The Cherokee Word for Water

Top 7 Billed Cast

Kimberly Guerrero
Kimberly Guerrero

Wilma Mankiller

Mo J.
Mo J.

Charlie Soap

Steeve Reeves
Steeve Reeves

Johnson Soap

Darryl Tonemah
Darryl Tonemah

Chief Ross Swimmer

Oren R. Lyons
Oren R. Lyons

Grandfather

Zahn McClarnon
Zahn McClarnon

Deputy Jackson

Ben Livingston
Ben Livingston

Curly

Loading Trailer Videos...
  • HomePage

    The Cherokee Word for Water

  • Overview

    The Cherokee Word for Water is a feature-length 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 full-blood Cherokee organizer Charlie Soap who join forces to battle opposition and build a 16-mile 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 self-help movement in Indian Country that continues to this day. The movie is dedicated to Wilma Mankiller’s vision, compassion and incredible grace.

  • Release Date

    2013-05-01

  • Average

    8.7

  • Rating:

    4.3 starts
  • Tagline

    The story of Wilma Mankiller, the first modern female Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    English
  • Keywords

Similar Movies

Gayong 2
70%

Gayong 2(ms)

2026-04-09

After the Japanese Occupation of Malaya ended, Meor worked as a policeman in the Special Branch unit in Singapore. This time he is facing the Chinese triads, the majority of whom operate in the opium business under the protection of corrupt officials.

Chrisye
60%

Chrisye(id)

2017-02-15

In this biopic, Christian Rahadi – aka Chrisye – overcomes early failures, family strife and anxiety to become one of Indonesia's legendary musicians.

A Beautiful Mind
79%

A Beautiful Mind(en)

2001-12-14

From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on the brink of international acclaim. But as the handsome and arrogant Nash accepts secret work in cryptography, he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. His life takes a nightmarish turn and he soon finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery.

The Pianist
84%

The Pianist(en)

2002-09-17

The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.

Schindler's List
86%

Schindler's List(en)

1993-12-15

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

Monster
72%

Monster(en)

2003-12-24

In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.

Amadeus
80%

Amadeus(en)

1984-09-19

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Capote
70%

Capote(en)

2005-09-30

A biopic of writer Truman Capote and his assignment for The New Yorker to write the non-fiction book "In Cold Blood".

The Straight Story
77%

The Straight Story(en)

1999-10-15

Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

Erin Brockovich
74%

Erin Brockovich(en)

2000-03-17

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

Gilded Rage
0%

Gilded Rage(en)

A true-crime movie about accused Ivy League killer Thomas Gilbert Jr.

La duquesa
50%

La duquesa(es)

2010-01-01

Fly Me Away
67%

Fly Me Away(fr)

2021-05-19

Thomas, a blasé young man, spends his nights in clubs and his days in bed. Until his father, Dr. Reinhard, fed up with his son’s escapades, cuts him off completely and forces him to take care of one of his young patients. Mar- cus, 12, was born with a serious congenital disorder. He lives with his mother in the poor suburbs of Paris and spends his days either at the hospital or in a center for sick children. This encounter will disrupt their lives and change them both, profoundly and forever.

Being Maria
65%

Being Maria(fr)

2024-06-19

A young, struggling actress lands her dream role in a film by an emerging Italian director, starring alongside an American superstar. What begins as her big breakthrough quickly turns into a living hell.

The Goldman Case
69%

The Goldman Case(fr)

2023-06-07

A second trial begins in November 1975 against French left-wing revolutionary Pierre Goldman, accused of several armed robberies and the death of two chemists.

Million Dollar Murder
0%

Million Dollar Murder(en)

2005-07-11

In this powerful thriller based on true events, a husband on the brink of divorce from his wife is found dead.

Panjab '95
0%

Panjab '95(hi)

Based on real events, Honey Trehan’s second feature tells the story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra’s courageous campaign to uncover murderous corruption during the nadir of Punjab’s period of insurgency.

Sing Sing
74%

Sing Sing(en)

2024-07-12

Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.

The Aviator
72%

The Aviator(en)

2004-12-17

A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Born on the Fourth of July
70%

Born on the Fourth of July(en)

1989-12-20

Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

Recommendations Movies

The Way West
61%

The Way West(en)

1967-05-24

In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.

