Cherokee Nation Pays Tribute To Former Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller

News9.com

TAHLEQUAH, OK --  Hundreds of members of the Cherokee Nation and 170 tribal, state and federal officials gathered Saturday at a memorial service for Former Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller in Tahlequah.

Mourners entered and exited the grounds accompanied by the sound of traditional Cherokee drumming. Prayers were said in both Cherokee and English languages for the first woman to lead a Native American tribute.

Wilma Mankiller broke barriers and stereotypes before succumbing to cancer Tuesday morning. She was 64.

Read Wilma Mankiller's Final Message Written Four Days Before Her Death

"She was such a monumental leader in Indian Country and certainly within the Cherokee Nation because, ironically or perhaps appropriately, she was so humble," current Cherokee Chief Chad Smith said.

"I remember the iconic image of her in a white dress, like something she had just worn to church, on the front porch playing with her nephews and nieces. Just three days earlier, she had received the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Her daughters, Gina and Felicia Olaya, remembered their mother for more personal things. Mankiller was an avid sports fan, a lover of stray dogs and cats, and a woman who respect life so much she would carry insects outside rather than destroy them.

At the request of the family, speakers wore something pink in tribute to Mankiller's favorite color.

Speakers at the memorial service included:

Charlie Soap, Chief Mankiller's husband
Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Honorable Chief Judge Robert Henry
Ross O. Swimmer, Former Principal Chief
John A. Ketcher, Former Deputy Principal Chief
Gloria Steinem, activist and friend
Felicia Olaya & Gina Olaya, daughters
Other friends and co-workers

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