Remember the Removal Bike Ride to journey through area

Ten cyclists participating in the 2018 Remember the Removal Bike Ride left the Cherokee Nation Tuesday morning, May 29, to begin a three-week trek spanning approximately 950 miles along the northern route of the Trail of Tears.

The journey is scheduled to bring the riders through the Southern Illinois area.

The Cherokee Nation’s 10 cyclists will join eight from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, N.C. 

After participating in cultural activities and team-building exercises in North Carolina, their ride was scheduled to begin in New Echota, Ga., on June 3. 

While commemorating the 180th anniversary of the Trail of Tears, cyclists will travel through seven states before concluding in Tahlequah on June 21.

“The Remember the Removal Bike Ride ensures our future leaders don’t forget the past and always honor the sacrifices our ancestors made,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a news release.

“It is a grueling journey on a bike, but the struggles on the ride offer greater understanding of what our ancestors experienced along the trail 180 years ago as they make stops at museums, gravesites, national parks, churches and other historic sites. This experience will reshape how these young people view life and their heritage.”

The original Remember the Removal Bike Ride was held in 1984, and the leadership program resumed as an annual ride in 2009. 

Participants learn about  the Cherokee Nation’s history, language and culture and get a glimpse of the hardships their ancestors faced while making the journey on foot.

Starting in 1838, Cherokees were rounded up and forced from their homes in Georgia, Tennessee and other southeastern states to the Cherokee Nation’s current capital in Tahlequah. 

Of approximately 16,000 Cherokees who were forced to make the journey to Indian Territory, about 4,000 died from disease, starvation and exposure to the elements.

“I have already learned so much and I am just so honored to be a part of this ride and have the opportunity to represent my tribe in this way,” 2018 Remember the Removal Bike Ride participant Courtney Cowan said.

The riders are scheduled to arrive in Golconda on June 10 and in Cape Girardeau on June 12.

The Remember the Removal Bike Ride can be followed at http://www.facebook.com/removal.ride and at www.remembertheremoval.cherokee.org. On Twitter and Instagram, search for the hashtags #RTR2018 and #WeRemember.

The cyclists are scheduled to travel through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The Cherokee Nation is the federally recognized government of the Cherokee people and has inherent sovereign status recognized by treaty and law. 

The seat of tribal government is near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. 

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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