Wilma Mankiller (November 18, 1945 - April 6, 2010) was an author, activist, and former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her roots were planted deep in the rural community of Mankiller Flats in Adair County, Oklahoma where she spent most of her life. She has been honored with many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and received honorary doctorate degrees from such esteemed institutions as Yale University, Dartmouth College, and Smith College. Ms. Mankiler is the author of Mankiller: A Chief and Her People, and coedited A Readerís Companion to the History of Women in the U.S. Wilma Mankiller lived on the Mankiller family allotment with her husband, Charlie Soap.