the same. She further explains
that even the younger members of the tribes, which for all intents and purpose
seem to live in the same world as their peers, process and filter the
information they receive about the world through tribal values and the tribal
way of thinking.
I think the message Ms. Mankiller
was trying to convey was that tribal knowledge, and an understanding of tribal
values and culture are the best way to understand the Native rights that tribal
members are fighting for.
