Cherokee Trail of Tears Ride-Scott Couch

The path they're retracing is the "Trail of Tears."

It's one of the darkest chapters in American History.

Cherokee Indians in five southern states including Tennessee were driven from their homes and forced to walk 900 miles to Oklahoma.

While following that path is a painful exercise, the Chief of the Cherokee Nation believes it will help mold a generation of future leaders.

They ride in single file, in memory of the 4,000 relatives who died along the infamous Trail of Tears which winds
through Nashville.

Chad Smith, Principal Chief Cherokee Nation, says, "We study history and what we're doing here is going back to that route and understanding in great detail and sensitivity what our ancestors went through."

Smith grew up in Nashville and graduated from Maplewood High School.

He's leading the journey, from just south of Cattanooga to the nation's current home in Talequah, Oklahoma.

But to the Cherokee, the Nashville leg of the journey is especially meaningful.

On their way through Nashville, the riders stopped at Mt. Olivet Cemetery to put flowers on the grave of William Bate, a former Tennessee Governor and U.S. Senator, in fact the only U.S. Senator to vote against the Cherokee's forced relocation.

Jack Baker, President of the Trail of Tears Association says, "And his statement was 'I have read all the treaties with the United States government and this law, this act violates every one of them.'"

For the nine young men and one woman following Chief Smith, this is something of a spiritual journey.

They each wear red wrist bands reminding them they are part of a proud
people that had their own alphabet and language.

Cherokee college student Jerrad Dry says, "This is something I want to tell everybody about in my future. This is an experience of a lifetime and I wouldn't change anything about this, the hardships even."

They are 4 days into a 20 day journey-reliving a part of American history that winds through Middle Tennessee.

The riders are staying in Joelton Wednesday night and will leave for Hopkinsville on Thursday.

They're using back roads but trying to stay as close as they can to the original trail.Cherokee Trail of Tears Ride-Scott Couch