Wilma Pearl Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on November 18, 1945. She was the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in 1985, following the resignation of Chief Ross Swimmer, who left to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Initially, Mankiller faced much opposition, much of which was the result of sexism. However, in 1987, after a landslide victory, Mankiller became the first freely-elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Mankiller was again elected Chief in 1991, but resigned in 1995 for health reasons.

As a people, the Cherokee are highly proud of Wilma, who remains perhaps the most celebrated Cherokee of the twentieth century. "Prior to my election," says Mankiller, "young Cherokee girls would never have thought that they might grow up and become chief." While the current Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Chad 'Corntassel' Smith, is a male, the precedent stands.

Mankiller's autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People, became a national bestseller.