I am happy to have had the opportunity to sit in on a course required of all employees of Cherokee Nation. The course provided a strong base for what we were learning about throughout the rest of the course. It made us aware of historical fact versus myth, such as the military not being present on the Trail of Tears, and the Cherokees knowing exactly when the military was coming to ask them to leave their homes. The course provided an historical perspective, a Cherokee perspective, for understanding and appreciating the strength and endurance of the Cherokee Nation.
During the last session of the course, Principal Chief Chad Smith visited and spoke with us about how the course is more of a lesson in strategy than in history with a purpose to "incite and instill patriotism." Chief Smith illustrated history as a pendulum swinging back and forth between times of hostile and more favorable federal policy. He said the strategy is to look at the history and apply it to today: "If you know where you want to go, everything is on the books."
He also mentioned the idea of Cherokee legacy as a gift from the ancestors. Chief Smith described Cherokees as a "people who face adversity, survive, adapt, and excel." I think this legacy was greatly conveyed through this course.
Dr. Coates also mentioned early on for us to "feel free to become part of the 'we'." I must say that I felt part of the 'we' after the first couple of sessions. Even as a non-Indian, I feel the course is empowering and a wonderful means of learning Cherokee history.
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