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NUNNA DAUL TSUNY ( The Trail Where They Cried)
" The Trail Where They Cried"
a direct translation from Cherokee,
they had to endure so much pain,
suffered so much loss,
step back in time
for just a moment,
let your mind grasp this message
What happened to my people
was hardly what happened to the jews
but to us, it means the same,
death ...... and for what?
It is a story that is long
and may bore those with no heart
or soul capable of feeling true emotion.
Cherokees were not savages
despite what you see in the movies,
they were a tribe
not to hunt you down in the night
and cut your throat while taking your scalp.
A group of families that lived as one
sharing the hunting, cleaning and cooking
of meals, raising of children,
as well as the other chores that befall the normal family.
Their culture was not well understood,
my god they were wild people,
living off the land, painted faces,
drums and singing that sounded like crys of war.
Merely their way of expressing sorrow and pain,
as well as happiness and love,
dances that were festive in production and dress.
1830 the Congress of the United States passes
the "Indian Removal Act".... sorry folks,
we don't care that this was your land from the start,
we want it so you have to go.....that was the white mans way.
In one of the saddest moments in history,
men, women and children were forced from their land,
made to live in some makeshift forts,
minimal facilities and food,
while being forced to march a thousand miles.
About 4000 Cherokee died as a result of this
horrible and tragic event.
There is a legend I have heard
about called the Cherokee rose,
and I find it possible that such a thing might grow.
They say along the Trail of Tears,
there is a white rose that grows,
the white for the tears the mothers shed,
it has a gold center, gold for the land that was stolen,
this rose has only seven leaves on each stem,
seven for the number of Cherokee clans that made the journey,
so should you ever see a rose like this.....
take a minute to think about all the tears shed
right where you are standing.
This is for all of those that suffered
may your spirit rest in peace
