This documentary tells the story of how the U.S. government “transitioned” the Cherokee Nation across the country to the Indian territory. Starring Shane Alan Bowers, John Buttram, Robert J. Conley, James Garner

This is the award-winning, untold story of Cherokee Nation as they traveled West. The film talks about how the Cherokees tried to live like the white people and learn from them. However, Native Americans believed the land was part of their very being, and by being forced away from their homes, they were also being forced to part with part of their identity.  I learned that the Cherokees not only lost everything when they left, but the white people came in and looted what was left behind.

After the torturous migration out west, their struggle continued, as the Cherokees settled in their new territory and faced the challenges of farming on unfamiliar land with strange plants.  Having arrived sick and weary, this new land held no promise for them, no past and no clear future.  Both painful and unsettling to watch, this film reveals the truth of the Cherokees’ plight, and is well worth a watch.