The Trail of Tears..... ( Archived) (130)

Cherokee words

gv-ge-yu-i a-da-ne-di ni-ga-da

pronounced...guh gay you ee ah dah nay dee knee gah dah


Translate... Love Gives Everything

Several National Governments around the world have enacted "restitutional payments" as it were for all the damages, deaths and pains inflicted upon native groups/ tribes and various ethnic groups, be it in Australia, Canada, South Africa, South America...Have the tribes and or peoples of "the trail of tears" received any compensation at all from the US government over the injustices, deaths etc. that their anti-native peoples policies caused???
I remember many years ago that this was one of the sought after goals of the American Indian Movement , then under Russel Means and as usual a target of the FBI ....

I'm not sure...I don't think so though....Yes several groups have received payment...mostly far too little...BUT then there will never be enough money for all the pain...suffering and deaths....

When Andrew Jackson fought against the British in the war of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans.....local Indians fought with him....so did many other ingenious groups local to LA. I am not saying what he did in ordering the Cherokee tribe to undertake in the Trail of Tears was honorable or decent thing. It was not.

But let us return to the Plains Indian war for a moment. The Plains Indians had three major problems with the movement white man in and thru thier terroritory. Each could have solved with negotiation and benefited all.

First, the Oregon trail wagon route crossed thier territory and 1000s of whites were using them. The Plains Tribes needed food, buffalo herds were beginning to dimish because over hunting by both sides. Wagon trains could have paid in food for thier crossing....as tariff to the Indian. If a man drives across my property, I don't go out kill him.

I might go out and talk with him to find out what his purpose for being there. If he is there for purposes that are legal or are reasonable, we negotiate for his access. Wagon train actually did this many times, paid for safe passage with cutting cattle out of thier herds. It could have been treatied into a common practice that benefited both.

Second, miners and mining operations. Almost the exact same answer here could be done. The mining operations were on Indian land, that had by treaty been agreed on. The minerial rights might have discussed in those treaties, I don't know. But assuming that they were the Indian's, then miners and Indian could have up some kind of sharing program. Where the minerial were shared. Would corruption of the wealth occurred?

Yes, likely it would have. But if men like your uncle L. Grant were hired to monitor the program and check the mining operations productions at turn in. Maybe not as bad as one thinks. It could have worked to the benefit of both. The Indians needed a revenue source. Precious minerials was an excellent means to achieve that.

Third, mentioned earlier was the decline in the Buffalo herds. Poor diet and lack of protiens caused them to develop many illness. Yes even white mans's minor diseases like like measles had deadly effect because they had no immunity. But they needed better medical attention than what they were getting from medicine men. Though even at the time white man's medicine was still in its infancy and with charlants. It was better than the Indian's traditional ways.

I am not talking alchol here sale here, a illness also that the white brought to the Indian. But the Whites had major medical improvements from the Civil War in the treatment of many illness and trauma injuries. They were becoming aware of the role invisible germs played and what sanitatary drinking water meant. None of these medical advances were passed on to the Plains Indian tribes until after the Indian wars were over. Had the wars not occurred they would have gotten them sooner. Medical programs and teaching could have been incorporated into these new treaties. Just as was done later when they were on the reservation. Only sooner without the wars.

So for the defense of their territory, the Plains Indians lost a food source, lost a revenue source, and lost better medicines and medical
practices that the white man could have provided. Not a wise war to make, when it is going to cause the dicimation of your nation. This does not mean that heroism and foolishness on both sides did not occur during the Plains Indian wars. So did atrocities and indiscrimate killings, again on both sides. If one makes a case that one side or the other was totally in the right and the other was totally in the wrong, then it is biased position in my opinion.

As a former soldier, I don't honor men of any side of a conflict that commit atrocities. I have worked way to hard in this lifetime to keep atrocities of civilians from happening. Both in defending the country I love and honoring the people of all races that live here.

Cherokee words

gv-ge-yu-i a-da-ne-di ni-ga-da

pronounced...guh gay you ee ah dah nay dee knee gah dah


Translate... Love Gives Everything

Incase you missed it earlier ... i posted it again

Thanks darlin...I probably did when I was in the middle of posting and correct...Love does give everthing....

