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May 7, 2012
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.
— The Cherokee Nation has selected 10 representatives who will
be joined by eight riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
this summer on the 2012 Remember the Removal Ride, a more than 900-mile
bicycle trek retracing the tribe’s infamous Trail of Tears.
“The Remember
the Removal project is a great experience for all who participate,”
said Baron O’Field, Remember the Removal Ride organizer and three-time
participant. “It’s an awesome way to learn about the history
of the Cherokee people and see beautiful country along the way. It’s
also a very physically and mentally challenging project.”
An initial Remember
the Removal ride took place in 1984 when 20 Cherokee students rode the
same route in commemoration of the forced Cherokee removal from the
tribe’s original homelands in the southeast to what is now Oklahoma.
The ride was revived in 2009 and has become an annual event aimed at
educating youth about the Trail of Tears while teaching them leadership
skills.
The riders start
by driving to Georgia to an area in the original Cherokee homelands.
From there the bike ride ends approximately 20 days and nearly 900 miles
later back in Tahlequah. As weather and terrain permits, the group will
camp along the route some nights, while other nights will be spent in
commercial lodging. Each day riders will cover from 35 to 75 miles,
rain or shine, across a challenging terrain.
“Many of the
participants in the past have learned that they are tougher than they
think they are and learned to help and rely on their teammates,”
said O’Field. “When they finish the project, all of them will
share a bond that they will never forget.”
The Cherokee Nation’s
Trail of Tears took place over the winter months of 1838-1839, the result
of an order from then-President Andrew Jackson. An estimated 16,000
Cherokees were forced by U.S. militia to immediately remove themselves
and their families from their homes, farms and communities. After being
held in federal stockades until deep winter, they were subsequently
herded like cattle on overland and water routes through territories
that are the present-day states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri
and Arkansas. The Remember the Removal Ride accurately retraces the
northern route of the Trail of Tears through those areas as documented
by Rev. Daniel S. Butrick, a Baptist missionary, and others who survived
the journey.
More than four thousand
Cherokees died along the various routes from the harsh conditions of
the crossing. Ride organizers hope to promote awareness of these significant
events as the Cherokee riders travel the trail's path. Other goals include
helping educate Cherokee students about their tribe’s history and
promoting the achievements of the modern Cherokee Nation to those now
living along this historic route. Riders competed for the honor of taking
part in the event by submitting a detailed application that included
biographical information and essays to demonstrate each person’s
interest and commitment to the project. Cherokee Nation riders, who
are all tribal citizens, receive a professional genealogy report that
helps connect them to ancestors who were part of the removal in the
1830s. Along the way, stops will be made at sites of historic and cultural
interest, with guest speakers on hand to provide context and answer
questions.
Cherokee Nation’s
2012 Remember the Removal riders are: Eric Budder, 17, Echo King, 18,
Clay Rudolph, 21, and Danielle Culp, 22, all of Claremore, Luke Phillips,
15, Seth Alsenay, 16, Megan Alsenay, 20, all of Keys, Nathalie Tomasik,
17, of Tahlequah, Keaton Sheets, 17, of Stilwell, and Elizabeth Cook,
18, of Texarkana, Ark.
Four Remember the
Removal alumni will ride again this year, serving as chaperones and
mentors to the new riders. They include Sarah Holcomb of Vian, Kurt
Rogers of Tahlequah, Jerrad Dry of Fort Gibson and C.J. Alsenay of Keys.
Other staff for the ride are O’Field, Justin Leatherwood, Taylor
Alsenay and Cherokee Nation marshals Faron Pritchett and Ralph Travis.
Eight new riders
from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will join the Oklahoma group
at the ride’s start in Georgia, including EBCI Principal Chief
Michell Hicks, Judy Castorena, Chi Sawyer, Jeremy Wilson, Carmen Johnson,
Sky Littledave, Logan “Tatsi” Nelson and Jeremy Hyatt.
The group’s
Facebook page can be found by searching “Remember the Removal Bike
Ride” and a general website with a map and itinerary is available
at www.remembertheremoval.org. A send-off ceremony will be held on Friday,
June 1, at 9 a.m. in Tahlequah at the Cherokee Nation tribal complex.
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