The Beginning of the Trail...
coppertrees and myself are connected to the ways of Nature, the cycles of life, the rhythm of the planets, stars and the Sun and Moon, and the collective energy of humans, animals and all the inhabitants of our planet and Universe overcoming fear, embracing change and living with appreciation and gratitude for each breath we take and each moment we are alive!
We are ALL ONE Tribe…
The Beginning of the Trail... belongs to the following groups:
1 In The Beginning - Ancient Practices, Collaboral Damage, Live, Love, Dream: , Music Inspired Art (M.I.A) music links/lyrics required, Spirit of the Native American and Spiritual Art“We are now about to take our leave and kind farewell to our native land, the country the Great Spirit gave our Fathers, we are on the eve of leaving that country that gave us birth, it is with sorrow we are forced by the white man to quit the scenes of our childhood…we bid farewell to it and all we hold dear.” Charles Hicks, Tsalagi (Cherokee) Vice Chief of the Trail of Tears, November 4, 1838
The “End of the Trail” is a symbol of the fate of Native Americans, a sculpture completed in 1915 by James Earle Fraser (Sioux) felt the Native Americans were treated unfairly and developed a lot of compassion for them. A dejected Seneca Chief John Big Tree was the model for the figure, sitting upon a horse, and has since been reproduced in many art forms, in remembrance of the animosity and separation from mainstream America…
The Cherokee were a tribe of the Iroquoian family. They formerly held all of the land from southern Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and over into Ohio. The name Cherokee variously means “the cave people”, “real people”, “Inhabitants of the cave country”. Our language, customs and other archaeological evidence points to our origins as being from the North. The most well known Cherokee was Sequoya, who invented the Cherokee alphabet.
The “Trail of Tears” was the forced removal and journey of the Cherokee Indians from their homelands in the East to the Indian Territory. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act to relocate the eastern tribes west of the Mississippi River. Although the principal Chief of the Cherokees, John Ross (supported US forces in the Creek War of 1813-14), argued against forced removal before the Supreme Court of the United States and won, the decision was ignored. Soldiers began rounding up Cherokee families and taking them to internment camps in preparation for the journey westward. With little food and unsanitary conditions, many Cherokees died. The first forced 800-mile journey began in the Spring of 1838 and lasted into the heat of summer. The second mass exodus took place in the fall rainy season, when the wagons bogged down in the mud, and in the winter of 1839, during freezing temperatures and snow. The Cherokees suffered from exposure, inadequate food supplies, disease and attacks by bandits. During the period of confinement, and the two trips, about 4,000 Cherokees died (that were counted), more than a quarter of those relocated. More Cherokees died after arrival in the Indian Territory because of continuous shortages of food and epidemics. Other tribes endured similar experiences, including the Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles, also in the 1830’s, and the “Trail of Tears” has come to be symbolic for forced removals of all Indian peoples.
I was taught to know my ancestors’ past, “If you don’t know the past, you won’t have a future. If you don’t know where your people have been, then you won’t know where your people are going.”
This was reiterated and orated in a most wonderful story called, “The Education of Little Tree”, written by Forrest Carter in 1976, it was also adapted into a movie. His re-telling of the events concerning the “Trail of Tears” will never leave my memory…
“To know the Past… How the government soldiers came, and told them to sign the paper. Told them that the paper meant that the new white settlers would know where they could settle and where they would not take the land of the Cherokee. And after they signed it, more government soldiers came with guns and long knives fixed on their guns. The soldiers said the paper had changed its words. The words now said that the Cherokee must give up his valleys, his homes and his mountains. He must go far toward the setting sun, where the government had other land for the Cherokee, land that the white man did not want. How the government soldiers came, and ringed a big valley with their guns, and at night with their campfires. They put the Cherokees in the ring. They brought Cherokees in from other mountains and valleys, in bunches like cattle, and put them in the ring. After a long time of this, when they had most of the Cherokees, they brought wagons and mules and told the Cherokee they could ride to the land of the setting sun. The Cherokees had nothing left. But they could not ride, and so they saved something. You could not see it or wear it or eat it, but they saved something; and they would not ride. They walked.
Government soldiers rode before them, on each side of them, behind them. The Cherokee men walked and looked straight ahead and would not look down, nor at the soldiers. Their women and children followed in their footsteps and would not look at the soldiers. Far behind them, the empty wagons rattled and rumbled and served no use. The wagons could not steal the soul of the Cherokee. The land was stolen from him, his home; but the Cherokee would not let the wagons steal his soul. As they passed the villages of the white man, people lined the trail to watch them pass. At first, they laughed at how foolish the Cherokee was to walk with the empty wagons rattling behind them. The Cherokee did not turn his head at their laughter, and soon there was no laughter. And as the Cherokee walked farther from his mountains, he began to die. His soul did not die, nor did it weaken. It was the very young and the very old and the sick.
