The Wilma Mankiller Foundation, a fund of Tulsa Community Foundation, seeks to continue Wilma Mankiller’s legacy of social justice and community development in Indian Country. The mission of the Foundation is to support and promote culturally appropriate media and community development.
In Tonto's Revenge, Rennard Strickland writes that media transcends entertainment, it influences law, shapes culture and has a profound impact on every aspect of contemporary American Indian policy. It shapes the cultural view of Indians & Indian self image. Wilma Mankiller agreed and summed that up by simply stating public perception drives public policy. Those perceptions caused Wilma to view the The Cherokee Word For Water as her chosen legacy, not because she wanted a movie about her, but rather she felt this movie could influence public perception as well as the “Indian” self image. She also wanted people everywhere to be inspired to trust their own thinking to solve community problems together.
The feature-length film The Cherokee Word For Water was funded through The Wilma Mankiller Foundation. Any profits from the film will go back to the foundation to support economic development and education throughout Indian Country. The Cherokee Word For Water demonstrates the positive attributes of modern Native communities and provides positive role models for Native youth in the mainstream media.
Donate online to the Wilma Mankiller Foundation
Or make checks payable to:
The Wilma Mankiller Foundation
c/o Tulsa Community Foundation
7030 South Yale Avenue, Suite 600
Tulsa, OK 74136