Tag Archives: Cherokee

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 5

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 26, 2026- Hana looked at a small photograph, which showed Aram as a 6-year-old boy. I told her that was her Daddy when he was much younger. She looked over at his Navy Boot Camp graduation picture and then again at the small photo. Back and forth a few times, she made the connection.

Hana has taught herself how to climb up onto a cloth chair. She also knows how to go from there up onto a futon bed next to it. I kept her off the bed and then guided her down off the chair. The climbing fun has begun, and so has the increased vigilance.

HANA’S NOTE- I am feeling more like I can climb up things now. Papa is watching me very close, though, so I won’t be able to go everywhere.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: North Carolina- I have been to, or through, the Tar Heel State eight times. My first was a bus ride that stopped in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, in 1987. Aram and I spent a night in Charlotte, in late 2000, while driving a car back from New Jersey. Our family road trip, in 2007, saw us stay in Fayetteville, going north and Greensboro, going back south. Salisbury and Raleigh were other northbound overnight stops, in 2017 and 2022, respectively. I visited Asheville and Tryon briefly, in 2021. Each of these places has offered a hearty welcome. I have extended family in Winston-Salem, as well.

The turf- The Appalachian Mountains cover North Carolina’s west, and may be divided into four ranges: The Blue Ridge, Great Smokies, Black Mountains and Brushy Mountains. East of the Appalachians is the Piedmont Plateau, a hilly and forested region, which is also NC’s most populous area. The eastern third of the state is Coastal Plain. This includes the peninsula and islands of the Outer Banks. North Carolina celebrates its geographical diversity with the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which has 18 segments, starting in Kuwohi, on the Tennessee border and ending at Jockey’s Ridge, in the Outer Banks. North Carolina features the Eastern Continental Divide in the Blue Ridge Mountains ( divides between water flowing towards the Atlantic and that flowing towards the Gulf of Mexico.). The state is drained by the French Broad, Kanawha, Hiawassee, Catawba, Yadkin, Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, Neuse and Cape Fear Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations-North Carolina is the ancestral home of the Saponi, Cherokee, Haliwa, Meherrin, Coharie, Lumbee and Waccamaw peoples. The Tuscarora Nation lived in the Coastal Plain, until the 1710s. They were defeated by British settlers, in Barnwell’s War, (1713), at Fort Noherooka. The Tuscarora then moved to New York and Ontario.The Catawba were numerous in the Piedmont region, but were decimated by disease and conflict with the Cherokee. They primarily live today in South Carolina. The Cherokee, originally allowed to own land in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, under treaties of 1777 and 1792, were forcibly removed in 1838, under an edict from President Martin Van Buren. This removal was part of the Trail of Tears, which saw 20,000 people die, en route to Oklahoma. Today, there are eight State Reservations in North Carolina, including the Quall Boundary Reservation (Cherokee) in the Blue Ridge.

Where I most feel at home: Tryon, Asheville, Salisbury, Raleigh, Wilmington.

Where I most feel at peace: Tryon, Salisbury

NEXT: Virginia

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 3

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Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 24, 2026- Hana was dressed up,this noon, as we went as a family to a Vietnamese restaurant, in nearby Garland. She had already eaten her lunch, and contented herself with a couple of cucumber slices and leaves of lettuce. We adults had egg rolls, a stuffed rice pancake, shredded shrimp and spicy peanut on crispy rice and the central Vietnamese counterpart to pho. In our family practice, we shared these items.

Earlier, while my three loved ones were walking around Hoblitzelle Park, I took Sportage for a thorough servicing and got a haircut. The car has new wiper blades, fresh oil, brake fluid and a clean fuel system. I have a cleaned up noggin.

Hana was a bit thrown off by my cleaned up appearance, as she had been asleep when I got back from my errands. She pouted a bit, until she heard my voice and felt my hand on her arm. Then all was well again. When we went to the restaurant, she was quite sociable with the other patrons, especially with the other children.

HANA’S NOTE- I thought a strange man was in the house, when I woke from my nap. Then I heard Papa’s voice and everything was okay.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Georgia- I have been in Georgia about a dozen times. The Peachtree State was the third state in which I ever set foot, outside of New England. That was in 1969, and it was only a short transit at Atlanta Hartsfield, between Columbia and Louisville, en route to Indianapolis, from Basic Training to Advanced Individual Training, at the beginning of my Army active duty. Georgia became much more important in the 2000s and 2010s, when my middle brother and his family lived in Newnan, about an hour south of Atlanta. Visits in 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022. either with the whole “Atlanta” family or just passing through, in their absence, have cemented Georgia in my heart. One of my nephews and his family still live in Metro Atlanta.

