Content notes for "The Trail of Hope"

These are the content notes for "The Trail of Hope."  They contain some spoilers.

Today, three Cherokee tribes have federal recognition: the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation  in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.  Originally they lived in the southeastern part of Turtle Island.  The Cherokee Nation is the largest of these. three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States.

As of 2014, the Cherokee Seed Project of the Natural Resources Department offers "two breeds of corn, two kinds of beans (including Trail of Tears beans), two gourds and medicinal tobacco" to Cherokee Nation members.

The Seven Clans form a major part of Cherokee society.  During the Trail of Hope, helper spirits had an opportunity change their clan support if they wished.  Some changed, while others stayed the same.

A-ni-gi-lo-hi (Long Hair) --> Skunk (Ghigau)
A-ni-sa-ho-ni (Blue) --> Big Cat (Julia Starr)
A-ni-wa-ya (Wolf) --> Dog (Mary Yellow Dog)
A-ni-go-te-ge-wi (Wild Potato) --> Seed (Hanna and Ida Paden)
A-ni-a-wi (Deer) = Deer (Rex Deere)
A-ni-tsi-s-qua (Bird) = Bird (owl, Daryl Byrd)
A-ni-wo-di (Paint) --> Smoke (Lee
Spotted Rabbit (Rosanna Vazquez)
Goat (Adsila Steppe)
(Lost Clan)

Of the Cherokee Nation's 299,862 people, 189,228 resided in Oklahoma and over 124,000 inside the reservation.  About 1,000 of them left on the Trail of Hope, divided into 10 bands of 100 people each, so they wouldn't overstrain resources while traveling.  As much as possible, people from the original Seven Clans were bunched together.  Those who had mothers from another tribe, and thus no Cherokee clan, filled the three extra bands and contributed to the rest.  Ghigau declared that these would become the new clans, based on whatever helpers presented themselves to each band along the way.

Prior to European contact, the Cherokee had domesticated dogs, which they used for food and pack animals.

In this setting, the Cherokee Cur descends from the landrace dogs of the Cherokee tribe.  It is a medium-sized dog with a short, smooth coat that is most often yellow but can range from cream through reddish to almost brown, sometimes with white markings.  They are tireless draft dogs who can carry a pack or pull a travois, and they love hiking.  Compare with the Carolina Dog (also called Cherokee Cur) here.  While it is often claimed that all the Indian dogs died out, all we actually have is the fact that so far nobody has found genetic proof of their survival -- but they haven't tested every canid on Turtle Island.  The Carolina Dogs were quite likely related to, or the same as, the dogs kept by some southeastern tribes.

Dog weight pulling is one sport for draft dogs.  They can often pull 3-4 times their body weight, although some can pull much more.

Historic accounts mention tribal dogs carried packs of 40-50 pounds on their backs, or pulled a travois with up to 250 pounds.  Some of these were the bigger and more wolfish Indian dogs.  Modern references range from 10% to 33% of the dog's bodyweight for packs, with most sources suggesting 20-25%.

At 30 to 65 pounds, a conditioned Cherokee Cur can pack about 10-20 pounds.  With a wheeled cart on flat ground, they could pull 90-260 pounds.  With a travois over rough ground, it's probably toward the lower end of that range.  In any case, bigger dogs can handle more than smaller dogs, and conditioned dogs more than novices.  A pack dog can carry about as much as a child's backpack and cart or travois dog as much or more than an adult's backpack.  For comparison, a standard soldier's kit weighs 100 pounds, some carry over 200, and it's acknowledged as a problem causing injuries.  A typical backpacker may carry 1/4 their body weight, a fit one 1/3 their weight, but most people don't want more than 1/7 to 1/6 their weight; 30 pounds is a common example.

The Cherokee Nation is matriarchal and matrilineal.

Traveling speed can vary greatly depending on the number of people, their condition, the terrain, weather, hazards, and so on.  The maximum distance per day is around 24 miles given the most optimal parameters.  Realistically, in most bug-out situations, you will be lucky to make it a few miles per day.  Traveling overland for long distances, you should plan for rest days unless the entire group is well conditioned, and even then it remains advisable to rest.

Cherokee culture recognizes various animals as sacred, including owls and pumas.

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, Arkansas holds nearly 100 animals including tigers, lions, leopards, pumas, bobcats, bears, ligers, servals, a coatimundi, and a macaw.  Evidently they have not stayed put after the End, and the travelers passed close enough to cross paths with a lioness -- who fortunately was not hungry at the time.

Cherokee trail markers included trail trees.  These marked trails, pointed to water, and along the Trail of Tears sometimes indicated hidden caches.  A few still survive, especially oaks with their ~500 year lifespan.

10. The Ascension - Portal Tree
On rare occasions, the tree is bent into a U shape with one or two verticals. This tree shape is usually related to Ceremonial Burial sites. The upside-down U is like a portal to the afterlife. We have been told that you should only enter the portal from the western side. [---8<---]
19. Goal-Post Tree
These configuration trees initially were thought to mark boundaries
between tribes.

Rocks, sticks, and even long grass can be used to mark a trail.  These are often meant to be subtle and temporary, but large rocks can make more permanent signs.

The Czech Spotted Rabbit comes in diverse colors including some multicolors.  Rabbits with large amounts of speckled coloration broken by a little white may have good camouflage advantage in the forest because the silhouette doesn't look exactly like a rabbit -- especially with some snow on the ground in parts of the year.

Among the best goats for homesteading are plain old briar goats.  They are mixed-breed or landrace goats, not fancy purebred goats, selected for their superior foraging ability.

Learn what to grow in a survival garden.  These crops dominate the cache found in the root cellar.