Post by Okwes on Nov 8, 2006 6:33:07 GMT -5
Busy leader chose simple walking shoes
Nov. 1, 2006 12:00 AM
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1101shoe\
s1101mankiller.html
<http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1101sho\
es1101mankiller.html>
Wilma Pearl Mankiller, 61, is an author, lecturer and the first female
chief of the Cherokee Nation. As a high-profile voice for Native
American and women's issues, she stays busy with the national lecture
circuit at colleges and universities.
With her husband, Charlie Soap, Mankiller lives on her grandfather's
Cherokee land allotment in a small community called Mankiller Flats in
rural Adair County, Okla.
Mankiller said that as a child from a poor family, she never dreamed
she'd visit China, meet presidents, survive cancer or lead her nation.
She and her 10 brothers and sisters rarely wore shoes in the summer.
[http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif]
[http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif]
The footwear Mankiller lent to the exhibit doesn't hint at her many
accomplishments, such as the 1998 Presidential Medal of Freedom and Ms.
magazine's Woman of the Year in 1987.
They are practical shoes for a woman who has work to do.
"I sent those shoes because I wanted to convey something about my
everyday life," Mankiller said. Her black walking shoes represent
normalcy, steadfastness and determination - attributes not as easily
conveyed by a favorite pair of red cowboy boots, for example.
The shoes are comfortable and accommodate an ankle and leg brace she has
worn on her right leg for the past 15 years after being seriously
injured in a car accident.
Her shoes have been on airplanes and boats, in taxicabs and pickup
trucks. They've traveled to Manaus, Brazil; New York City; and
Washington, D.C., to reservation communities and universities. The shoes
even came to Arizona as Mankiller visited relatives.
Though she owns sneakers, moccasins, sandals and a pair of sequined
flip-flops that she bought at Wild Horse Pass Resort, Mankiller most
frequently wears durable shoes.
"When I could still wear regular shoes, I loved a variety of colors and
styles," Mankiller said. "I have not been able to wear pumps since I
started wearing a brace, so there are none in my closet."
Nov. 1, 2006 12:00 AM
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1101shoe\
s1101mankiller.html
<http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/1101sho\
es1101mankiller.html>
Wilma Pearl Mankiller, 61, is an author, lecturer and the first female
chief of the Cherokee Nation. As a high-profile voice for Native
American and women's issues, she stays busy with the national lecture
circuit at colleges and universities.
With her husband, Charlie Soap, Mankiller lives on her grandfather's
Cherokee land allotment in a small community called Mankiller Flats in
rural Adair County, Okla.
Mankiller said that as a child from a poor family, she never dreamed
she'd visit China, meet presidents, survive cancer or lead her nation.
She and her 10 brothers and sisters rarely wore shoes in the summer.
[http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif]
[http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif]
The footwear Mankiller lent to the exhibit doesn't hint at her many
accomplishments, such as the 1998 Presidential Medal of Freedom and Ms.
magazine's Woman of the Year in 1987.
They are practical shoes for a woman who has work to do.
"I sent those shoes because I wanted to convey something about my
everyday life," Mankiller said. Her black walking shoes represent
normalcy, steadfastness and determination - attributes not as easily
conveyed by a favorite pair of red cowboy boots, for example.
The shoes are comfortable and accommodate an ankle and leg brace she has
worn on her right leg for the past 15 years after being seriously
injured in a car accident.
Her shoes have been on airplanes and boats, in taxicabs and pickup
trucks. They've traveled to Manaus, Brazil; New York City; and
Washington, D.C., to reservation communities and universities. The shoes
even came to Arizona as Mankiller visited relatives.
Though she owns sneakers, moccasins, sandals and a pair of sequined
flip-flops that she bought at Wild Horse Pass Resort, Mankiller most
frequently wears durable shoes.
"When I could still wear regular shoes, I loved a variety of colors and
styles," Mankiller said. "I have not been able to wear pumps since I
started wearing a brace, so there are none in my closet."