Welcome to the mysterious and beautiful world of the Cherokees!

We are Frankie and Al Herrin.  We would like to be your guides on a journey into the culture and history of our people, the Cherokees. As children growing up in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, we heard the stories told by our Elders about "The Real People", the Cherokees of bygone times. Now, we are Elders and tell the stories to our children and grandchildren and, if you wish, to you.

Our home is on the beautiful Illinois River near Tahlequah, the Capitol of the Cherokee Nation. Our emblem, at the top of the page, symbolizes the mystic harmony between nature, the spirit world and our lives. The printing around our emblem is in the Cherokee alphabet invented by Sequoyah. In the Cherokee language, (ah-mah-yule-dee) means "by the water". The (tskwah-yee: Great White Heron) was a Spirit Bird, a sacred symbol of peace, to our ancient Cherokee ancestors.

AGALIHA (THE SUN IS SHINING)

May 16, 2008

This coming Sunday is Decoration Day at Ross Cemetery, where many of Frankie's ancestors, and my mother, are buried.  It is also Homecoming at the Park Hill Presbyterian Church, which Frankie and I attend.  Many of Frankie's relatives, most of them descendents of Chief John Ross, will attend church and decoration.  Our little church, the oldest church in Oklahoma, with an average attendance of about twenty five, will be filled with over a hundred people for the Sunday morning services and a pot-luck dinner afterward.  Then, the descendents of Chief John Ross, and others who have family members buried in Ross Cemetery, will go to the cemetery to decorate graves, take pictures, and visit.  This will last until mid-afternoon, after which the relatives will gather again at the church for singing, more visiting, and more eating.  Finally, the group reluctantly breaks up and everyone returns to their homes, some in other states, and many will not see each other again until next year's Homecoming.

After last year's decoration, Frankie fell in the cemetery, narrowly missing the headstone of her uncle's grave but still injuring herself, particularly her shoulder and knee. Her physical therapy lasted for several months and she has only recently fully recovered from her injuries.  But more serious than her physical injuries were the mental problems that developed.  She became depressed--we don't know if it was connected to her injuries or just developed coincidentally, but she has suffered from depression since that time.  Her doctors tried different medications, with little or no effect, until about three weeks ago, when a neurologist prescribed Sinemet, a levodopa and carbidopa combination which has had a positive effect.

It has been wonderful for all of us who love Frankie to see the light come back into her eyes and expression to her face.  She has not yet fully recovered, but the change she has made, in the last two or three weeks, has given me renewed hope.  Tomorrow, I will cook my traditional pork and cabbage dish, which everyone looks for at the church dinner, and, I hope that Frankie will be able to make her famous baked beans.  If she does, it will be the first cooking she has been able to do for many months.  For Frankie and me, this year's "Homecoming" will have a deeper meaning than usual.  

We would like for you to visit us often here at our Home Page.  We will always have a Cherokee story for you.  I hope you enjoy the following story. For  Story,  click here.

For more writings by Al Herrin from White Bear Publishing, click here.