ONE CHEROKEE'S STORY

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (See Aug 31, 2010)

A friend of mine and I went to a lecture at the University Of Asheville held by Garfield Long, a Cherokee translator.  He was born and grew up in Cherokee, NC.  He appeared to be in his thirties.  From his birth to four years old he spoke nothing but Cherokee.  He did not learn English until he started to school.  In his youth he felt distant from his Cherokee history and heritage.  It was not talked about in his home.  One day  he was invited by Marie Junaluska, a much respcted leader of the Cherokee community, on a trip to Tennessee.  They walked a five mile stretch of road which was part of the Trail of Tears route.  His inner consciousness seemed to take him to another time. He could see wagon ruts and the atmosphere was cold and misty.  He saw images of elders and children walking this trail.  The emotional impact of this experience  stayed with him and he developed a real interest in his background.  He was proud to be a Cherokee, proud of his grandparents who had stayed in North Carolina instead of allowing themselves to be forced to go to Oklahoma.  He acknowledged that he was still learning about his culture.  The remainder of his lecture was a very extensive, and fascinating relay of the history of his people until the present time.