Going To Water I recently went to water. I did that in a way far different than and some 2500 miles from where my ancestors went to water. “Going to water” can mean different things to different people. For me, it’s a simple act of spiritual renewal. It’s about trying to make things “right” … Read more
Echoes of Resistance
Echoes of Resistance: Mildred’s Whispers (Part 6) Read Part 5 “Have you ever considered that Mildred might represent your higher self?” The energy healer with whom I was working posed that question. Mildred was a grandaunt whom I had never met. She was my grandmother’s older sister. She died at age twenty-two after being hit … Read more
Echoes of Resistance: A Legacy Denied (Part 5) Read Part 4 There’s a house on Main Street in Bryson City, North Carolina. Dishearteningly, it is now the office of a Relax Inn. Some of my family owned that house in less complex but equally difficult times. A few miles from Kituwah Mound, considered the mother … 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