At first the soldiers let them stop to bury their dead; but then more died – by the hundreds – by the thousands. More than a third of them were to die on the Trail. The soldiers said they could only bury their dead every three days; for the soldiers wished to hurry and be finished with the Cherokee. The soldiers said the wagons would carry the dead, but the Cherokee wouldn’t put his dead in the wagons. He carried them. Walking. The little boy carried his dead baby sister, and slept by her at night on the ground. He lifted her in his arms in the morning, and carried her. The husband carried his dead wife. The son carried his dead mother, his father. The mother carried her dead baby. They carried them in their arms. And walked. And they did not turn their heads to look at the soldiers, nor to look at the people who lined the sides of the Trail to watch them pass. Some of the people cried. But the Cherokee would not cry. Not on the outside, for the Cherokees would not let them see his soul; as he would not ride in the wagons.
And, so they called it the “Trail of Tears”. Not because the Cherokee cried; for he did not. They called it that for it sounds romantic and speaks of the sorrow of those who stood by the Trail. A death march is not romantic. You cannot write poetry about the death-stiffened baby in his mother’s arms, staring at the jolting sky with eyes that will not close; while his mother walks. You cannot sing songs of the father laying down the burden of his wife’s corpse, to lie by it through the night and to rise to carry it again in the morning – and tell his oldest son to carry the body of his youngest. And do not look…nor speak…nor cry…nor remember the mountains.
TK Rosevear
justjen
Wow this is amazing. So glad it was posted.
tkrosevear replied
thanks jen, me too – it took some energy…;)
blamo
very symbolic
tkrosevear replied
thanks Tone, indeed…
Mark Ramstead
A truly civilized people, disgraced and displaced by an economic idea that some of us just now, are realizing is the death of us all.
tkrosevear replied
and interesting similarities in archetypes within our elections…
Lucindawind
awesome words !
tkrosevear replied
thanks so much lucindawind ;)
Mark Ramstead
I’ll say…
coppertrees
Wonderful TK and when I can get the tears to stop I will email you. I have a short story from a page in a diary from my familys past.
tkrosevear replied
can totally relate was crying while putting it up, thought I was gonna fry my keyboard…thank you for your help and support with this ;)
coppertrees
I have link you in my art on this as well Good day to you Sister walk tall and safe
tkrosevear replied
thank you Tsalagi sister, you also…
Romo
Thanks so much for sharing..I read this many years ago and it is so sad and I just do not understand how people can be so cruel…...this has always happened throughout history and and still is happening today…it is a shame that there are those who believe that there way of life is the only way and disgrace, hate and even kill others who have different beliefs.. so sad and such a shame…......One with nature my friend and sister….hugs:)
tkrosevear replied
thank you for being my light Robin ;)
owlspook
every time the story is told my heart breaks .. but it needs to told over and over and over so that it will not be forgotten
tkrosevear replied
I will never forget…thank you sis ;)
Cherokee People
Alison Pearce
“Trail of Tears” That just sent shivers up my spine! Thank you Tk for writing such an important piece for us to share. My children will be anxious to read this, but you already know that! They have learnt so much from your art and writing about their heritage already, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that!
tkrosevear replied
we are all related and I’m so happy to share with you and your children ;)
aspectsoftmk
i have walked on part of the trail of tears …and you put the words so perfectly and so very clear…thank you for sharing this my friend..xx
tkrosevear replied
thank you for being here with me and for me ;)
mwmclaren
Touching and saddening and embraced by this Cherokee Woman….....mwmclaren
tkrosevear replied
thank you Tsalagi Sister – I love you ;)
coppertrees
Daughters Of the Earth
We are the daughters of the earth.
Born from the place where the sun comes up.
We are the daughters of the sky
Born from the place where Eagles fly.
We are the daughters of the land
Born from the place where the tall corn stands.
We are the daughters of the night
Born from the place where the moon shines bright.
We are the daughters of the sea
Born from the strength that will always be.
We are the daughters of peace
Born from the love that will never cease.
We are the daughters of the earth
Born from the place where the sun comes up.
She is calling to us, Grandmother is calling to us.
