FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The memorial bike ride consists of five riders from the Cherokee Nation and six riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who want to honor their ancestors by retracing the route.
The route is 950 miles long, which started in Georgia and continued over seven states and finishing off in Cherokee nation. On average, they bike 60 miles per day.
Along their ride, the group explores and experiences different activities that connect riders to their Cherokee ancestors.
“It’s just a great reminder that we do this for all Cherokee people as a whole, regardless if they have descendants here or if any of us are related to them," said Desiree Matthews from the 2022 "Remember the Removal Bike Ride."
This experience for Matthews is more about tracing her genealogy and finding out where her family came from.
"As we learn more about that, they actually got to show me where they came from and a few places where my ancestors made a huge impact," Matthews said.
It’s also used to teach them about their history, their native language, and their ancestry.
"This year almost all of the riders are related. They’re cousins, and they didn’t know that before the genealogy was completed," said Will Chavez, Bike Ride Coordinator.
Throughout the expedition, riders became family, rebuilding a bond taken from their ancestors nearly 200 years ago.
“So as we’re coming back to this huge celebration that we’re home and we made it…They were not. And that’s one thing we’ve all been trying to keep in mind,” Matthews said.
The bike riders are almost done with their journey. Their homecoming event is Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
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