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David remembers playing barefoot on a dirt road in Tahlequah, Oklahoma as a little boy. He never thought much
about who he was, or his heritage then. He was just a little boy, playing in the dirt.
Once he became a man, however, he took a fateful trip to The Smoky Mountains, and his life changed forever.
When he stood on the ground where his ancestors before him had fought to stay, David Backbone found the core of who he is,
and the place where his heart has always been.
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| David Backbone working on a shield |
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| Growing up in OK/With Grandparents & brother |
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| David & his Mother/Goofing off as a Kid |
David takes great time and care with each dream catcher he
makes. Although the modern dreamcatchers are very popular, David is also skilled at creating the traditional dream catchers,
made of wooden hoops of white birch. He his proud of his heritage and his culture, and it shows in each thing he creates.
| David sits in with friends the Southern Singers |
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| Louisville, KY 2005 |
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| The Family Man and the littlest Backbone |
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| David's Family in Tahlequah |
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| Uncle Troy, Mom Mona, Uncle Rufus, Aunt Kay |
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"Nunna daul Tsuny"
(The Trail Where They Cried)
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The Cherokees in 1828 were not nomadic savages.
In fact, they had assimilated many European-style customs, including the wearing of gowns by Cherokee women. They built roads,
schools and churches, had a system of government, and were farmers and ranchers. In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against
the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway. President
Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws
in the Supreme Court and by establishing an independent Cherokee Nation.
The
Treaty Of New Echota gave Jackson the legal document he needed to remove the First Americans. Ratification of the treaty by
the United States Senate sealed the fate of the Cherokee. In 1838 the United
States began the removal to Oklahoma.
In one
of the saddest episodes of our brief history, men, women, and children were taken from their land, herded away with minimal
facilities and food, then forced to march a thousand miles.
About
4000 Cherokee died as a result of the removal. The route they traversed and the journey itself became known as The Trail Of
Tears.
| Relocation Trail |
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Ordering Info
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