Agnes Cowen was a Cherokee politician and language advocate who was the first elected female Cherokee Nation tribal councilor. She represented the at-large district.
Life
editCowen, a Cherokee tribal member and language advocate, led the Cherokee Nation's language revitalization efforts in the early 1960s by implementing the Cherokee Bilingual Education Program and developing the first written Cherokee language lessons through a federal grant.[1]
Cowen was the first elected female Cherokee Nation tribal councilor.[2] She served for the at-large district.[3]
In 1983, Cowen lost by absentee votes in a run-off election for the deputy chief of Cherokee Nation post against Wilma Mankiller.[4][5] Cowen demanded a recount and filed a suit with the Cherokee Judicial Appeals Tribunal and U. S. District Court alleging voting irregularities.[6] Both tribal and federal courts ruled against Cowen.[6]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Peter 2008, p. 16.
- ^ Chavez 2004.
- ^ "Council of the Cherokee Nation". Cherokee Nation. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ Agnew 2004, p. 215.
- ^ Schwarz 1994, p. 77.
- ^ a b Sturm 2002, p. 183.
Bibliography
edit- Agnew, Brad (2004). Edmunds, R. David (ed.). The New Warriors: Native American Leaders Since 1900. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 211–237. ISBN 978-0-8032-6751-0.
- Chavez, Will (2004-06-04). "Former marshal dies while on duty with BIA". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
- Peter, Lizette A. (2008). "The Cherokee Nation and its Language" (PDF). Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.
- Schwarz, Melissa (1994). Baird, W. David (ed.). Wilma Mankiller: Principal Chief of the Cherokees (1st ed.). New York, New York: Chelsea House. ISBN 978-0-7910-1715-9.
- Sturm, Circe (2002). Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23097-2.