Osiyo,There were many “trails of tears� that all Native American peoples were foercd to walk during the genocide, dismantling and foercd relocation to reservations and prisons. All of those involved in this ride are Apache, Comanche, Toba, Cheyenne/Arapaho, Cherokee, Penobscot, Lakota, and others, have ancestors who were targeted for extinction and subjugation; my ancestors walked the Cherokee Trail of Tears from Red Clay, to Tahlequah;Grandmother Margaret’s ancestors were taken from their home in Montana to Oklahoma in chains. Oklahoma was a place of disease and systematic starvation; for families to stay and survive together required great strength of will and determination. Those who decided to return home to Montana knew they would be hunted down and executed; for some, this was a risk worth taking. That there are Cheyenne people in Oklahoma and in Montana is a testament to the great strength, determination, and love in the hearts of Cheyenne ancestors.Those Cheyenne who decided to leave Oklahoma, were re-captured and imprisoned in Nebraska, escaped again; to finally make it back to their homeland. Beginning at Fort Reno, Oklahoma, we will follow the trail of the Cheyenne people who made their way back to their beloved Tongue River Valley and the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, where we will join with Grandmother Margaret as she hosts the 11th gathering of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. After that gathering, we will return to Oklahoma where horses and riders will the follow the Cherokee Trail of Tears South back to my home, the mountains of many smokes deep in Cherokee Country; carrying with us the teachings, blessings and prayers of those 13 wise women. We are the grand children of those who stood in the face of genocide, with great courage, strength and love, determined not to pass from the face of the earth. This ride is our voice proclaiming to the world that our ancestors did not suffer in vain, because we are still here!Noqah Elisi: G-granddaughter of Sarah Jane Willis who was full-blood Wolf Clan Cherokee born in Hamilton County, TN, buried not far from Red Clay, TN. (I do not ride as a representative of the Cherokee Nation, I ride for my grandmother and for my own healing, and to say S'gi to all our ancestors for making it possible for us to be here today)

fSIMnr Im obliged for the article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.