The Cherokee Word for Water (2013)

The Cherokee Word for Water is a featurelength motion picture that tells the story of the work that led Wilma Mankiller to become the first modern female Chief of the Cherokee Nation Set in the early 1980s The Cherokee Word for Water begins in the homes of a small town in rural Oklahoma where many houses lack running water and others are little more than shacks The movie is told from the perspective of Wilma Mankiller and fullblood Cherokee organizer Charlie Soap who join forces to battle opposition and build a 16mile waterline system using a community of volunteers In the process they inspire the townspeople to trust each other to trust their way of thinking and to spark a reawakening of the universal indigenous values of reciprocity and interconnectedness This project also inspired a selfhelp movement in Indian Country that continues to this day The movie is dedicated to Wilma Mankillers vision compassion and incredible grace