Before peace we were many

A small group of Cherokee known as the Treaty Party had become supporters of their removal from Northern Federalist during the American Civil War, for a variety of reasons, some of which were honorable and others not. Major Ridge, his son John, and his nephew Elias Boudinot, the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, the country’s newspaper headed the Treaty Party. They served as John Ross’s counterforce, as he was the principal Cherokee opponent of all removal attempts. The majority of the Cherokee people signed their death warrants when approximately one hundred members of the Treaty Party and US commissioners negotiated a treaty with them in December 1835. This was because the Cherokee “law of blood” allowed for the execution of officials who consented to the unapproved sale of tribal lands. On June 22, 1839, John, Major Ridge, and Elias Boudinot were subsequently assassinated.

Wes Studi is the Cherokee person depicted in this illustration. He has made a lasting impression on American cinema and television screens, appearing in hit shows like “Dances with Wolves,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” and “Geronimo: An American Legend,” where he played the lead role, among other television movies and series.