The turf- Georgia’s north is fully Appalachian, and serves as the starting point of the Appalachian Trail- at Springer Mountain. The Appalachian Plateau dominates the state’s northwest and the Blue Ridge, its northeast. The mountains are bordered to the south by Piedmont, a rocky area of rolling hills and dense forest. The Coastal Plain, alternating between rich, black soil and red clay, covers the southern two-thirds of Georgia. Peanut farms are common in the southwest and cotton farms, in the southeast. Okefenokee Swamp is a key wetland in the southernmost part of Georgia.and is a National Wildlife Refuge. The state is drained by the Chattahoochee, Savannah, Suwannee, Flint, Towaliga, Ocmulgee, Etowah and Altamaha Rivers, as well as their tributaries. Georgia has several lakes, most prominently Lake Lanier and Lake Oconee. Georgia’s Atlantic Coast features several of the Sea Islands, a chain it shares with South Carolina. Georgia’s Sea Islands include Cumberland, St. Simon’s, Ossabaw, Sapelo and Jekyll.

First Nations- Two nations, Guale and Yamasee, thrived in Georgia until the coming of Spanish and British colonists, in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. The Guale, in particular, were mound builders and had longhouses, similar to other Mississippian Culture groups. They were forcibly converted to Catholicism, by the Spanish, who largely removed the Guale into Florida. The Yamasee were able to survive in the Low Country, a while longer, due to their alliance with Scottish colonists. They eventually clashed with colonists from Carolina, and were defeated in 1715. They then dispersed and were absorbed into the Muscogee Nation. Nacoochee Mound remains today, as remnant of the Guale Culture.

Georgia is the ancestral home of the Cherokee and Muscogee peoples, both of which were forcibly removed during the campaigns initiated by Andrew Jackson and continued by Martin Van Buren, from 1830-1841. Most Georgia First Nations people were removed by 1835, along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. Today, the State of Georgia recognizes the Cherokee of Georgia, Eastern Cherokee and Lower Muscogee Creek Tribe. These are not Federally-recognized groups, but are protected by the State.

Where I most feel at home- Americus, Newnan, Folkston, St. Simon’s, Dublin, Cairo, mid-town Atlanta.

Where I most feel at peace- Amicalola, Americus, Okefenokee

NEXT: South Carolina

The Hana Chronicles: Month 10, Day 1

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Posted by on in children, Education, Family, Historical, Personal Values

October 22, 2026- Hana has now been ten months blessing our lives and keeping us on our toes. In the past month, she has mastered standing up and scooting. She is actively walking with support and has taken a few steps, independently, here and there. Babbling with intention is now accompanied by pointing to something she wants. She tries to help in little ways-picking up a clean diaper and a package of wet wipes; pulling her shirt off, at changing time; trying to put on her own straps and secure the tray, when placed in a high chair.

My grandchild loves to look at books and makes “comments’, after looking at a picture or two. She does best when given a limited number of books (2-3) to look at, at any one time. Otherwise, a whole shelf of books could end up on the floor.

She also likes our stroller walks, and is still very much interested in the Halloween and Harvest displays that alternate in several of the neighbourhoods we have covered in our meanderings. Her favourites are the skeletons, especially the tall ones.

HANA’S NOTE- I like sleeping in the stroller, on the way back home. The streets Papa chooses for each walk are sometimes the same ones; sometimes new ones. I like the neighbourhoods though.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Alabama-I have been in the Heart of Dixie seven times: First,in 1987, on a bus bound for Phoenix, by way of New Orleans and Houston; then, in 2011, with several days visiting Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Selma and Birmingham; 2015, in Daphne, near Mobile and a visit with a friend in Sylacauga; 2022, to Tuskegee, at the tail end of a road trip by rental car, that began and ended in Atlanta; then a train trip from Atlanta to New Orleans, which went through Birmingham and Tuscaloosa; and finally, in July of that year, making a brief stop in Florence and Muscle Shoals.As in other parts of the South, I have encountered only graciousness and hospitality, from anyone and everyone.

The turf- Northernmost Alabama is covered by the Cumberland Plateau, which extends south from Tennessee. To its southeast is the Appalachian Valley, the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. South of the Appalachians is the Piedmont Plateau. The rest of the state is Black Belt, a reference to the rich black soil and coastal plain, whose soil, especially in the Sawgrass Region, of southeast Alabama, is a bit sandier. Alabama is drained by the Tennessee, Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chattahoochee, Tombigbee, Black Warrior and Mobile Rivers, along with their tributaries. The state is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico, on its southwest.

First Nations-Alabama is the ancestral home of the Alabama-Coushatta, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Yuchi peoples. Mound builders were active in Alabama, before the ascendancy of the Five Civilized Tribes, and left some decidedly civilized structures at places like Moundville. Choctaw and Creek maintain presence in Alabama in the MOWA and Porach communities, respectively. All other Indigenous people were removed form Alabama in the 1830s. As settlers encroached on Native lands, in the 1810s, a civil war broke out among the Creeks, The Red Stick faction opposed white settlement; another faction allied itself with the U.S. Government. The Red Sticks were soundly defeated in the Creek War of 1813-14, in the Battles of Tallushatchee, Talladega and Horseshoe Bend. The other tribes were included in the Trail of Tears, as indicated above.

