LEAVING OHIO

Traveling with Hawk

Once again we were on the road. This time there were fifteen of us including Grandmother. We left on Thursday the 30th of January and headed West to the Cherokee Re-location lands in Oklahoma. As usual, our estimated time of departure was delayed by two days. This time Grandmother had Elders who had passed on and she was singing them over.

We received a call from Grandmother at 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning and left the city by 5:00 p.m. that evening. With our last minute shopping and paperwork completed we finally met at our familiar rendezvous place, a gas station at 1:00 p.m. At the last minute other members of Grandmother’s family decided to join us.

It felt wonderful to be on the road again. Our excitement was high with anticipation. The sky was magnificent with brilliant colors. We took off with the sunset and Redtail Hawk traveled with us the whole time. We saw funneled shaped clouds and many signs in the sky nation to move us along.

Our first stop was in Terre Haute, Indiana. We arrived there just after midnight. We all met briefly and were given instruction for six of us to go ahead and prepare the way.

Our Cars are our Horses

We treat our cars as if they were horses. We wash and groom them at each stop for the night. Our cars run on fuel and are energy. So in a clear sense they are alive. We also adorn them in our colors.

Day Two

Two cars were sent forward from Terre Haute that morning On the way, many of our relations greeted us on the road including four dogs, a herd of deer, crow mother, a flock of peace eagles scavenging in the woods, many hawks in the trees and on the wind.

Shortly after St. Louis where we gathered some materials, we met back up with our people on the road and were aware of how much time we had imbalanced with our dispersed actions. Six of us were assigned to move ahead and get to the destination we were traveling to. The momentum we were to keep in order to cover all the options we had, was diverted and lost. Our imbalance was costly to the many Altars we were to do. We realize how much we need to respect synchronicity and to discipline ourselves to follow through with our commitments and honor our word. 

The sunset that day provided us with a beautiful lesson. The clouds came in the formation of the Thunderbird. This speaks to us of rapid transformation. The colors were red, magenta and orange.There in the clouds was an opening that was provided for us by theGrandmothers and Grandfathers. They were looking out for us andproviding new options and opportunities. The opening stayed until Nunda’s light (the sun) faded into the darkness. Grandmother suggested that we pray hard, very hard that these opportunities open for us.

We stopped to do Yona (sunset) prayers. Grandmother brought out her smoke bowl and she placed it by the road. Hawk came flying in and perched in the tree.

We celebrated our journey with a wonderful feast in Springfield, and slept with wonderful dreams of places yet to come. 

Turnback Creek

The next morning while a few of us went shopping, the rest of us shared our songs and chants with people passing by. There, in the sky, the clouds appeared scattered and diffused. As we sang, our joy pleased the Grandfathers, and they cleared a path for us in the sky and gave us good weather to travel. Some people stopped to enjoy our music. Everyone had fun.

While traveling, we got off the highway to exchange material between cars, but found that there was not a direct entrance back on. We had to journey far into the country side and made a huge circle. Grandmother shared that when she and her Grandmother journeyed they sometimes left a town and moved in a large circle in order to refocus and reorient themselves. She saw this as our being signaled that everything was being prepared for us. As we drove by, three horses stepped towards us, dropped their heads, whinnied and acknowledged us. To us this confirmed that we were prepared for the task ahead. As we entered the interstate we saw that name of the area we had visited was named “Turnback Creek”. We all had a good laugh.

The sunset that day was spectacular with lots of orange, magenta, and red. It had the ancient Mayan symbol for God speaking. The clouds made a fan of nine feathers above and seven feathers below. There was a brush fire in the woods beside the road and we made offerings for that area.

We arrived in Miami, Oklahoma to spend the night. Among our people we do not eat after dark; after sunset, food does not digest. 

We were to hold council that evening, but due to miscommunication and our disorientation this did not happen. We met with Grandmother the following morning and together, we straightened out our priorities, and did a great deal of personal focusing to avoid a continuing of this imbalance to our trip - we pulled our energies together and felt the difference. 

Voices on the Wind

At Big Cabin, Oklahoma, we stopped for food and cleaning the RV. U’tana A’qua and friend went to talk with a Country singer named Billy Hoffman, returning to Oklahoma from Nashville. Our songbird impressed him when she sang him one of her songs. He encouraged her to pursue her talent and to keep in touch.