A Call to Spy
68%

A Call to Spy(en)

2020-10-02

The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here
59%

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here(en)

1969-10-31

While confronting the disapproving father of his girlfriend Lola, Native American man Willie Boy kills the man in self-defense, triggering a massive manhunt, led by Deputy Sheriff Christopher Cooper.

Geronimo: An American Legend
63%

Geronimo: An American Legend(en)

1993-12-10

The Apache Indians have reluctantly agreed to settle on a US Government approved reservation. Not all the Apaches are able to adapt to the life of corn farmers. One in particular, Geronimo, is restless. Pushed over the edge by broken promises and necessary actions by the government, Geronimo and thirty or so other warriors form an attack team which humiliates the government by evading capture, while reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.

Dances with Wolves
78%

Dances with Wolves(en)

1990-03-30

Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.

The River
64%

The River(en)

1984-12-01

Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.

True Grit
73%

True Grit(en)

1969-06-11

The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of getting the job done.

The Sunchaser
63%

The Sunchaser(en)

1996-05-29

A young half-Navajo convict dying of cancer forces a yuppie doctor to drive him to a magic healing lake.

The Spoilers
63%

The Spoilers(en)

1942-06-11

When honest ship captain Roy Glennister gets swindled out of his mine claim, he turns to saloon singer Cherry Malotte for assistance in his battle with no-good town kingpin Alexander McNamara.

Sky
62%

Sky(en)

2015-09-16

A woman embarks on a journey alone across the United States after fleeing from her violent husband.

Flash of Genius
66%

Flash of Genius(en)

2008-09-07

In this David vs. Goliath drama based on a true story, college professor Robert Kearns goes up against the giants of the auto industry when they fail to give him credit for inventing intermittent windshield wipers. Kearns doggedly pursues recognition for his invention, as well as the much-deserved financial rewards for the sake of his wife and six kids.

Train Dreams
73%

Train Dreams(en)

2025-11-05

A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.

Jeremiah Johnson
73%

Jeremiah Johnson(en)

1972-09-10

A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-on-one combat on the early frontier.

Fatima
72%

Fatima(en)

2020-08-13

In 1917, outside the parish of Fátima, Portugal, a 10-year-old girl and her two younger cousins witness multiple visitations of the Virgin Mary, who tells them that only prayer and suffering will bring an end to World War I. As secularist government officials and Church leaders try to force the children to recant their story, word of the sighting spreads across the country, inspiring religious pilgrims to flock to the site in hopes of witnessing a miracle..

Rancho Notorious
65%

Rancho Notorious(en)

1952-04-10

A man in search of revenge infiltrates a ranch, hidden in an inhospitable region, where its owner, Altar Keane, gives shelter to outlaws fleeing from the law in exchange for a price.

Purgatory
72%

Purgatory(en)

1999-01-10

An outlaw band flees a posse and rides into Refuge, a small town where no one carries a gun, drinks, or swears. The town is actually Purgatory, and the peaceful inhabitants are all famous dead outlaws and criminals such as Doc Holiday and Wild Bill Hickok who must redeem themselves before gaining admittance to Heaven... or screw up and go to Hell.

Duel at Diablo
64%

Duel at Diablo(en)

1966-06-15

In Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Native wife, and a housewife abandons her husband to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe.

The Magnificent Seven
75%

The Magnificent Seven(en)

1960-10-12

An oppressed Mexican peasant village hires seven gunfighters to help defend their homes.

Indian Horse
69%

Indian Horse(en)

2018-04-13

Follows the life of Native Canadian Saul Indian Horse as he survives residential school and life amongst the racism of the 1970s. A talented hockey player, Saul must find his own path as he battles stereotypes and alcoholism.

Frontera
65%

Frontera(en)

2014-07-31

After crossing the border illegally for work, Miguel, a hard-working father and devoted husband, finds himself wrongfully accused of murdering a former sheriff’s wife. After learning of his imprisonment, Miguel’s pregnant wife tries to come to his aid and lands in the hands of corrupt coyotes who hold her for ransom. Dissatisfied with the police department’s investigation, the former sheriff tries to uncover the truth about his wife’s death and discovers disturbing evidence that will destroy one family’s future, or tear another’s apart.