A Story From the Earth: A Praise Song for an American Hero
Now available as a book "A Story From the Earth: A Praise Song for an American Hero": These images were created in praise of a Native American woman, Quatie Ross, for her gift of a blanket to a sick child during the Cherokee Removal to Indian Territory in 1838. A U.S. soldier who accompanied a contingent of Cherokees on their westward journey recalls the snowy night on November 17 when Mrs. Ross gave away her blanket and died from exposure before dawn, and in his eye-witness account he calls on the Anglo Saxon race to create “a towering monument” in memory of her act of compassion.
After the discovery of my own Cherokee ancestor in an unmarked grave, I became more acquainted with this painful period in our history, sometimes called “The Trail of Tears,” and I have here attempted to respond to Lieutenant Burnett’s request. Until such a time as a “towering monument” exists, may these simple figures serve as an act of remembrance for one whose act of compassion stands for many others, for mothers as unsung heroes and "giftgivers," and for the continuing journeys of displaced people worldwide - the “trails of tears” - that continue in our own time.
The book is available from http://diannedelaet.com/online-bookstore-gallery
Read MoreAfter the discovery of my own Cherokee ancestor in an unmarked grave, I became more acquainted with this painful period in our history, sometimes called “The Trail of Tears,” and I have here attempted to respond to Lieutenant Burnett’s request. Until such a time as a “towering monument” exists, may these simple figures serve as an act of remembrance for one whose act of compassion stands for many others, for mothers as unsung heroes and "giftgivers," and for the continuing journeys of displaced people worldwide - the “trails of tears” - that continue in our own time.
The book is available from http://diannedelaet.com/online-bookstore-gallery