Creek campfire legend
Speaks of the fierce “Chelokee”
“People of a different speech”
The noble Cherokee
Southern Appalachia
Tranquil home
Before the white mans oppression
Vastly powerful tribe
Peaceful co-existence
European expeditions
Organized elimination
Besieged their mountain habitat
Red Chiefs War Dance
Fought “civilized privileged treatment”
Priests became warriors
Then hunters for a profit
Shaky British alliance
Inter-nation treachery
1721
Treaty of deceit
Regulated trade
Smallpox devastation
Virginia massacre
No cover for their dead
Bitter “Trail of Tears”
At the hand of frontier militias
Forced indignant retreat
Decimated homeland
“Dawes Commission”, 1885
Ill informed attempt at civility
Oklahoma’s arrival
Tragic chain of events
Once proud Cherokee Nation
Forever dissolved
