"TRAIL OF TEARS"
This week's challenge at http://frillyandfunkie.blogspot.com is Stencil Mania... a challenge to use 3 stencils to create a journal page. My journal page is based on the "Trail of Tears".
Procedure: multiple layers of tries and failed attempts of acrylics and collage, covered with pink and blue acrylic paint, sequin waste, diamond-shaped stencils, number stencils, and dot stencils applied and wiped off with a baby wipe. My image represents what I envision as a member of the Choctaw tribe, black and white print, embellished with paint pens, alcohol markers, and pastels. I also collaged US maps as a way to bring more light to the piece.
His image brought me to a more in-depth look at the history of The Trail of Tears. The term, Trail of Tears invokes the collective suffering of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole Indians. The Choctaw were the first Indians to become the victims of the Indian Removal Act with the signing of "The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek" in 1830. They gave up 11 million acres of prime agricultural land that had been cleared and was highly coveted by outsiders. The Cherokee fought the judicial system but finally lost their attempts. At that point, New president Martin Van Buren ordered 16,000 Cherokees to be rounded up and put into holding camps. Any that tried to escape were shot, while others suffered from disease and sexual assault from guards. It is estimated as many as 100,000 tribal people were forced from their homes and as many as 20,000 men, women and children perished. In recent years, prominent political figures in the United States have finally begun to acknowledge the Native American genocide and how many Native Americans were killed.
