No better symbol exists of the pain and
suffering of the Trail Where
They Cried than the Cherokee Rose(pictured at top of page).
The mothers of the Cherokee
grieved so much that the
chiefs prayed for a sign to lift
the mother's spirits and
give them strength to care for their
children. From that day forward,
a beautiful new flower,
a rose, grew wherever a mother's tear
fell to the ground. The rose is white, for
the mother's tears.
It has a gold center, for
the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and
seven leaves on each stem that represent the
seven Cherokee clans that
made the journey. To
this day, the Cherokee Rose prospers along the
route of the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee
Rose is now the official flower of the
State of Georgia.
North Georgia's Cherokee Indians
Cherokee in Georgia -- Timeline
Cherokee in North Georgia:A Nation's history
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The Creek Nation
Prior to the early 18th Century,
most of Georgia was home to Native
Americans belonging to a southeastern
alliance known as the Creek Confederacy.
Today's Creek Nation, also known as
the Muskogee, were the major tribe
in that alliance.
According to Creek traditions, the
Confederacy migrated to the southeastern
United States from the Southwest.
The confederacy was probably formed
as a defense against other large
groups to the north. The
name "Creek" came from the shortening of
"Ocheese Creek" Indians -- a name given
by the English to the native
people living along the Ocheese
Creek (or Ocmulgee River).
In time, the name was applied
to all groups of the confederacy.
For more on The Creek Nation
visit these links.
The Creek Nation - North Georgia's American Indians
History of The Creek Nation - American Indians in North Georgia
