In the darkness of the night guided by the moon, our people migrated from the approaching United States forces to Cherokee Nation. This was before Oklahoma was a state and before the removal of our people on the Trail of Tears. Word had reached father from the spring gathering of Manataka where all nations meet for council. Manataka. (2009). Many of the other tribes had been uprooted from their birth lands and word was spreading through the people that tribal Chiefs were in council with the Great Father of the English. Territories were being annexed and treaties broken.

My parent’s birth place lay along the banks of the Tennessee River where crops and livestock flourished and our people numbered in the thousands. Three hundred of our people migrated with our family and followed my father’s word along the river ways to the great Arkansas River. The tribe built beautiful homes and farms in the new territory only to be told to move again when the European settlers came but in the meantime the lands along the river were wooded and bountiful in game. Deer, turkey and buffalo took shelter in the hills and hollers of the mountains and gave our people plenty to eat and many hides for clothing. The people were happy for a short time.

The sickness came when I was waist high to my father. Scarlet Fever took my mother. My older brother and sisters survived but they would bear no children and I somehow escaped the illness, as did my father. There had never been sickness in father’s years as a leader in our village; our medicine man had no cure for he did not know this sickness so my father traveled to the mission to seek medicine for his family and people.

The people from the mission took me to live at a school even though our village had a fine school and learning system they told me that life would be better for our people if we learned to act like they did, if we changed our ways then all people would live in peace. My brother and sisters joined me after they were well enough to travel but we never spoke to our father again. We do not know what became of him or our village, we only heard the stories. I was still very young when I was taken away from my people to learn the new way so it was easy for me to adjust and shed all distinguishable actions and beliefs of my people. My older brother had a harder time accepting the new ways but he eventually did learn to be an American. He later went to higher education and became a doctor who served in English wars.

I became an American young lady as I learned the ways of speaking and dressing to be acceptable in the new society and I soon forgot the native traditions. I came to know the church and the government of the United States of America. By the age of 12, I no longer knew the ways of my native people nor did I remember much about them. I only knew I was doing what was expected of me so that my people would be happy. An English couple came and met with me at the school, he was an officer in the U.S. Army and his wife could bear no children so they asked me to live with them as their daughter. I had been told during class that one day we, the children, would have families come for us if we studied hard and did well with school. I went home with the Captain and his wife to live in a large house in Fort Smith.

I was married to an English man when I reached womanhood. I did not know my husband before hand although he was a friend of my English father who arranged for the wedding. My husband treated me well and provided a wonderful life for me to raise our children in. He owned a large farm house overlooking the river with crop land and grazing for livestock which were tended to by slaves who he took care of in return. I was not allowed to speak to the slaves other then the two who helped in the house. It never dawned on me until lately that some of the slaves may have been relatives of mine from the village of my birth.

During my education I had sworn on the Holy Bible that I would not sin against righteous people. I have lived a long life of 85 years practicing not to sin in the new ways so that I may rejoice in heaven as promised by the teachings and during this time I have carried my native people in my heart but never spoke of them, not even to my children. Now I am at peace as a small part of me remembers more of my youth as I grow ready to pass over into heaven, where father awaits.

This story is fictional but she may of been my great grandmother or yours.

A’oh