Eighteen members of the Cherokee Nation on Friday finished a 950-mile bike ride that followed the same path their ancestors walked on the Trail of Tears. The annual ride, dubbed Remember the Removal, follows the northern section of the trail to honor the Cherokee who were forcibly removed from their homelands 190 years ago.
The Trail of Tears is known as such for the brutality Native people endured at the hands of U.S. soldiers during their forced journey West in the winter of 1838. Many died of violence, disease and exposure. It’s estimated that one-fourth of the Cherokee population perished on the route.
The memorial ride began in New Echota, Georgia, in early June and continued through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma before being welcomed back at the Cherokee National Peace Pavilion in downtown Tahlequah.
The cyclists trained for more than five months, riding a total of 1,500 miles in preparation for the final ride, during which they cycled up to 70 miles per day.
Every year, the cyclists reach the boundary of Cherokee traditional homelands, on the banks of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers, to visit Blythe Ferry, a historic site where nine detachments passed through the area and crossed the Tennessee River by ferry. During a ceremony with the cyclists and Tennessee state legislators, the Tennessee State Parks upgraded the county park, formerly known as the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, to state park status and renamed it Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park.
Taylor Pearce, 23, of Leach, Okla., is the granddaughter of Geri Glass Pearce, who staffed the inaugural 1984 ride. Pearce said the challenge of the ride allowed her a glimpse of what her ancestors endured.
“Since the first pedal stroke of this journey, I have felt the sorrow of remembering the forced removal of my ancestors, the joy of laughter being surrounded by my teammates, the exhaustion of continuing to ride every day and so many more emotions,” she said in a statement. “I’ve always known that everything I have is the result of my ancestors’ strength and resilience, but I had no idea of the true meaning of that statement until this bike ride.
“Walking in the literal footsteps of the ancestors and the bike riders that came before me has given me the strength to continue on when the ride has pushed me to my limits. As I finish my time as an RTR rider, I feel a deeper responsibility to give back to the communities that have supported me, continue to learn about Cherokee culture in order to pass the knowledge on to my children, and to never forget all the Cherokee people have overcome and how we continue to grow and thrive as one people.”
This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the inaugural 1984 ride, when 19 young Cherokees and support staff made the journey in five weeks and nearly 1,200 miles. The path was chosen with interstate maps and historic information from the northern route of the Trail of Tears. The tribe produced a documentary that shares the 1984 riders’ experience in honor of the 40th anniversary in 2024.
“To represent the Cherokee Nation and honor the resilience of our ancestors is a privilege,” cyclist Kristen Mankiller said in a statement. “The physical and emotional weight of this journey is heavy, but it has fueled my commitment to stewardship. We must all ensure the sacrifices that were made are never forgotten.”
