Every Day is a Good Day (Chapter 3)

Living according to a certain set of values is one of the most important attributes of culture. The lack of knowledge about indigenous people has created a lot of stereotypes. Because the indigenous people have had contact with the Euro-Americans in the past their culture and traditions are automatically paired with Euro-Americans. To the indigenous people Euro-Americans are considered more analytical; they rely on formal logic and avoid contradictions where native Americans view things in a more interrelated way.
Wilma Mankiller in her early child hood lived in a house with no plumbing, no electricity, no well, and no paved roads. Clothes and shoes for the winter were bought with money her father earned butting broomcorn. They signed up for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Relocation Program which was supposed to provide a better life for them but San Francisco turned out to be a culture shock to their family. They were able to connect with other Native people who had also been relocated by the Bureau. They met at a center called the old San Francisco Indian Center however it burned down before the occupation of Alcatraz. When Wilma married they had two kids. Her husband was controlling and wanted her to be a certain way, she always tried to be perfect for him and he made the decisions for everything they did. She had no say in where they traveled and how much money they spent. She ended up taking money out of their account and went to buy herself a car. She took her daughters about 100 miles out of San Francisco to an indigenous world that loved and embraced them. It was called the Pomo Kashia Ranchero. She seemed much happier there. After her and her children enjoyed traveling around California for a while she traveled to the Colville Reservation to attend a spiritual gathering following the Wounded Knee occupation. Her marriage ended and she would be heading back to Oklahoma soon. She began working for the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee traditional identity is tied to both an individual and a collective determination. Be responsible, and loving, and help one another.