Where I most feel at home- Daphne, Sylacauga, Tuskegee, Selma, Florence

Where I most feel at peace- Sylacauga, Tuscaloosa, Ozark

NEXT: Florida

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 26

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Posted by on in children, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Travel

October 17, 2026- Hana and I went on a long walk this afternoon, as her Mom was taking an hour or so for herself, and it was a beautiful day. Hana enjoyed the walk, but after a while, she wanted to get out of the stroller and stretch. It will be a grand thing, when she can wear socks and shoes, and balance being in a stroller with walking around.

Hana is noticing what other children are doing. She was delighted by a girl of about five, who was walking her much larger dog, and pretty much making it mind. I think my granddaughter will be a rather authoritative pet minder, one of these days. She certainly communicates her feelings quite forcefully.

HANA’S NOTE- I had a huge breakfast today. I didn’t have much room at lunch time, but by dinner, I was very hungry again. So that was another big meal.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Tennessee-The Volunteer State, along with Kentucky, extends from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. I have been to all parts of Tennessee, visiting about a dozen times. The first time was in 1979, spending an unusually snowy, blustery nigh, in Memphis, sitting by a fireplace and thoroughly enjoying catfish and hush puppies, at an “all-you -can-eat” hotel restaurant. A dear friend lives in Crossville, halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. Other good friends live in each of those cities, and an extended family member lived for a time in Chattanooga. I’ve always enjoyed my visits to the Volunteer State.

The Turf- Tennessee’s western third is riparian plain, part of the Mississippi Delta. The central part of the state is rim country nearly surrounding Nashville, which itself sits in a low-lying Basin. The Cumberland Plateau rises to the east of the Highland Rim. The peaks and valleys of the Appalachian region. including the Blue Ridge, borders the Cumberland, to the east. Tennessee is drained by the Mississippi, Tennessee,Clinch, Cumberland, Buffalo and Holston Rivers, as well as their tributaries.

First Nations- Tennessee is the ancestral home of the Cherokee, Shawnee, Chickasaw, Quapaw and Yuchi peoples. Other tribes found homes among the Cherokee, at different periods of the adjustment to the coming of Europeans to the middle part of North America. Mound builders pre-dated those nations, leaving their earthworks behind, most prominently at Pinson Mounds, Mound Bottom, Toqua, Citico and Old Stone Fort.

With European, and then American, expansion, came pressure on the nations which lived east of Cumberland Gap, such as the Cherokee. These tribes then move in on their neighbours, the Yuchi and Shawnee, pushing them west and south. The Cherokee, and later the Chickasaw, were moved out of Tennessee in the 1830s, as part of the forced relocation to what is now Oklahoma. Today, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw have a small community in Lauderdale County, west Tennessee. Native people have re-settled in Nashville and Knoxville. There are, however, no other organized First Nations communities in the state.

Where I most feel at home- Crossville, Wildersville, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Shiloh

Where I most feel at peace- Fall Creek Falls, Natchez Trace, Nashville’s Parthenon, Crossville,

NEXT: Mississippi

The Indissoluble Bond

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Spiritual, Striving

February 8, 2019, Chino Valley-

Every second and fourth Friday evening, God willing, a group of us gathers at the home of two dear friends, here in this town, 15 miles north of Prescott.  We share a meal, then indulge in drumming and chanting, with a flautist accompanying much of the music.

There is, of course, conversation before, after and in between the musical selections.  One of the members of the group shared the traditions and teachings of the Cherokee of North Carolina, explaining that there has been some divergence within the tribe, with regard to dialect and certain customs, as a result of the Trail of Tears and its resulting geographic isolation, of one group from another.

He performed a traditional Cherokee blessing, prior to the meeting’s end.  This is shared below, as performed by another vocal group.  I see similarities with other cultures, from Keltic Irish to Zulu, in terms of blessings wished upon visitors and loved ones.  We each noted that there is an essential tie between humans, both regardless of physical distance and regardless of separation by time.

I can feel an almost palpable connection, with my maternal grandfather, who I never met and with paternal ancestors, who I have been assured are watching over me constantly, from the distance of several hundred years.  Likewise, among those who live hundreds, or thousands, of miles away, I feel an unbreakable bond-though we may see one another once, or not at all, in the course of this earthly life.  Whether through genetic memory or a spiritual envelope, the ties have been, and continue to be, unbreakable.

The bonds that some try to break, out of fear, narcissism or ignorance, can never really be broken.  We are at a stage, in our human evolution, when connections are, or are about to be, seen for their true nature:  Indissoluble.