Photo: CarolineJQ | Wikimedia Commons
Amaiya Bearpaw, a 22-year-old member of the Cherokee Nation, along with six other Cherokee bike riders took part in a 950-mile long ride across Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, seeking to understand and honor the hardships her ancestors endured during the forced relocation of Native Americans by the U.S. Government in the 1830s. The forced relocation caused immense suffering that took the lives of approximately 46,000 Native Americans due to starvation, exhaustion and disease. The bike ride started out in 1984 as an effort for Cherokee youth to learn about the challenges their ancestors endured during the Trail of Tears and became an annual event in 2009. “We are able to be with our ancestors and see what they went through and the perseverance they showed,” Bearpaw said. “When we get back home, we can share with others how we can still walk this route and ride this route and through that we are able to keep their memories alive.” The training for the ride, alone, took more than 6 months until they could endure an average of 60 miles a day. On the actual ride, through the most grueling parts, the Cherokee teammates would encourage each other forward. Although the ride was definitely not easy, Faith Springwater, one of the bikers, said, “We know there will be hot days and we know there will be long and difficult days but to keep our ancestors in our minds as they crossed those same areas is what is important. They did it on foot and we are on bikes so it’s really a privilege to us to be able to do this.”
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