Agnes Cowen Explained

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

Cowen, 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.

Cowen was the first elected female Cherokee Nation tribal councilor. She represented the at-large district.^[1]

In 1983, Cowen lost by absentee votes in a run-off election for the deputy chief of Cherokee Nation post against Wilma Mankiller. Cowen demanded a recount and filed a suit with the Cherokee Judicial Appeals Tribunal and U. S. District Court alleging voting irregularities. Both tribal and federal courts ruled against Cowen.

References

Bibliography

• Book: Agnew, Brad . Edmunds . R. David . The New Warriors: Native American Leaders Since 1900 . 2004 . . Lincoln, Nebraska . 978-0-8032-6751-0 . 211–237 .
• Web site: Chavez . Will . 2004-06-04 . Former marshal dies while on duty with BIA . 2024-09-15 . cherokeephoenix.org . en.
• Web site: Peter . Lizette A. . 2008 . The Cherokee Nation and its Language . Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.
• Book: Schwarz, Melissa . Baird . W. David . Wilma Mankiller: Principal Chief of the Cherokees . 1994 . 1st . Chelsea House . New York, New York . 978-0-7910-1715-9 .
• Book: Sturm, Circe . Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma . 2002 . . Berkeley, California . 978-0-520-23097-2 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Council of the Cherokee Nation . 2024-09-14 . Cherokee Nation.