This is from the, Sound Medicine by Laeh Maggie Garfield
tkrosevear replied
;)
aspectsoftmk
tk…...have a lookhere
tkrosevear replied
thank you for sharing this TRUTH terri, you have again touched my heart and soul ;)xoxoxox
aspectsoftmk
you are very welcome…xox
Rosalie Scanlon
Amazing information
tkrosevear replied
thanks Rosalie, it is our past and future…
linaji
YOU BOTH HAVE MADE MY DAY.. I AM STILL STUCK IN THE GARAGE.. BUT YOUR VISION AND YOUR WORDS AND ART ARE UTTERLY AMAZING. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR GREAT AND WISE SPIRIT AS SISTERS HERE I HAVE FOUND A FEW SURE.. LOVE YOU BOTH AND THANK YOU SO MUCH.. I PRAY FOR THE CHANGE IS ALL OF US SO THAT THE CHANGE WITHOUT WILL OCCUR INDEED!! XOXO
tkrosevear replied
This is a most potent time for us to gather ourselves and our strengths, so glad you are with us ;)
dawndavies
a fabulous piece, dawnx
tkrosevear replied
thank you very much dawn ;)
Joyce Dickens,...
Thank you both so much for posting this…......I hope each and every heart that reads this will be as touched as mine….........We are all ONE tribe !!!!!!!!!
tkrosevear replied
thank you dear spirit sister, we are indeed ;)
tkrosevear
liesbeth
while reading this my whole body is tingling… so often i have read and heard about this and i’ve always felt sad for the loss of a great Nation.. but no one has ever been able to connect us with the deep emotions the way you have done right now.
tkrosevear replied
thank you so much for feeling this with us liesbeth… xoxoxox
Dawnsky2
this is a truely saddening piece of History,,what a wonderful people they were, they wanted to trust the white man to keep his word, and signed treaty after treaty,,but the white man never kept his word, and continued to push this Nation of people out of their lands,,what a beautiful piece of writing tk, on a subject that is truely sad,,x
tkrosevear replied
it is a sad piece of history, that will never be forgotten and we thank you for bringing attention to it, as you and dawn have…
dawndavies
a heartfelt piece of outstanding work, well done both of you,dawn
tkrosevear replied
thank you dawn, it means so much you’ve put focus here ;) xoxox
Jan Landers
i am in awe…..i have chills….thank you for honoring these people….for your beautiful words and art…..you have touched my spirit in a very profound way, my friends…..
mitakuye oyasin!
jan
tkrosevear replied
these people are our relatives, our blood and history – thank you for sharing them with us ;)
skyhorse
This is truly the most soul-touching rendition of this event I have ever come across, the truth of it is more real in your words/feelings, it calls out so strongly of the wrongs done – inspired work
tkrosevear replied
it is nice to meet you skyhorse and thank you for sharing these memories with us ;)
Debra Willis
I am so happy you posted this
tkrosevear replied
it was a difficult piece, but well worth the ‘sharing’ debra ;)
shilohlin
dear sisters, your written word and your art have indeed touched my soul…...we will never forget, and there are so many who need the reminder…..this needs to be spoken over and over for as long as it takes. Thank you so much for sharing these works with us…..
mitakuye oyasin
~shiloh
tkrosevear replied
nice to meet you shiloh, and thank you for your feelings ;)
tkrosevear
Jan Landers just added this…
it means “PEACE” in Cherokee…thanks Jan!!!
Christopher Bi...
tammy i feel honoured to call you sister, i can only begin to imagine. but your words bring tears to my soul. ‘one tribe’ ...christopher xx
tkrosevear replied
WE ARE ALL ONE TRIBE, my brother ;)xoxox
cherokee
Thank you for this…....with tears….
tkrosevear replied
and, thank you Jo for this…
FAIRIEWOMAN1
These stories need to be told and retold because even now, they continue to unfold around the world. When a goverment or ideology is allowed to do this to one group of people, it can happen to anyone. This was a well executed work, thank you for posting it.
tkrosevear replied
DOHIYI to you Helena ;)
Ushna Sardar
very symbolic!!! love this!!! huggles xoxox
tkrosevear replied
Thank you Ushna and so very nice to meet you ;)
Debra Willis
Congrats hun
tkrosevear replied
thanks Debra ;) xoxoxox
Shanina Conway
Thank you for sharing this and the wonderful artwork. It’s heartbreaking to think we continually fail to learn from the past and fail to look upon each as kin.
tkrosevear replied
indeed shanina, thank you and Dohiyi to you ;)
Agnes McGuinness
A wonderful rememberance of and tribute to a truly humane people. The Irish people have a personal connection the Choctaw. During the Irish Famine (the Gorta Mor, the Great Famine) of 1847 to 1850, an eighth of the Irish population was diminished by death by starvation, disease or displacement through immigration. Some mbers of the Choctaw nation somehow heard about the plight of the Irish. They were so moved by what they heard, that they had a collection, and sent a sum of $710 to the aid of the Irish. A large sum in those days, especially from they who had so little themselves. I have always been moved by this history. Here is an interesting link
tkrosevear replied
Choctaw is also part of my bloodline, as is Stockbridge-Munsee and Dymond tribal lineage Agnes…thank you for the link and the historical recall – I love how this has created such a rippling effect of thought and action ;)
Dohiyi to you…
Joyce Dickens,...
tkrosevear replied
Thank you Joyce and Dohiyi to your precious heart ;)
Larry Davis
I have just been given this by Joyce Dickens.
