15

M O N D A Y

Without question, Wilma P. Mankiller deserves the name of honor she has inherited and preserved. Named 1987’s “Woman of the Year” by Ms. magazine, Mankiller was the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. In her moving autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People—in which she addresses both definitive moments in Native American history and contemporary crises such as rural poverty—Mankiller and co-author Michael Wallis chronicle both her own history and that of the Cherokee tribe. As if to emphasize the necessity for Mankiller’s vigorous brand of activism, her text is interspersed with literary quotes revealing compelling perceptions and (more often) misperceptions of Native Americans. Chief Mankiller reads from her memoir at 6:30 p.m. at Vertigo Books, 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW. FREE. (202) 429-9272. (Heather Neefe)