6/24/2014 8:20:13 AM

BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Riding through rain, the 20 riders who participated in this year’s “Remember the Removal” bike ride arrived the afternoon of June 19 in Tahlequah to cheering family and friends after traveling nearly 1,000 miles along the northern route of the Trail of Tears.

Fourteen riders from the Cherokee Nation joined six riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to make the three-week journey. The group left New Echota, Ga., on June 1 and traveled through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas before crossing into Oklahoma.

“This ride has meant so much to me. I have realized how strong our ancestors were and how strong we still are today,” Cassie Moore, 24, of Tahlequah, said. “This ride has made me a stronger person not just physically but mentally as well. This has made me grow as a leader. I will always carry strength from this experience.”

This year marks the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the final group of Cherokees forced from their homes in Georgia and Tennessee and other southeastern states to what is now northeastern Oklahoma. Of the estimated 16,000 Cherokees forced to journey to Indian Territory, an estimated 4,000 died from exposure, starvation and disease.

Ty Boyd, 29, of Waynesville, N.C., said riding the route means that the people forced to walk the trail have not been forgotten and continue to be respected and honored.

“I remember resting on a bridge one long, hot day and gazing into a river that was clear and not murky and the homesick feeling overtook me of missing the clean, crystal clear rivers back home. At that time I could only imagine the heartache that our people must have felt knowing that they could not return to their homeland and the life they had grown to know,” he said.

This year more emphasis was placed on educating riders about the 1838-39 removal. On weekends, the CN cyclists attended a Cherokee history course before taking their training rides. And during the three-week ride, all riders had more contacts with historians at stops along the route.

“One experience that I'll remember for the rest of my life would be getting to see Mantle Rock (Kentucky). The moment I saw that place really made the entire experience even more real,” Elizabeth Burns, 18, of Claremore, said. “It was such a pretty but saddening place. So many of our ancestors were stuck there, camping until the river was crossable, and passed away from the horrible conditions. I had heard about Mantle Rock before the trip but never imagined the emotional impact it would have on me to actually be there.”

During the 1838-39 winter, approximately 1,766 Cherokees from the Peter Hildebrand Detachment had to spend about two weeks at Mantle Rock, which has bluffs and shelters, while waiting for the Ohio River to thaw and become passable.

“The ride has such unique purpose, and to me it has the purpose of honoring those who made it to Oklahoma and those who did not. I am not from Oklahoma and am not going home, but it is such an extraordinary feeling riding the path of so many Cherokee before me,” Kelsey Owle, 25, of Cherokee, N.C., said. “I will also hold dear to me the friendships I have made with some of the riders. It is an incredible journey and having a friend along the way makes it that much better. These are some amazing and strong people that I will never forget.”

The ride, which originated 30 years ago, is a leadership program allowing Cherokee students to get a glimpse of the hardships their ancestors faced while making the same trek on foot. Program leaders also hoped the ride will help each cyclist find hidden strengths, as Owle said she did.

“I found an entirely new strength inside if me that I had no idea was in there, and that is an amazing feeling I will carry with me from here in out,” Owle said.

At age 53, Pat Watkins of Cherokee, N.C., was the oldest rider. She said the ride made her a stronger woman as she gathered a better understanding of the tribe’s history and culture.

“The most memorable day was Day 14. I felt at the lowest point at that time, but one special team member kept offering words of support and the belief that I would make it that day,” she said.

Burns echoed the words of Principal Chief Bill John Baker, who said the riders would have “an exceptional experience” during their trip “that will bond them forever.”

“I will carry the memories and bonding moments I’ve made with the other riders forever. I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to share all of these life-changing moments with this amazing group of people,” Burns said. “This experience has given me a lot of courage and confidence that I can apply to my personal life, and I feel closer than ever to my heritage and culture.”

Along with Moore and Burns, the other CN riders were Jordan McLaren, Adriana Collins, Keeley Godwin, Charli Barnoskie, Chance Rudolph, Zane Scullawl, Madison Taylor, Jamekah Rios, Kassidy Carnes, Noah Collins, Jacob Chavez and ride leader Joseph Erb. Along with Boyd, Owle and Watkins, the other EBCI riders were Richard Sneed, Russell Bigmeat and Katrina Sneed.

Copyright 2014 Cherokee Phoenix

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