Mankiller Response

Mankiller’s autobiography is different in that it encompasses the history of the Cherokee people. This demonstrates the selflessness seen throughout Native cultures, where greater emphasis is placed on community and kinship rather than the individual. An individual’s responsibility is to one’s family and tribe above self. Mankiller tells the story of the Cherokee people in addition to her own. The way the story has come together, it seems she had to write about one in order to be able to write about the other.

Mankiller notes that Cherokees have been able to lead successful lives “in a very modern, fast-paced world, while preserving [their] cultural values and traditions” (254). The Cherokee Nation has always been noted for being able to adapt to the non-Indian world forced upon it. Mankiller says that Cherokees “live within two realities…the acceptance of and ability to deal with the non-Indian world around us, and the other…being able to hold onto and retain our ancient Cherokee belief systems, values, customs, and rituals” (220). In this way, the contemporary Cherokee Nation maintains its connection with the Cherokee tribe that preceded it. The wishes of Jefferson, Jackson, et al for the Native American to be totally absorbed into white culture have failed to be fulfilled among the Cherokee Nation. Perhaps this can be attributed to those who adopted “a Cherokee approach to life.” The elders say it is “being of good mind,” meaning removing negative thoughts, thinking positively, and taking what is given out and changing it into a better path (226). Thinking about an individual, such as Mankiller herself, taking this approach to life is empowering. History shows the power in numbers of the many who have taken the Cherokee approach to life. That the Cherokee Nation has endured so much suggests that the people are able to continue and go even further. Each Cherokee, like Mankiller, can “find the way to be of good mind” (229).

Mankiller writes that she wants to be remembered “for emphasizing the fact that we have indigenous solutions to our problems. Cherokee values, especially those of helping one another and of our interconnections with the land, can be used to address contemporary issues” (251). What, more specifically, are some of those issues and how can they be solved? I am hoping to become more aware of some of the current issues in the coming weeks during our study.