I knew about the relocation of the Native peoples, but I never new the details.
This below has been my creed all my life.
I have done my families trees back to 1044 AD and can name you all of my blood line back to 1768.
I am proud of who I am made up of, and who lives within me.
I now know my past, and can live with happily.
“If you don’t know the past, you won’t have a future. If you don’t know where your people have been, then you won’t know where your people are going.”
We in Australia have done similar thing to the local Native Aboriginies, and cannot go back and change it. So, I am thankful that my families history didn’t have a part of the shameful activity within the History of Australia.
My sincere sorrow for your past.
tkrosevear replied
So very nice to meet you Larry and thank you for your history, I have traced mine back only to the 1600’s, so far – but it has been a most amazing journey…
Larry Davis
And I just realised…..
Give my love to your sister.
She is my soulmate. ( another Night Owl )
tkrosevear replied
I assume you mean coppertrees and I certainly will – but I call many here sisters in spirit Larry…Dohiyi (peace) to you new friend ;)
Wendy Slee
profound and stunning. I sit here in awe….even without the words, the artwork speaks…..... MtnMan said it all…..
tkrosevear replied
thank you Wendy, you touch my soul…nice to meet you and DOHIYI
Larry Davis
I was referring to Owlspook.
I love her dearly.
She is one of my all time favourite people.
tkrosevear replied
yes, she is one of my ‘spirit’ sisters here – so glad you specified, she is indeed a night owl and a favorite of mine too ;)
Wendy Slee
oh and you too…... smiles!
tkrosevear replied
;)
Unseen
Today is in itself enough…..........Sx
tkrosevear replied
Thank you for this and the other 12 absolutely EMOTIONAL paintings in remembrance Sphie and the sparrows, the energy today has been unexplainable ;) xoxoxox
Karin Taylor
i can’t speak, i can only cry
tkrosevear replied
thanks Karin, as I have for days now… Dohiyi dear friend;)
C J Lewis
Synchronicity always seems to be a great part of my life…my ex-husband’s (ancestors Fox-Mesquite) mother sent a painting of the Trail Of Tears only last week and it is sitting in my apartment and tonight I read about the Trail Of Tears
An amazing read tk and so very heart wrenching…so many lives lost on the Trail Of Tears…the upheaval of people from their lands…and for what…greed of land by an unrelenting unconsciously aware race…I am of that race…this time around…and it is time they consciously woke up…this has made my heart cry for such loss of so many in those days but I know, as you do, that their souls live on…this world is all ONE and it is time it came together as ONE…not segregated as it has been for eons…nature needs the equilibrium of wholeness not separation…thank you so very much for sharing this…it shows what true strength truly is…not one of physical but one of spirit for it is the spirit that is our true life.
tkrosevear replied
We are all ONE, CJ and we are all the ‘race’ that takes life, if we do not first become the change…xoxox
JRobin Whitley
The trail should be of our tears for the loss to us. This is excellent and the best writing on the Removal that I’ve read.
tkrosevear replied
thank you Robin and DOHIYI to you ;)
Dawnsky2
Congratulations….your remembrance writing is still….
tkrosevear replied
DOHIYI laura and thank you again for the honor and feature!!!
dawndavies
many congrats on your feature,dawnxx
tkrosevear replied
DOHIYI dawn and thank you so much – it has been a most powerful cleansing with this remembrance…
LindaR
my heart aches for this story of the past ~ and present…your art and others who have been posted here ~ imprints beautifully the spirit for which still remains ~ and is possible at the finest and truest level of all of us ~ what is most human and humane xxx
tkrosevear replied
DOHIYI Linda and thank you for joining us in remembrance ;)
linaji
tkrosevear replied
WooHoo, wof! wof!
thanks linaji, terilee & judi ;) xoxox
Marilyns
woo ! this article brings tears to my eyes ! native americans story is sad and unfair , and , since young age when i watched movies ,i was always by their side ,who has the right to mistreat people like this .?
ive been driven here from coppertrees “long road home ” awsome painting ! i hope that humans will soon have a heart !l fortunately , some of them already have one :)
tkrosevear replied
in bloodline this is close to my heart and soul, thanks so much for sharing it with me ;) xoxox ♥
Norval Arbogast
This is wonderful….........Norval
tkrosevear replied
thanks very much Norval ;) xoxox ♥
tkrosevear replied
Thank you, she belongs here too…
Norval Arbogast
Thank you Tammy for adding this painting, another piece of our American heritage. Missouri the doorway to the west.
tkrosevear replied 29 days ago
We are all related Norval – DOHIYI~ (peace in Cherokee) ♥