Final Blog Wilma Mankiller

I reviewed the "Challenges Facing 21st Century Indigenous People"  by Arizona State University Library. The film was recorded on October 2nd, 2008 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix Arizona. Featured in the film was Wilma Mankiller who spoke about the issues that Native Americans continue to face. She began the speech by thanking everyone who came out that evening to see her including the venue that hosted the event. Most people don't realize how much activity happens behind the scenes.
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When Wilma Mankiller started diving into the details, she first mentioned that "the history, contemporary lives, and future of native people is intertwined with outside communities". She pointed out that everyone benefits when Native Americans conduct economic activities including building roads and starting businesses.  I thought it was interesting when she said: "Native Americans believe that the world will end when people can no longer protect nature or restore its balance". This is another way of expressing the spiritual connection that native people have with nature.

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About midway through, Wilma Mankiller discussed the reasons why non-native people don't view the world the same way. She that there's nothing to remind them of where they place in the world. Without consistently refreshing people's minds through the use of stories and gatherings, regular people like us will forget who we are. I liked her comment that the root of current issues confronting Native Americans is found in colonial policies.

I think that blogging allows us to share our ideas and perspectives on Native American History. It also provides us a way to discuss how we feel about the harsh treatment indigenous people have endured. I feel that there's so much more we can learn from Native Americans and that this class only scratches the surface.

Works Cited:

Libraries, ASU. Wilma Mankiller, YouTube, 10 Dec. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K_rVUmV7Y8&feature=youtu.be.

Comments

  1. SueR9020December 12, 2019 at 3:35 PM

    I agree that there is much we can learn and that the connection that Native Americans have with the earth and nature could educate everyone with what can happen when we do not respect nature Native Americans are very much a part of our society, however we do not know the first thing about them and their histories. I believe we only scratched the surface with this class and there is so much more.

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  2. JM599December 13, 2019 at 12:50 PM

    Those are great quotes that you added! I really like the that says "I learned a long time ago that I can't control the challenges the creator sends my way, but I can control the way I think about them and deal with them."- Wilma Mankiller. This reminds me of the serenity prayer that I use. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

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  3. Richard MitchellDecember 13, 2019 at 4:03 PM

    The way that Mankiller speaks to Indigenous connections to nature through traditions and stories should help us understand what we have lost and are still losing. Through urbanization and loss of Native cultural beliefs many people today have lost that connection to the natural world. Her comments about knowing who we are and knowing our place can help us learn and re-connect. We can all learn from the Native beliefs to find our way to a more healthy planet if we would only listen.

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