 |
| TRAIL OF TEARS |
| We had a pleasant way of life and we loved our homeland so Thankful for every blessing given Every mountain and stream and meadow |
| Family and community were important to us, Honoring our elders was key We valued their wisdom, gave them our trust, as reverent as we could be We followed time honored traditions, We worshiped in our own way We danced and passed along stories of old, finding time to celebrate and play We made good use of everything, Made our clothes and tools by hand Built our homes much the same way, We fished, hunted, and farmed the land Then strangers came along one day, They met us with trepidation They weren't expecting to find us here in what they called their new nation When first they came we were afraid, not sure of their intentions But we decided to trust them anyway, and taught them about our traditions The land was spacious and bountiful, there was plenty for us all If we could co-exist in peace, there would be no need for walls We learned of their ways and shared ideas, it seemed we had found new friends But that didn't last, I'm sorry to say, and life as we knew it would soon end They formed a government of their own, and their leaders thought it wise to pack up the natives and send them away into the wilderness ...we couldn't understand why Imagine if someone came to live in your home, the only home you'd ever known Yet you greeted and welcomed them anyway, and let them call it their own Then one day they decided it felt too cramped and forced you to leave that place Not caring what it meant to you or where you'd go, They just wanted you out of their face Now, maybe you've heard of savage misdeeds for which we natives were blamed We had to try to protect our homes, You'd probably do the same But we were far outnumbered by them, and to persist was not our style So at last we agreed to follow their plan and leave our homeland behind We felt bewildered and betrayed, Our sorrow could not be measured We packed our things and traveled away, Away from the place we had treasured From Chattanooga to Tahlequah, an unknown world lay in wait The journey was long and burdensome, many souls were lost along the way We started off in October that year with all that we could carry A trek of seven hundred miles ...for those who were not buried Along with all our memories and the loved ones that we lost We also left a trail of tears over the land where we had crossed The following September, a full year of heartache had passed We finally came to rest at our new place, wondering how long it would last How many broken promises would we believe again How grateful should we be to receive these "gifts" from our civilized friends They call them reservations, but they're just fences we can't cross That alone is tragic enough, if freedom were our only loss But sadly that's not where it ends, The land once so vast and plenty Has been raped and polluted so terribly, and the buffalo plains are now empty They may call us savages in their civilized native tongue But it seems to me the reverse is true, when all is said and done We didn't ask for much from life, and we gave back for what we took But the Trail of Tears goes on and on, mourning the paradise we forsook. |
| (c) 2004 Sheila W |