Wilma Mankiller, Module 5


I reviewed Wilma Mankiller’s speech “Challenges Facing 21st Century Indigenous People.” Mankiller spoke at the Heard Museum, in conjunction with Arizona State University. Wilma Mankiller was the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, but she made it very clear that the only perspective she had the authority to convey was her own, and that she was speaking for herself. She was advocating for native rights, and for environmental responsibility, but explicitly stated that the various people in each of the indigenous groups around the world are unique, and she could only represent her own view.
I think this video was selected for this course because Wilma Mankiller was one of the most prominent Native Americans of her time, and still continues to be, years after she died. As she was giving a speech, rather than writing a book, she had to condense her thoughts into a succinct form, making her half hour an incredibly informative one.
My position on what exactly makes a good academic website has changed throughout this course. There is no reason that a person’s testimony should not be considered a valid document if it would be had it been included in a book. Obviously, a reliable source is important, but I think that especially in cultural studies, a person’s testimony can be more essential than a footnoted paper. As such, I definitely believe this speech is a quality academic resource.
I think the purpose of making a Native American-focused journal into a blog is to remind us, the writers, that native history and life do not just exist within a classroom – they are important facets of people’s lives every single day. It also offers potential readers the chance to notice how we have learned and grown throughout the course, and to visit our discussions to witness debates on the material.



Mankiller, Wilma. “Wilma Mankiller: Challenges Facing 21st Century Indigenous People.” YouTube, ASU Libraries, 10 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K_rVUmV7Y8&feature=youtu.be.

Comments

  1. Malgorzata SiatkowskaDecember 13, 2018 at 5:38 PM

    I think that you made a good point that blogs and web cites help the readers to view the history through different resources and what is the most important not only from the text book in the classroom. After this class we already know how the facts can be twisted and researching other resources had a huge impact on perceiving the Native Americans history in a completely different way.

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