SOQUILI-A Short Story

I wrote this short story a few years ago and was honored to have it short listed by Writers Digest. This is Part One. Look for Part Two in my next post.

I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to know what you think in the comments.

By 1838 violence spread across the State of Georgia as ancestral Cherokee land was seized by white residents. Seven thousand Federal troops were sent by President Van Buren to take the place of Georgia militia and peacefully enforce the Indian Removal Act of 1830.     

General Winfield Scott, Commanding Officer of the U.S. Army, drew up a plan to organize groups of natives into wagon trains for their removal to Oklahoma. Soldiers went into the Blue Ridge foothills along the Tennessee border to drive families from their traditional homelands. In Cherokee Nation’s capital New Echota the refugees were sequestered into seven groups, one for each of the tribal clans. Scott believed that members of each clan would cater to the needs of their blood relations, eliminating the need of doctors and medicines for each wagon train.

Van Buren believed that such a plan would not only reduce costs, but it would also serve to further divide and weaken the captives, but in practice, the process quickly became difficult to implement. Although each clan was a distinct family grouping, by tribal law members of a clan were not allowed to marry within it. The mother and father in each family came from two different clans. To separate the Longhair Clan from the Blue or the Bird from the Wolf would break up families, something no native wanted to see happen, so they lied to the soldiers about the clans into which they had been born to stay together as families. The more whites attempted to follow Scott’s plan the more chaotic things became.

When at last the Cherokee were finally divided into what the Army considered clan groups, Conestoga wagons were brought to each gathering area and loaded with common provisions. Captives in need of special treatment then boarded: small children, pregnant women, elderly, and seriously ill.  Hogsheads of foodstuffs taken from farms of the wealthiest natives were then lashed to the sides of each wagon. Strong Morgan horses provided by the army were teamed in braces to pull each wagon across the rough twelve-hundred-mile Trail of Tears to Oklahoma.

Each clan group was supplied one mature Cherokee pony to carry goods. Everything else was to be carried by the healthiest captives walking along with the wagons. The ponies, called soquili, were much smaller than the Army’s Morgans, but were bred over many generations for strength and stamina. They had very large hooves and strong leg muscles.

After three days on the trail the fragile organization in all seven wagon trains began to unravel. Previously sick and elderly captives grew even weaker due to poor diet and stresses of travel and elders demanded time be taken to treat the seriously ill. Such pauses were not allowed by the military leaders.

The first group of wagons to leave held the Longhair clan. Crowded into one of the Conestoga’s was a group of old women who were unable to walk the trail and when two of the women, Grandmothers Maria Tsi-na-su and Catherine Big Bear, died on the fourth day, their sons quickly circulated messages calling for a burial service at dawn on the fifth day. Soldiers were ordered by senior officer Sergeant Blaine to put shackles on anyone who took part, but when he realized so many were resisting there would not be enough hardware available to hold them, he had no choice but to allow the service and burial to take place. If he was to use the option of shooting anyone who defied his orders, very few captives would be left.

Colonel James Nelson, troop commander, rode several days behind with Chief John Ross’s Bird Clan which had been very slow to cooperate with the government’s plan. Upon being informed by courier that the Longhair had caused a day to be lost on the journey, he sent an urgent return message to Blaine commanding that no more delays would be tolerated. It read:

It is with dreadful concern I learn you have allowed the deaths of two sick old women to bring a halt to your progress. You can see for yourself that the weather is beginning to turn against us. Further delays for such unimportant matters as funerals will bring more suffering to your men as well as the captives. There shall be other Cherokee reasons brought forward to stop our progress. Of that you may be quite sure. I command you, at the risk of losing your command and receiving reprimand, to make sure that progress is made along this awful trail each day regardless of any inconvenience which might befall the natives.

Blaine flew into a rage at reading such a stern reprimand from his commanding officer. He was sure Nelson would inform General Scott of his failure and that he would lose his rank or be court marshalled. Calling his company together, he shouted so loud that even the natives could hear.

Pointing his pistol toward the assembled troops he yelled.

“Your actions have brought disgrace to this company and especially to me. Never again shall we allow these heathens to force a delay in our journey because of their devilish customs and lies. Any man who cooperates with their evil spells and incantations will face court martial at once and be shot.”

While the soldiers stood at shocked attention, Cherokees who had enough English to be able to understand the officer’s speech spread the word that greater danger lay ahead.

Story continues in my April 21 post