The Trail Of Tears
ONE WOMANS STORY
My name is star Fall or Elizabeth
(born in the year of 1822)
A daughter of a forgotten Cherokee
My home was destroyed by a treaty
Called the Treaty of Echote.
Echote was where we formed the Cherokee Nation
against the oncoming force of the whiteman
They over whelmed us , in what is now Georgia
and robbed us of our land.
the cries of such noted men as
Daniel Webster, Davy Crockett, and Henery Clay
were drowned out by the likes of Major Ridge
and Elias Boudinot, to force their way.
In the Year of 1838 we were to go
a one thousand mile march to the Okalahoma Plain
seven thousand men under Winfried Scott, In vaded
The Cherokee nation, and so many of our men were slain.
During the arderous journey over four thousand
men, women and children died,
Those who did survive, were never free again
for their spirit died inside.
There some uprisings of our people
Major Ridge and Elias Boudinnot were killed
to late to bring back our freedom
but some of the hate was stilled.
John Ross, spoke for us not to be moved
Lost His wife Quanite on the trail
even though our uprisings were just
it was doomed to fail.
So the long walk of a thousand miles began
and is known as the Trail of Tears
From Georgia (Echote)
the Nation of the Cherokee
their sorrows still loud in my ears,
In Cherokee it is "nunna dual tsunny"
The trail where they cried.
many whipped, starved,
the frail left frozen on the trail
and stripped of their pride.
We were no longer or
had been a warring people
we were not savage as some would beleive
we were farmers, builders, and Christians
keepers of the law,
road builders and merchants of weave.
Thus begins my story, the before and the after
from the times of plenty and then the devastation
The story of one survivor, among so few
The daughter of the Cherokee Nation.
My father was a cheif and highly respected
He worked the land and filled us with love
He had learned and taught us
The Great Father of the sky and Mountian
was One, the Christian God... above.
In the year of 1838 there was much unrest
They passed a law to remove us from the land
We at Enchote, were in danger
gold discovered, so removal was what they planned,
Those that represented us were not heard
who thought that we should be free
for was it not for that very
same freedom the whites came
but yet, wanted to take it away from me.
When we would stand our ground
the man Scott came with seven thousand men
came to butcher and drive us out
Thus the Trail of Tears began.
We had been devided into groups
And John Ross was who our family fell too
He was a kindly gentleman, forced to his duty.
His wife Quantie, died before the journey was through.
It was on a night of strangeness with no moon
we had forged for food and protection
of the weather in the wood
Just barely enough was found to eat for a few
I happened past a sentry.. where he stood.
I guickley made my way through
dry winter leaves under foot
I held my breath for fear of being heard
I had a plan take root.
My family left behind,
but I wanted not to die there
I"d rather be killed in attempted freedom
then watch my father in such despair.
He had grown so frail and mother too
they kept urging me to run- get free.
They didn’t want their only child their love
forced to live in filth and poverty.
I didn’t even know where I was
Or what direction to travel too
but freedom must be taken now
I had to do, what I must do.
© 2005 by Sandra Griffin
Used with permission
http://www.our.homewithgod.com/sandra
http://storypen.com/inhimthroughhimforhimsandy
http://poetrypoem.com/inhimthroughhimforhimsandy
Thank you for walking this path with me!
 
 
1-15-2009
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