The horrors of losing their homes and communities were only made worse on the journey west as so many Cherokee were getting sick and dying. According to Northern Cherokee Nation, "The People's hearts were heavy with sadness and their tears mingled with the dust of the trail."
One personal account of a Trail of Tears survivor as quoted by the National Park Service said, "Long time we travel on way to new land. People feel bad when they leave Old Nation. Womens cry and make sad wails. Children cry and many men cry ... but they say nothing and just put heads down and keep on go towards West. Many days pass and people die very much."
In this time of crisis, the Cherokee elders did the only thing they could think to do — they prayed to the Heaven Dweller spirit, ga lv la di e hi, according to Northern Cherokee Nation. They worried that with the huge number of children dying, there would not be enough young people left to rebuild the Cherokee Nation in the west. They felt like they needed a way to keep the women strong, as that was integral to keeping the infants and children alive.
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