TRIBE MEETS AT TRAIL OF TEARS

A special tribal meeting of the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Louisiana Territory was held Saturday at Trail of Tears State Park north of Cape Girardeau.

The tribe's chief, Barbara Baker-Northup, said this monthly meeting was special because it was taking place in the park set aside by Missouri to honor the Cherokee and the "suffering they endured" during the Trial of Tears march from Georgia to Oklahoma almost 160 years ago. Currently monthly meetings are scheduled at different locations in Arkansas and Missouri.

"Imagine what some of these trees must have seen then," she said, "as our people were led through here. What these trees must've seen with all of the suffering and the heartache on this trail."

About 60 people representing all walks of life from main-stream America attended Saturday's meeting. Most of them were residents of surrounding states. But tribe officials said as many as 4,000 people were on the rolls in some capacity in the organization.

"I came to learn about my ancestry," said Martha Gurgino of Cape Girardeau. "My father was Cherokee, and I don't know much about it."

Many other people attended the tribal meeting not only to learn about their heritage but also how to be accepted as a member of the group.

"I know there are others out there waiting to hear about us," said Bob Northup, a tribal council representative. "We want all of these people to come forward, and say, 'I am Cherokee.'"

The purpose of the organization is to represent the Americans with Cherokee ancestry under the auspices of a group recognized by the federal government. The group needs members who have proven their Cherokee heritage to become federally recognized.

"It's a very complicated process," the tribal chief said, "but I'm glad it is because we don't want other groups that aren't legitimate to become recognized as we should be."

During the meetings, many of the families have mini reunions and work out family trees. Working together on genealogy helps, members say, because good records about their Cherokee ancestry are hard to find.

Many of the tribal members also have other Native American blood because sometimes members of one tribe married another and inter-tribal marriages took place because some states didn't allow Native Americans to marry Caucasians.

For information about the tribe, contact Chief Barbara Baker-Northup at 2000 E. Broadway, Suite 303, Columbia, Mo., 65201.