The rest of us had stopped for a break at a memorial dedicated for the only soldier in Oklahoma who died in the Gulf war. Here again Grandmother began picking up many voices on the wind, and shared what was being given.

Grandmothers’ six assistants left again determined to do their assignment and went ahead to prepare. We were greeted on the road by many friends; hawk, deer, crow mother and others.

The rest of us moved with Grandmother at a slower pace and did the work that was given to us by Spirit. We arrived at our destination before sunset where they shared that there had been eagles flying around all day. Everyone greeted us very warmly. They told us that they had had eagles years ago and that this was the first time they had seen them in several years. They felt this showed that our program was going to be very special day.

Gentle Rains 

That evening some of us sang at the chapel service while others still traveling with Grandmother took care of other needs. We had gentle rains all day. The medicines were coming in on those gentle rains. We had cultivated things very well and the Ancestors were greatly pleased. Grandmother and the rest of our people arrived late that evening.

A Day of Tours and Learning

We went on a tour of Tsa-La-Gi Cultural Center. There we saw an exact replica of an eastern Cherokee village. The entire village was protected by a wooden palisade. Hastings Shade , a traditional Cherokee craftsman, storyteller, history/culture presenter, and certified Cherokee language teacher shared his heritage with us. On the site, there were three pillars that belonged to the first women’s seminary west of the Mississippi river, and the second in the entire United States.

The houses were of a mud and straw composition. Each home had its own sacred rock lodge. It was used for lodges on every new moon. Often, it was used as a warm sleeping place during the winter months. 

Hastings explained how all seven clans were represented in the ceremonial arbor: a place for sacred dances and celebrations.

They also had a game called the “little war” or stickball. This was used to settle differences between villages and to prepare young warriors for the rigors of battle. Sometimes up to 300 people would participate and some even died in this game. 

The Cherokee were a matriarchal society. Upon marriage, the husband would move into his wife’s clan. All marriages would be outside of one’s clan. The mother’s brother taught her sons to be a man in their clan. All were considered brothers and sisters. The other terms for family were introduced by the Europeans and encouraged separation among the Cherokee. Clans had specific talents which sometimes were reflected in their names. The bird clan were considered the messengers, the deer clan the runners. 

A seven sided counsel house stood in the center of the village. The clans came together here to discuss issues and settle disputes. Nodisputes were carried into a new year.

Hastings demonstrated how a local stone called chert was easily knapped or chipped into tools and weapons. He showed us Cherokee blowguns. These were the only blowguns used north of central and south America. These guns were only used for hunting small animals, and never as weapons.

A Cherokee man whose father stared the museum spoke about the government enrollment of the Cherokee people. This was one of the ways that the US government manipulated and divided the Cherokee people. Those that did not register became non-citizens. Those who registered as full bloods became wards of the state, without many basic rights. Many mixed bloods registered to gain some assistance from the US government. It was made clear, the registry is inaccurate in many ways. 

In an upcoming museum program, Cherokee Elders will be presenting a history of their people, from their perspective. This should prove to be different from anything presented before. Look for this program in May of 1997. Their Website address is http://www.ionet.net/~skili/center.html Their e-mail address: skili@ionet.net

In the evening we did more singing and Croslin Smith a local Cherokee Elder came and shared with us. He was a large man with a very warm friendly eyes who spoke slowly with the gentleness of a river. He spoke of honoring the four elements which were the beginning of creation, earth wind fire and water. He spoke on the Original Instructions, which were the teachings God gave to the people before time. He shared how at that time, following these instructions, all things lived in harmony. He spoke of loyalty and living up to our commitments so we could merge into a larger humanity. He talked of Christ also being present on Turtle Island or the North American Continent before the Bible was brought here. He mentioned one incarnation of Christ as quetlequatal. In total, Jesus visited three times. It was a treat to hear some of what we had been taught by Grandmother be spoken.

We left all in cleanliness and beauty and better for our being there. We said good-byes and did giveaways. Then we are on the road again. Baskets full of blessings with stories to tell and a new understanding.

