The Eternal Flame

The Eternal Flame. . , The Eternal Flame of the Cherokee Nation burns today as a memorial for the people who died on the Trail of Tea and as a commemoration for the reuniting of the Eastern and Western Cherokee nations here at Red Clay., The Cherokee view fire as a sacred symbol of unity and strength. , After the last council meeting at Red Gay in 1837, the Fire Keeper took embers from the council fire. The embers were split into four pots and were carried with the Cherokee along the Trail of Tears., In 1951, several of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal leaders retraced the Trail of Tears. While visiting with the Cherokee Nation, the Fire Keeper allowed the Eastern Band tribal leaders to take some of the sacred fire back., On Friday, April 6th, 1984, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma met at the Red Clay Council Grounds for the first time since removal in 1838. A series of 7 Cherokee men ran with the flame on a torch from Cherokee, North Carolina to Red Clay, arriving on the day of the eastern and western Cherokees' reunion. The sacred fire was lit in the Eternal Flame memorial to commemorate this meeting and to honor the memory of those who passed on the Trail of Tears. , -Source: Dr. Danielle Shelton. , [Captions:] , Pictured on the left are a few of the Cherokee men who ran the Eternal Flame from Cherokee, North Carolina to Red Clay State Park in 1984., The text on the Eternal Flame reads as follows: "This fire is a memorial to those people who suffered and died on the infamous "Trail of Tears." It also commemorates the reuniting of the eastern and western Cherokee, Nations here at Red Clay: Aug. 7, 1837-Apr. 6, 1984"