Wilma’s Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller

Summary of Book

As a child in Oklahoma, Wilma Mankiller experienced the Cherokee practice of Gadugi, helping each other, even when times were hard for everyone. But in 1956, the federal government uprooted her family and moved them to California, wrenching them from their home, friends, and traditions. Separated from her community and everything she knew, Wilma felt utterly lost until she found refuge in the Indian Center in San Francisco. There, she worked to build and develop the local Native community and championed Native political activists. She took her two children to visit tribal communities in the state, and as she introduced them to the traditions of their heritage, she felt a longing for home.

Returning to Oklahoma with her daughters, Wilma took part in Cherokee government. Despite many obstacles, from resistance to female leadership to a life-threatening accident, Wilma's courageous dedication to serving her people led to her election as the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation. As leader and advocate, she reinvigorated her constituency by empowering them to identify and solve community problems.

Author Biography

Julie Flett is a Vancouver-based Metis and Cree artist and illustrator who incorporates photography, drawing, and painting into her practice. Born in Toronto, Julie has spent much of the last two decades in Western Canada. She began her studies in textile design at the Alberta College of Art. Following two years of studio at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, she completed a Fine Arts degree at Concordia University in 1997. Returning to Vancouver she worked as a coordinator for a visual communication program for First Nations and was involved with a range of advocacy and support work for women in Vancouver's Downtown East Side. Julie was the recipient of the Canadian Native Arts Foundation Visual Arts Acquisition Program in 1993, and was a finalist for two BC Book Prizes in the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize category for her illustration work on the book The Moccasins, authored by Earl Einarson (2004) and Zoe and the Fawn, authored by Catherine Jameson (2007).

Illustrator Biography

A native of rural Oklahoma with Choctaw ancestry, Linda Kukuk specializes in both scratchboard art and watercolor painting. She is a member of the Oklahoma Art Guild and has received numerous awards for her work. Her art has been featured in the International Society of Scratchboard Artists Show, as well as the Festival of Arts in Oklahoma City, the OCCC Arts Festival Oklahoma, the Downtown Edmond Art Festival, the Red Earth Festival, the Cherokee Art Market in Tulsa, the Oklahoma Art Guild National Show, and the Kiamichi Owa-Chito Festival of the Forest Art Show. In addition to art, Linda enjoys travel, photography, gardening, cooking, and competing in 5K races. She invites you to visit her online at lindakukuk.com.