THE BLUE SMOKE MOUNTIANS

The original homelands of the Cherokee is a mountain paradise - lush, majestic, abundant. Thick forests of tall trees and evergreen rhododendrons, smiles of countless flowers, the rich smell of the soft dark earth, the laughing songs of mountain waterfalls, the sun casting rainbows over sparkling streams - a true rainforest. The mountains surrounded fertile valleys, the forests were home to abundant game and a living pharmacy of medicinal plants. The mists of the Blue Smoky Mountains carried the voices and the songs of the Ancestors. The snows fell heavy on the mountain tops, but the valleys were protected from strong winds or storms. The variety of plants and animals, from the heights of the mountain tops, to the clear waters of the rivers, kept the people well supplied with a wealth of fruits, game, and plants. Fish swam in rivers and cooling shade kept the heat of summer easy to bear. From generations of sharing the mountain lands, there were well traveled paths over hills and through the forests, and the people understood the voices of the trees, the waters, the winds and the spirit of the forests.

In May 1838 American soldiers came to the homes, farms, and villages of the Cherokee, and without warning or time for preparation, the people were forced from their lands, and set on a brutal march away from their homelands. They left with few provisions, little or no food and many bare feet. Men and women, young and old - none were excluded. The warriors were told by their chiefs to lay down their arms - that it was not the time to fight, that they would best serve the people by assuring the safety of the Medicine Elders, the women and the children - the generation to come. 

They carried the Original Fire of the people and kept it safe and burning. The people were herded like cattle, through miles of hills and across the great mid-west prairie to Oklahoma. The white settlers whose homes they passed would watch, tears in their eyes at the injustice shown to the Cherokee. Some of the settlers would offer food and supplies to the Cherokee. They would have to bury it, to hide it from the soldiers who otherwise take it from them. Sometimes, it was soup from the stones on which they walked that kept them alive. More than 20,000 Cherokee left on the Trail of Tears and fewer than 4,000 arrived at their destination.

Imagine the pain at leaving such a lush mountain paradise that had been home for generations. The mountains and familiar woods and rivers were left behind, with an emptiness remaining within the people who knew they would never again see these lands. Some managed to hide in the bosom of the mountains - but for all the people this was a painful separation. The journey took months and the trail came down from the hills to a land of open plains, far away horizons, dry river beds, and trees that were often few and far between. 

This big sky country feels the winds which blow unimpeded across half the continent. During our own journey through this area, we were struck by the almost barrenness of the earth. The soft greenery of the East is replaced by shades of browns and grays. We could imagine the monotony of having to walk for days and days across this landscape. For people accustomed to forests and hills, the sight of open plains and clouds heading far into the distance leaves a feeling of melancholy. A certain sadness pervades the rocks, the earth, the dry stream beds. In meditation and in dreams we were visited by Spirits of many who did not complete the relocation of this great people. 

If one is accustomed to the dew and the mists of the mornings, and heavy moist clouds hanging on green soft mountains, the dry air of the plains would leave you hungry for the smells of the forests, the closeness of the air embracing you, the sounds on the wind and the softness beneath your feet. One needs to learn a different way of breathing, moving, seeing, and even of speech and song.

But coming into Oklahoma, one is given a glimmer of hope, a reminder of green mountains, far to the east. The soil reddens, the landscape starts to roll as hills appear. Forests grow again - but not as thick, not as majestic and lush as in the east. There are rivers and lakes - the Illinois river, Tenkiller Lake, and many others - that comfort and welcome travelers of the forests. 

But misty mornings are few and far between. There is some moss in the forest, but not so thick or abundant. To those whose ancestors were born among and walked the hills and flatlands of Oklahoma, the voices of the rocks and oak trees and gravely stream beds are familiar, and the songs in the air are like voices of old friends. But it takes years for this to develop - generations. Oklahoma is the west - with its dry air, open woods, slow moving streams, and high sailing clouds. 

Many Oklahoma Cherokee have never been to the Eastern Homelands. There has been a sharp cutting - off between these generations and the homelands of the Ancestors. There must still be a call, a pull to again hear the songs of green moist meadows and smoky blue mountains.

But a strong people create beauty and experience abundance wherever they live. Tahlequah and the Oklahoma homelands speak well of the Cherokee as a people trusting in being in the hands of Creator with skills and gifts strong enough to endure and prosper.

FEBRUARY WALKABOUT

An Interactive Journey with our Ancestors on the Trail of Tears and Oklahoma Relocation

TAHLEQUAH: The End of the Trail of Tears for the Eastern Cherokee

In May of 1838, the US government began to round up all of the Cherokee Peoples from their lands in the Carolina mountains. The government wanted to acquire these lands for itself. The soldiers forced over 16,000 of the Tsa-La-Gi, or Principle People, to march westward to the Indian Territories in Oklahoma. Upon arrival, the Cherokees were forced to fight their brothers for their place in this new land. Despite these events, they are the second largest tribe in America and thrive yet today.

