John Ross was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1828-1866. His mother was a Cherokee, and his father was of Scottish decent. He was born in Turkeytown (this is a real place), Alabama. Because most Native cultures are matrilineal, he was considered to be born to his mother's family and part of the Bird Clan. He lived near Lookout Mountain, which is about thirty minutes from my house. (In fact, his cabin can be toured in Rossville, Georgia, and I have been there. We also have Ross's Landing in Chattanooga where a lot of concerts and things are held by the river. He founded a lot of Chattanooga, and did so with enslaved black people. I always found it odd that we never learned about him in school, and it wasn't until I was an over 20 adult that I learned about this man.) He was educated at home, attended tribal festivities, and was also educated by Reverend Gideon Blackburn, who had opened schools in southeast Tennessee for Native children. (Of course, classes were taught in English to both Natives and mixed race Natives. Later in life, he did not speak Cherokee, but had throughout his youth until it was "educated" out of him.) He later attended another school in Kingston, Tennessee, which is about 40 minuets north of my house.

Pathkiller or The Ridge was born around 1772 in along the Hiawassee River in Tennessee. He was born to the Deer Clan. His mother was a mixed race Scottish/Cherokee, and his father was believed to have been a Cherokee. He was trained as a Native warrior. He was involved in several wars and skirmishes between other Natives, as well as white people. He had an altercation with Tecumseh, who was spreading his message in the South, even threatening to kill him. Pathkiller was allied with John Ross as a participant in the Cherokee National Council, and worked hard for their people. Unfortunately, they had a falling out over the Indian Removal Act. This led to what was essentially a civil war between various Cherokee clans. It was sad to see, and sadder still that so many people died on The Trail Of Tears. Pathkiller was executed in compliance with the Cherokee Blood Law by members of Ross's faction. It was really just a bloody and tragic thing all around.

I'm not sure about where other people live, but I live smack in the center of Civil War and Cherokee Removal land. I was told that there were Cherokee people in my family tree, and I have not yet discovered them. I am sure that there is probably at least one, since my family has lived in this area since right after the American Revolution. I have always been interested in Native affairs, because everywhere you drive around here there is a sign for an original Trail of Tears route, or some place that is important to Natives. I feel like the least that I can do as a white person in this day and age is to learn about what these people went through, how the past is impacting the present, and what can be done going forward to ensure good relationships between everyone living in this country. I didn't ask for my ancestors to come here. I didn't ask to be born here. Most of the time, I don't even want to live here, at least in this state. Native people didn't ask to have their way of life disrupted and be subjected to genocide, or to have to share their land with people who think they can come into someone's home and take over. The least I can do is be aware of the past, teach my children about the things that happened, and do the best I can to respect other human beings.

This book is a very important book for Americans to read, but especially people living in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. We have such a strong group of Natives in this area that are really amazing people. This is their history, and it is also our history. We are living here in this area that was founded by these people. We are living in this area that has seen so much violence across the centuries. Burying our heads in the sand benefits no one. If you are in this area, I encourage you to attend some of the Native festivals that are open to the public. You will meet some amazing people, learn some amazing things, and experience some truly beautiful art and culture. This book was really important to me once I discovered that it was about people whose names are so familiar to me.