Wilma Mankiller: The American Women Quarters Program and the 25-Cent Coin
Starting a four-year program called "American Women Quarters" in 2022, the United States Mint began making 25-cent coins to show women contributing greatly to the country.
Choosing Wilma Mankiller quarter as a main person for the 2022 issue, the government recognized her role as the first woman serving as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Being the largest officially recognized tribe in the USA, the Cherokee Nation represents a very important part of American history.
Biographical Facts and Family History
Early Years
Born on November 18, 1945, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Wilma Pearl Mankiller lived on Cherokee land as the sixth child among eleven brothers and sisters.
Having a full-blood Cherokee father named Charlie Mankiller, she belonged to a family having ancestors forced to move from Georgia to Oklahoma in the 1830s.
This sad event being known as the "Trail of Tears," it shaped the history of her people forever.
Meaning of the Family Name
The name "Mankiller" not being a metaphor or a fake name, it actually comes from a traditional Cherokee military rank called "Asgaya-dihi”.
Changing into a family name over a long time, this word described a person responsible for protecting the village or leading successful battles.
Political Context: Moving to California
Moving to San Francisco in 1956 because of a government plan called the Bureau of Indian Affairs Relocation Program, the Mankiller family left their home.
The official goal being to give native people jobs in big cities, the program actually caused many people to lose their tribal connections.
Life in the City and Activism
Living in a city environment helped Wilma build her political ideas. Watching the occupation of Alcatraz Island by native activists in 1969, she felt a strong need to help the movement by collecting money and organizing supplies.
This experience teaching her about the importance of tribal power, she decided to return to her land to help her people.
Returning to Oklahoma and Working for the Cherokee Nation
Returning to Oklahoma in 1976, Wilma started working for the Cherokee government as a person coordinating economic projects.
The Bell Water Project
Creating a water system in a small place called Bell was one of her greatest technical works. Many people living there not having clean water in their homes, Mankiller used a "self-help" model to solve the problem. The tribe providing materials and engineers while the local people did all the hard work, this project became a famous example for other native communities.
Work as Principal Chief (1985–1995)
Invited by Chief Ross Swimmer to be his deputy in 1983, Wilma Mankiller won the election and started her high-level work. Becoming the Principal Chief in 1985 after Swimmer left for a job in Washington, she led her people for ten years.
Growth Facts During Her Leadership
Leading the tribe for a decade and winning elections in 1987 and 1991, she showed great results:
Population: The number of tribe members growing from 68,000 to 170,000 people, the community became much larger.
Money: The tribal budget increasing from 75 million to 150 million dollars, they had more resources for development.
Health: Building eight medical centers and many help clinics, she made life better for everyone.
Schools: Expanding the Head Start programs and job training centers, she helped young people find better futures.
Social Changes
Focusing on building roads and creating jobs through tribal businesses, Mankiller made the tribe stronger and more independent. Talking to the federal government about tribal rights, she helped pass the Self-Governance Act to give her people more power.
Reasons for Putting Her on the 25-Cent Coin
Putting the image of Wilma Mankiller on the quarter being a very important decision, the Mint used several facts to explain it:
Historic Step: Being the first woman leading a large sovereign tribe, she broke old rules about men and women in native politics.
Good Management: Her ways of helping communities being very effective, the US government officially recognized her success.
High Awards: Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998, she got the highest civilian award in the country.
Symbol of Freedom: The coin working as a sign of the Cherokee Nation being a sovereign group inside the USA, it shows respect to all native people.
Technical Description of the 2022 Quarter
Reverse
Showing Wilma Mankiller looking forward, the back side of the coin has a very traditional style.
Holding a branch from the Cherokee Nation seal in her right hand, she looks very strong. Seeing a seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation on the left, you can identify her tribe easily. No need to know all the details by heart if you have the best coin value app.
Words: Finding "WILMA MANKILLER", "PRINCIPAL CHIEF", and "CHEROKEE NATION" written on the metal, you understand her role.
Symbols: Using the Cherokee alphabet created by Sequoyah, the designers wrote her name in her own language.
Obverse
Using a portrait of George Washington made by Laura Gardin Fraser in 1932, the front side looks the same on all coins in this special program.
Literacy Legacy and Published Works
Writing her own life story in a book called "Mankiller: A Chief and Her People," Wilma helped millions of readers understand the history of the Cherokee Nation.
Describing the technical difficulties of tribal government and the personal pain of relocation, this book stayed on the bestseller lists for a long time.
Sharing her ideas about leadership through many essays and speeches, she created a library of knowledge for future native leaders wanting to serve their people.
International Advocacy and Global Role
Working with many international groups like the United Nations to talk about the rights of indigenous people, Mankiller represented the Cherokee Nation on the world stage.
Traveling to different countries to share her "self-help" community model, she showed that native methods can solve modern problems in many cultures.
Being a member of boards for big organizations like the Ford Foundation, she used her power to send money and help to poor communities outside the USA.
Design Process of the Commemorative Quarter
Creating the image for the 25-cent coin through a careful artistic process, the designers at the US Mint worked closely with the Mankiller family and Cherokee leaders.
Choosing the windblown cloak and the traditional branch to show both movement and history, they wanted to capture her spirit as a modern leader connected to old roots.
Using the technical skills of engraver Phebe Hemphill to finish the metal stamp recognized by any coin scanner app free, the Mint produced a coin representing a perfect mix of historical truth and artistic beauty.
Legal and Cultural Value
Putting Wilma Mankiller on a US quarter being an act of including native history into the main story of America, this coin has a big meaning.
Changing the tribe from a group needing government money into a strong group making its own money, she showed a new way for her people.
Using the Cherokee language on the coin, the Mint shows that keeping native languages alive is very important for the future of the country.