Vast Difference Between 1838 And Today

As a person with Cherokee blood, it’s not difficult to recognize the irony as the Cherokee Nation hosted a send-off ceremony for the 2022 “Remember the Removal Bike Ride.”

Unlike their ancestors, many who were rounded up at gunpoint or bayonet by Gen. Winfield Scott and the U.S. Army, then forced to abandon their homes, lands, property and livestock carrying only the clothes on their back and confined in open air stockades without shelter before embarking on the “Trail of Tears,” five Cherokee Nation cyclists involved in the 2022 “Remember the Removal Bike Ride,” left Tahlequah, Okla., on Wednesday, May 25, christened with prayers, cheers and encouragement.

This is not to demean the commitment in any way of Emily Christie, 24, of Stilwell, Okla.; Kayce O’Field, 24, of Tahlequah, Okla.; Jeanetta Leach, 23, of Rocky Mountain, Okla.; Madison Whitekiller, 23, of Verdigris, Okla.; and Desiree Matthews, 18, of Watts, Okla., only to note the vast distinction between 1838 and the manner in which they were ushered on their journey.

Dignitaries including Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Deputy Chief Bryan Warner, Secretary of State Tina Glory Jordan, and Chief of Staff Corey Bunch, as well as the tribal council joined family, friends and coworkers of the five cyclists to share well-wishes ahead of their weeks-long journey.

The group joined up with seven cyclists from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, N.C., prior to beginning their ride in New Echota, Georgia, on May 30. The

ride is expected to conclude around 950 miles later in Tahlequah, Okla., on June 17.

Chief Hoskins noted that today, in 2022, there are still obstacles facing the Cherokee people, but along with the challenges there are also opportunities to seize.

“These five Cherokee women are going to lead us in the weeks ahead and in the years to come, and I couldn’t be prouder of each of them. Strength and hope are still something we need in large measure and I believe this journey will bring those things to these five Cherokee women. We are thinking of them, praying for them and supporting them along the way,” Chief Hoskins said.

Participants expressed excitement during the sendoff, glimpsing ahead into perspectives each hopes to glean from the experience. Before leaving on the journey, each cyclist got to examine her family tree through a mapped out process conducted by a professional genealogist. The exercise was designed to provide insight into their individual ancestral pasts and potentially connect the dots for possible shared family links they might have in common.

“The ‘ Remember the Removal Bike Ride’ is an amazing opportunity for us to honor our ancestors and bring awareness to the ‘Forced Removal.’ The ride has given me an insight to my family before and during removal, and now I will be able to retrace their steps and honor them,” said Matthews. “Their strength is why my family is still here and the bike ride has given me the chance to honor that strength.”

This year marks the first for the “Remember the Removal” bike ride team to be comprised entirely of Cherokee women.

Leach has wanted to participate in the program for a long time and expressed gratitude that she can honor her ancestors, learn more about Cherokee culture and hopefully inspire people to apply to participate.

“Being a member of the ‘ Remember the Removal Ride’ is truly an honor, Leach said. “I am going to miss my family while I am gone, but I am very fortunate that I am able to return home after the journey.”

Her ancestors, if they survived, didn’t enjoy that luxury. There was no going back and their future appeared dubious at best in 1838-1839. The Cherokee experienced the ultimate double standard where government divides its citizens into categories and inoculates one group into poverty by redistributing their wealth to others who neither worked for nor purchased the privilege of acquiring Cherokee lands, homes and livestock.

My prayer for each of these ladies, the entire Cherokee Nation with all of its elected officials, appointed officials and tribal employees, plus their counterparts in the Eastern Band of Cherokee and the United Keetowah Band, is based upon Isaiah 52:15 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).

“So shall He startle and sprinkle many nations, and kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for that which has not been told them shall they see, and that which they have not heard shall they consider and understand.”

May each cyclist receive a satisfactory revelation of that which they seek.

— Mark Humphrey grew up among a vast extended family of the Crow Indians in south central Montana. His Indian name, “Sings With His Heart,” was given unto him by his late adopted father, Walter “Merle” Big Medicine (July 19, 1941 - Nov. 22, 2021), of Dunmore, Mont. Humphrey is a member of a federally recognized tribe. Humphrey’s poetry compositions derive from a rich spiritual and Native American heritage. Humphrey is a sports writer for the Enterprise- Leader. Opinions expressed are those of the author.