Gonzaga University’s Native American Studies Program will present a free public screening of the film “The Cherokee Word for Water,” starring Kimberly Norris Guerrero, at 7 p.m., Sept. 18 in the John J. Hemmingson Center Auditorium.
After the film, Guerrero – whose heritage lies with the Colville, Salish-Kootenai, and Cherokee tribes and who is a member of the Colville Tribe – will discuss her portrayal in the film of the late Wilma Pearl Mankiller, the first woman to serve as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, according to a press release.
Mankiller is known for her visionary and tenacious leadership that brought financial stability and improved health, education and housing to her tribe. Among her honors, President Bill Clinton in 1998 awarded her the Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. Mankiller was the Cherokee chief from 1985 to 1995, and during her tenure the nation’s membership more than doubled – to 170,000 from approximately 68,000.
“We are thrilled to bring a film celebrating the work of Wilma Mankiller, a woman who epitomized servant-leadership, to Gonzaga,” Laurie Arnold a member of the Colville Tribe, Gonzaga’s director of Native American Studies and an assistant professor of history, said in a press release. “Her story, ideals, and legacy of being a person truly for others represent a perfect fit with Gonzaga’s social justice mission.”
