CHATTANOOGA, TN – During the National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. announced that the Cherokee Nation would contribute $25,000 to the National Trail of Tears Association, and $10,000 each to nine Trail of Tears Association state chapters.
The annual event, held this year in Chattanooga, TN, provides members of the national association and state chapters an opportunity to gather and discuss ongoing efforts to support the continued creation, development and interpretation of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
“The Trail of Tears Association holds such a close place in my heart and the hearts of the Cherokee people,” said Chief Hoskin. “It’s important to support the protection of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and the national association and each of the nine state chapters have a crucial role in that mission. The men and women who volunteer their efforts to keep the Trail of Tears Association strong are doing something important for the country and for the history of Native peoples. These Cherokee Nation contributions, with no strings attached, are an expression of our continued support of these groups and the important work they do each day.”
The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, designated as a national historic trail by Congress in 1987, commemorates the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their homelands in the southeastern U.S. to Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma, in the late 1830s.
In 1993, the Association entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service to promote and engage in the protection and preservation of Trail of Tears National Historic Trail resources; to promote awareness of the Trail’s legacy, including the effects of the U.S. government’s Indian Removal Policy on the Cherokees and other tribes; and to perpetuate the management and development of techniques that are consistent with the National Park Service’s trail plan.
The Trail of Tears Association has nine state chapters in the nine states through which the Trail of Tears traversed, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. State chapters address specific issues in each state, including membership development, chapter organization and other efforts that assist the national association and the National Park Service in achieving their objectives.
“Each chapter is different in what their priorities will be, but some will use these funds to create digital content, some may use it for printed materials, enhance their websites or create interpretative material to use along the trail,” said Troy Wayne Poteete, National Trail of Tears Executive Director. “There are a number of different ways they can use that much money in their efforts. This contribution removes the necessity of trying to find additional funding for these projects. All chapters have projects that they are wanting to do, so this will just accelerate those efforts.”