We speak to all the nations
We speak to all the tribes.
We rode across America
We lived and then we died.

We were your forefathers
We honored this sacred land.
We fought for many years
To live in peace with man.

We arose with the morning sun
The Great Spirit as our guide.
At night we danced under the stars
As the embers of fire would fly.

The great medicine men, and healers
Would all gather in the night.
While the women birthed our children
Before the morning light.
In the distance wolves watched
As buffalo passed their way.
We dared not harm the creatures
For this was not our way.

The skies were not polluted
Mountain lakes ran pure and clear.
We honored earth and waters
With respect to all life here.

We harmed nothing and lived in peace
We taught our children too.
We knew the time was approaching
When our days on earth were through.

We now speak to all the nations
To all the descendents of our tribes.
You are our voices - now speak for us
For this land we loved and we died.

~author unknown~

Solitare, what about modern day Indian tribe payments to ranchers that had thier deeded ranches burned out and cattle herds stolen?
Or to modern white families that had lost loved ones in Indian attacks of the day? Descentants (including Custers) of many of the 7th Calvary are still alive today. Maybe restitution from the Siuox and Cheyenne for what happened at Little Big Horn?

I think you see where this goes. We are talking of injustices that occurred 150 years ago. They are to hard (if not impossible) to document accurately.

I say let the spirits of our American forefathers that are both white and red rest. If we keep making them a battle ground in court, in
litigation, in legislation, we do them a grave disservice. They tried to protect thier families and thier nations to the best of their given abilities. They deserve that rest.

We show them little respect when we take court, things that they tried to settle on the battlefield. All we do is keep the reasons that they went to the battlefield in the first place in our society and country as open wounds. We don't achieve any honor for or direct restitution to these people that suffered then and hence passed on.

But it is the right of the Cherokee Nation to press for those restitutions
from the Government of the United States. Just as it the right of the descendants of whites that lost lives and property to litigate Indians tribes. But what good would it do for those that actually cried those many tears on the trail or lost greatly in the those conflicts? Maybe some good for thier ancessors, yes. Does an honorable person wish to benefit on the tears of thier forefathers? It is best to let them rest, I think. jmo

Love's Gentle Touch..........

Your gentle caress touches my soul as you look into my eyes and I see the love deep within them for me
The locks of your hair spread out over my chest as you lay your head gently upon my chest like a silken sea.....

When you run your hands softly across my chest rustling the hair softly in a tender caress as your breath moves them like a breeze
The soft sound of your voice as you tell me of your love reaches deep within me and I know happiness that puts my heart at ease....

As we sit side by side and you reach over to touch my leg softly with a gentle touch just to show me of your love
I know that I have truly been blessed with a love that reaches down deep within me because I have been blessed from above....

Driving down the road as you place your hand in mine or on my leg in a soft caress just to share your touch with me
These are the things that I have found are so very tender and caring to our love and I am so happy that all can see....

In the summer as we gently swing in the back yard on our bench just listening to the sound of nature and watching the hummingbirds feed
Working side by side in the garden as you flash me a soft smile I know that your love has filled me with a tenderness that I really need....

In the cool of the evening as the sun sets and the moon rises as we sit quietly down by the pond with the frogs croaking in the night
To hear your voice as I see you as a vague shadow as we share our time together watching the night sky which is a beautiful site....

Each of these moments are precious to me because I know that my love’s touch reaches out to me from deep within her heart
I have been truly blessed and I wanted to share this with you so that you would know that this kind of love can be yours from the start....

You must find someone who will care and share your life like I have to really understand how happiness can blossom into full love if you try
Yes I am blessed with such a love that touches me deeply and I am so happy that I wanted to share it with all who read these words perhaps with a tear in their eye....

For I know that so many have searched for this kind of love and yearn for it so that they can share it with the true love of their life
Finding that special person who can reach out to them tenderly with that touch that will end their loneliness and pain to end their strife....

So with my simple words I have tried to show you how your love’s tender touch can change your life as it has for me
I am so happy that I feel that I must tell others so that they will continue to search for this happiness you see....


-Hawkflying-