A Note to the Reader:

The Trail of Tears is an expansive series of events and unfortunately, not everything could be covered in this article. This article answers the question of how this relocation occurred and why it was not done willingly. Please remember this as you read and I encourage you to also do your own research.

*Mvskokvlke 'Temeckv Nene (Mvskoke Trail of Tears)* by Johnnie Diacon

As of 2020 in the United States, there were 574 federally recognized Native American tribes, bands and nations. This is in contrast to the over 600 tribes that existed pre-colonization. With a population of about 819,105, the Cherokee nation is the biggest Native American tribe and arguably one of the most well-known Native American nations to non-Indigenous people. The people are known for their traditions, language, spirituality, food, storytelling and art. However, many people do not know about the Cherokee Nation’s history and how it came to be.

People with Cherokee backgrounds are spread out all over America, but prior to the arrival of European settlers, Cherokee people called South Eastern America home. Circa 1800, Cherokee people lived in modern-day North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Today, Oklahoma has the largest population of Cherokee people in America with a whopping 240,417 Cherokee Nation citizens. North Carolina is the farthest state (that Cherokee people lived in) from Oklahoma, with a total of 1,200 miles between them. So how did so many Cherokee people end up in Oklahoma?

Cherokee people were forced out of their Native land on what is now known as The Trail of Tears. The forced removal was done after many land disputes as the French, Spanish and English all tried to colonize parts of Cherokee territory in the Southeast of the U.S. In the 1800's, America and its states were growing rapidly, looking for land to own to create new states. Between 1800 and 1860, 17 new states were created. Native American tribes were an ‘obstacle’ for settlers to unlawfully take over land. Since many Native Americans did not want to assimilate into European culture, the government came up with a plan to make land easier to claim from Natives. Policies were created by the US government allowing them to buy Native land in the Southeast and strongly encourage Native Americans to migrate to the West. Additionally, the government pressured and bribed many Native nations into signing land agreements under false pretenses.

Many land agreements stated that if a Native tribe sold part of their land, they would be able to keep the rest- a deal which rarely followed through. Furthermore, the government then thought it would be a more enticing offer to Native people land in other unoccupied states in exchange for their land, leading many Americans to believe that Native Americans were now on their land. This belief was heavily influenced by the government and its policies. When Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1829, he made sure ‘removing’ Natives was a priority.

After years of beratement from the government over land, a small group of Cherokee leaders reluctantly decided that removal was inevitable and negotiated with the government for the best possible treaty. In 1835, Major Ridge, his son John and his nephew Elias Boudinot signed the 1835 Treaty of New Echota on behalf of all Cherokee people. The treaty stated that all Cherokee Nation land east of the Mississippi would be sold to the government for five million dollars. The treaty also stated that the Cherokees would leave the land in two years. This treaty was confirmed with only a small number of Cherokee people agreeing with the terms and no officials from the Cherokee Nation government agreeing to it. Unfortunately, this did not stop the US government from using the treaty as a base for the inhumane treatment during the removal of Cherokee people. [Major Ridge, John Ridge and Elias Boudinot, the most notable Cherokee treaty signers, were later executed according to Cherokee law as they were seen responsible for the later seen negative effects of the treaty.]

It should be noted that Cherokee people were not the only ones affected by The Trail of Tears. The Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Ponca and Ho-Chunk/Winnebago nations were also forced from their land. Many Indigenous people opposed their removal and tried to resist, some moved peacefully and few were able to stay in their original state.

There were at least 33 military posts and camps across North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama erected for the removal of the Cherokee people. Nearly 4,000 American soldiers were also present to escort the Cherokees through the rough land and river paths. The majority of Indigenous tribes forced to leave their land made the treacherous trek by foot, lasting several months and had to set up camps along the way. Only a few were able to travel on horseback or in wagons - usually only the elderly and those who were sick. Over 17,000 Indigenous people were forced to make the trek to Oklahoma and over 4,000 people died along the way. Many deaths were the result of starvation, disease and extreme exposure to the elements. There are many marked and unmarked graves all along the Trail of Tears. Upon arrival to Oklahoma, much of the land promised in the treaties, the government used to convince natives to move, was taken away.

This article focuses specifically on the removal of Indigenous peoples from Southeast America to Oklahoma; however, this tactic of forcible removal and cultural genocide has been used all across the world and throughout history. There are many similar trails of tears, just with different names. It is imperative to never forget the history of not only the land we live on but how the people who were on the land before got there.

In Oklahoma, the final destination of the Trail of Tears is designated as a place to remember and honor the lives lost. A memorial and official historic trail marking has been created. The Historic Trail follows the most commonly used trek during the removal which crosses through Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

This past summer, Oklahoma also opened a First Americans museum to honor Indigenous people and is the largest tribal cultural center in America. In 2020, The Supreme Court formally recognized that nearly half of Oklahoma land is Native land. These monumental actions will never make up for what has been done in the past but are a step in the right direction towards reconciliation and acknowledgment of wrongdoings.