In 1841, ten years after the onset of the Trail of Tears, Tahlequah became the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Today, few of the Cherokee people of this area have ever been to their original homelands in the Blue Smoke Mountains. Telequah, which lays at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, appears to be sparse and flat in comparison.

The Cherokee Nation is promoted as one of the best areas for global business development. It is nestled in the center of the country and is a prime market area. One quarter of this country’s population resides within 500 miles of the Cherokee Nation. This is a major US and worldwide market. Highly respected and motivated, the Cherokee Nation supplies quality products and services. Clearly, it is a contributing factor in this country’s growing economy.

During our visit to the Cherokee Heritage Center, one young man expressed his anger at being denied his own heritage because his grandfather declared himself to be “half-blooded” in order to retain his right to bear arms, own property and other basic rights denied to “full-blooded Natives.” Thus the young man was considered to be a far less percentage of Cherokee blood than was historically accurate. He felt denied his rightful heritage, and his pain was obvious. Clearly, there is still much healing left to be done.

This same young man spoke with noticeable pride about the exhibition that was being assembled: a perspective of Cherokee History as told through the eyes of the Elders. This will be an historic first: the presentation of the history of the Cherokee People by those who have lived it.

There was a time when the Elders would only share with certain individuals amongst their own people. In some cases, revealing this knowledge meant experiencing the consequences of pain and suffering. There are still those in some other native traditions who would prefer that the sacred ceremonies and ancient ways die with their Wisdom Keepers, rather than have them be shared with what they call non-natives or wannabes. Also, there are many who do not choose to follow old traditional ways.

We found it heartening that many of the Elders of the Cherokee Nation are now coming forward to share “that which was given to be given” with those who are willing to receive with respect. We were honored to be addressed by a Cherokee Elder, Grandfather Croslyn Smith, a Firekeeper. He spoke candidly about us as a people capable of embracing the message. The respect was mutual. The gifts were many. It was a pleasure to be with these Elders at this time.

Upon entering Tahlequah we could feel the prosperous nature of this town. The people were well dressed and spoke of wealth. This spoke volumes to us of a People who continued to be a People of Dignity.

Simply the fact that the T’salagi Cultural Center is preserving as well as promoting the Cherokee language, through consulting with their Elders speaks of a People determined to not allow a painful history to take away from the richness of their culture.

Even in the areas where clearly the income and circumstances were less fortunate, there was still a cleanliness that reflected the people’s respect of the land. This impressed us. Everyone, from Elder to men and women on the street, carried themselves with quiet dignity, reflecting the awareness of how precious their heritage is.

We found the Cherokee People to be enterprising and international in their scope and vision. Their papers carry stories of corporate agreements that are bringing in new jobs and opportunities for their people.

ALONG the WAY

We have traveled through the route of the Trail of Tears, crossing these flat lands, which spoke to us of dryness and sorrow. When we arrived in Tahlequah, we were relieved by the presence of the hills and the river greeting us. Many of our relations acknowledged our presence: hawks, eagles, deer, horses and cows.

While visiting the area, we discovered a growing commercial center, which co-exists with a strong presence of the Cherokee Nation.

Many of its members expressed the desire that their culture and the wisdom be fully acknowledged, respected, and kept alive. Many of us can relate to what they shared: a deep need to acknowledge who we truly are, what are our roots, and from where do we come.

In the growth and the beauty present in this community, we could see the reflection of healing and of forgiveness that has been taking place between them and people from other nations.

During our interaction with them we felt their warmth, their dignity, and their open hearts that welcomed us constantly. It is about time to offer to the Elders the opportunity to share openly and safely the understandings of their ways of honoring Creator in all forms of life.

The Grandfathers and the Grandmothers are keeping the Original Teachings alive. These teachings are for all people, they say. There is no overriding emphasis put on anti-white and embittered prejudices. There is just wonderful open-heartedness, obviously the survival of this great people and its nation. It is the way to maintain the way of life in a simple and total understanding of our sacredness. It is the Circle and all life is based upon this principle.

The Elders speak to us about honoring the elements: Earth, Air, Fire,and Water. This confirms that our bodies, our physical altar, allow usto live knowing God.