Trail of Tears

Why did this happen to me? I don’t know what I did to deserve this. I vaguely remember 7 white men in uniforms come into our house, holding us at gun point. It still pains me to remember the gruesome things they did to my husband. I’d rather not speak about it. All I know is that president Andrew Jackson started an Indian removal policy where the Cherokee nation was forced to give up their land and move to an area near Oklahoma. I am hungry, I am tired, and I don’t know how I will care for my daughter. My husband is no longer here to help me. I hope we can persevere through this tough time because as of now, I don’t see how we can survive. My daughter is tired and cold. My pain is mostly towards her, knowing that she did nothing to deserve this. She is an innocent child and she shouldn’t be put through this kind of heartache. I pray everyday that we don’t perish in the cold weather. I am now a destitute woman walking with my child. Our journey has been named “Nunna daul Tsuny” meaning “The Trail Where they Cried.” Thousands of the Cherokees are dying and I am desperate not to be one of them. I hate those men who took me away from my home and killed my husband. I just hope they know that.

-Cherokee Indian Woman