Cherokee Sunset

Echoes of Resistance: A Legacy Denied (Part 5) Read Part 4 There is a house on Main Street in Bryson City, North Carolina, that now serves, rather dishearteningly, as the office for a Relax Inn. Decades ago, my family owned that house during less complex but equally difficult times. Located just a few miles from … Read more

Echoes of Resistance (Part 4) Read Part 3 It was the mid-2000s, and I was investigating my Cherokee genealogy. Emma was the missing link. She came into my life as an echo, tugging at my heart and soul. She was the link between what I already knew about my great-grandmother, Estelle, and what lay beyond … Read more

Echoes of Resistance (Part 3) Read Part 2 In December of 1835, a minority of Cherokees met to sign the Treaty of New Echota. This was an agreement made behind the backs of the Cherokee majority by other Cherokees to cede Cherokee land to the United States government. Three of my Rogers ancestors, all brothers, … Read more

Echoes of Resistance (Part 2) Read Part 1 Osiyo nigada! Recently, I shared the story of my third great-grandmother, Annie, who hailed from the old Cherokee Nation before our people were forced from the East. Her legacy lives on in Yona Ambles, a six-part series honoring my ancestors, and in my New Adult series, Echoes … Read more

Echoes of Resistance (Part 1) In my series, “Echoes of Resistance,” book two (Cherokee Sunset) continues the McNair sisters saga. Book one, Cherokee Afternoon, opened a door for events to confront Molly and Emmy. These books are meant to reflect all our lives to some degree. When I examine my Cherokee ancestors’ lives, I see … Read more