Osiyo --
History was made on Aug. 28 as elected leaders of the
Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and United
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians gathered for a joint council
meeting at Red Clay State Park, Tennessee, a place long revered
by our Cherokee people as sacred ground.
It's the first time all three Cherokee tribes have gathered
at Red Clay in generations. The last meeting there was to make
important decisions for the Cherokee people as the tribe was
facing forced removal to Indian Territory in 1838. This
tri-council meeting was an unprecedented event, and I was
honored to participate as we again came together as one people,
from one fire.
The date of the gathering was also significant as it marked
the 177th anniversary of the departure of the first detachment
of Cherokees who were forced to leave our homelands in the east
for modern-day Oklahoma. Red Clay was the Cherokee capital when
the removal polices of the federal government were officially
enacted and our people began that long and painful trek.
The history of Red Clay is an interesting one. Previously,
our capital had been New Echota, Georgia, but sadly the state
began passing legislation in 1829 that extended its state laws
and jurisdiction over Cherokee territory. These laws, often
called the Georgia Harassment Laws, terrorized and displaced
many Cherokee families residing in the state. Additionally,
Georgia prohibited the Cherokee government and Cherokee courts
from functioning. It was an attempt to keep our tribal council
from planning, making decisions or protesting federal Indian
policies.
To combat this, the Cherokee capital was moved just north of
the Georgia state line into Tennessee. There were 11 separate
council meetings held here between 1832 and 1837. It was also at
Red Clay when the Cherokee people first learned about the Treaty
of New Echota, and later, where Principal Chief John Ross made
the announcement that the Cherokee people would be removed.
Prior to removal, the Cherokee Nation encompassed all or parts
of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Today, Red Clay is a Tennessee state park and a place for
remembrance and respect. Seeing the grounds filled with modern
leaders from our respective sovereign governments was moving and
a memory I will cherish forever. During the meeting, we came
together as brothers and sisters and discussed the issues of the
day and shared the successes of our people. Although we
discussed the issues of today, the fact we were sitting in
council at our ancient home, a place where our ancestors made
life-altering decisions that shaped our tribe forever, was never
far from anyone’s mind.
I can only admire what our ancestors did and the way they
kept the Cherokee people alive. The leaders who met at Red Clay
ensured we would survive by any means necessary. The burden of
leadership in those dark days of our past was immense. They were
true Cherokee patriots and statesmen and will be honored for all
time.
I want to thank the Eastern Band of Cherokees for being such
gracious hosts, and I encourage each of you to visit our ancient
homelands if the opportunity arises.
Wado.
Bill John Baker
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