Becoming the first woman to be elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation was not an easy task. Many Cherokee voters were reluctant to elect a woman to such a high office. Though the Cherokee are historically a matriarchal society, chauvinistic proved to be a major hurdle for Mankiller. However she succeeded in winning her
Genealogy Queries for "cherokee-chief"
Chief John Ross (1790-1866)
During the 1820s, John Ross was involved in organizing the Cherokee tribe into the Cherokee Nation, with its own Constitution. In 1828 the Cherokee elected it’s first Principal Chief. John Ross was elected and held the position until his death 1866. John Ross, who was one-eighth Cherokee, helped lead the Cherokee people through one of