Wilma Mankiller (1945 - ) In 1985, Wilma Mankiller became the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, winning the election with 56 percent of the vote. She grew up in Mankiller Flats near Tahlequah, Okla., and her last name is a term of respect for Indian warriors who protected villages. In her book Mankiller: A Chief and Her People, Mankiller tells her family's story of leaving Oklahoma for California in 1956 as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Relocation Program. The program was set up to urbanize poor rural Native Americans. In 1969, she watched the AIM (American Indian Movement) protest on Alcatraz Island on television. This led to her initial involvement in the struggle for Native American rights. Her book also details her social and political involvement in American Indian and women's issues and her return to her northeast Oklahoma roots. Since then, Mankiller worked on many community development programs designed to provide jobs and/or homes to Native American people. In 1991, she was reelected as chief. In 1994, Oklahoma's Institute of Indian Heritage honored Chief Wilma Mankiller during their annual "Spirit of the People" fall festival. She left her position as chief in 1995 because of poor health. During her tenure as chief, she was an effective spokesperson in Washington, worked for health care programs, and fought for the rights of children. Mankiller holds an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Yale University.