On the last day of December 1838, President Martin Van Buren signed a land title giving the Cherokee Nation ownership of 13.5 million acres in what is now the state of Oklahoma.
Beyond the historical significance, the document itself is a work of art with decorative American flags, six-pointed stars, laurels and other symbols.
“It’s one of the most-prized possessions of the Cherokee Nation,” said Travis Owens, the tribe’s director of cultural tourism.
For nearly 60 years, the land title and other invaluable artifacts from Cherokee history have been preserved at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, six miles south of downtown Tahlequah. But the tribal Council recently declared a “state of emergency” for the collection due to aging infrastructure and outdated environmental controls.
Cherokee Nation Businesses is now working on a state-of-the-art storage facility that will open in late summer 2021 at Cherokee Springs Plaza, a 154-acre retail, dining and entertainment district on the south side of Tahlequah. The new facility will include a 5,000-square-foot fireproof and storm-resistant vault with environmental controls, as well as two research rooms for artists and scholars.
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In the meantime, officials are working on long-term plans for the old Heritage Center.
The goal is to create “a world-class destination that protects, preserves and promotes Cherokee Nation’s history and culture,” Owens said.
“What we’re really excited about is that for so long, this collection has been in the basement of the Cherokee Heritage Center. And so this new environment is going to allow, for the first time, access to the collection to our citizens and artisans, students and community members, so the collection can actually be used for research purposes.”
Dating back centuries, the collection includes thousands of archival documents and historic artifacts ranging from portraits and textiles to pottery and baskets.
The new storage facility will be open to researchers, but the collection won’t be on public display, Owens said. That presumably will be part of future plans that are still being discussed.
“Responsible stewardship of our tribe’s irreplaceable artifacts means we must invest in world-class archival conservation measures,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “We are taking these important, strategic steps in order to ensure long-term preservation.
“As we continue long-range planning for the Cherokee Heritage Center, we can properly house these rare and historic objects until they are ready to return to their permanent home.”
Get a first hand look at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, OK. STEPHEN PINGRY, Tulsa World
Throwback Tulsa: Cherokee Nation's first female principal chief Wilma Mankiller sworn in 38 years ago
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Mankiller was born Nov. 18, 1945, in Tahlequah. She was the sixth of 11 children.
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Wilma Mankiller’s grandfather obtained 160 acres in Oklahoma in a settlement with the U.S. government after Cherokees were forced to move to Oklahoma from their tribal lands in the eastern part of the country.
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‘Mankiller’
She was known to joke about her ferocious-sounding last name, which is an old Cherokee term for a soldier or watchman.
Former Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller speaks during a press conference at the Law office of Frasier and Frasier 17th and Southwest Blvd. on March 21st 1997.
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Family
Mankiller married an Ecuadorean businessman, Hugo Olaya, in 1963. The two later became parents to daughters Felicia Olaya and Gina Olaya. Olaya and Mankiller divorced, and she returned to Oklahoma in 1977 with her daughters where they lived on their family land.
Sisters Gina and Felicia Olaya, daughters of former Cherokee Chief Wilma Mankiller, express affection for each other as they talk about the events of Gina's kidney transplant from the donation by Felicia during an interview in the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel in Catoosa, OK, July 9, 2013.
Wilma Mankiller at News Conference
Education
She graduated in 1979 with bachelor’s in social sciences from Flaming Rainbow University, a rural college in Stillwell, which ceased operations in 1992. Mankiller also took graduate classes in community planing at the University of Arkansas.
Former Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller speaks during a press conference at the Law office of Frasier and Frasier 17th Street and Southwest Boulevard on March 21, 1997.
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Health battles
Mankiller had a neuromuscular disease, myasthenia gravis, which can lead to paralysis. She was honored for her work with the national Myasthenia Gravis Foundation. Mankiller also had polycistic kidney disease, which impairs kidney function.
Wilma Mankiller in her home in Tahlequah in 1996.
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Kidney transplant
While she was chief in 1990, Mankiller underwent a kidney transplant. Her brother, Don Mankiller, donated one of his kidneys to his sister. She received a second kidney transplant in 1998 after radiation treatments destroyed the first.
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Health advocacy
Needless to say, Mankiller actively worked to improve healthcare for Native Americans. Read more: Indian health care in crisis, chief says
Co-Chairs Janet Tinkler and John Knox of Will Rogers Rotary Club pose with 2000 Will Rogers Spirit Award honoree Wilma Mankiller at Will Rogers High school on Nov 4, 2000.
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Honorary degrees
Mankiller has numerous honorary degrees, including ones from Yale University and Dartmouth College, where she also taught as a guest professor.
Former Cherokee Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller talks with a Cherokee councilor before speaking to the Massad Commission, an independent panel examining the legal and factual issues involved in the Cherokee dispute, in Tahlequah, Okla., on Thursday, Aug. 28, 1997.
Luncheon
Honorary degrees
Mankiller has numerous honorary degrees, including ones from Yale University and Dartmouth College, where she also taught as a guest professor.
Wilma Mankiller is the guest speaker at the Native American Domestic Violence conference luncheon at the Tulsa Doubletree on December 11, 2001.
Obama
”As the Cherokee Nation’s first female chief, she transformed the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America.” — President Barack Obama
President Barack Obama speaks on Dec. 19, 2009.
