Members of the Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee return to Tahlequah after participating in the annual Remember the Removal Bike Ride.
The riders, which include 10 local Cherokee Nation members, arrive in Tahlequah Thursday at 11 a.m. after a nearly 1,000-mile journey across seven states.
The cyclists, ages 16 to 24, began their journey in New Echota, Georgia three weeks ago.
"I would truly be surprised if each and every one of these kids don't make trips back teaching what they've learned on this ride now that they know where they came from," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker.
Along their route they stop at historically important landmarks to help honor the travel made by their ancestors to what became Indian Territory in northeast Oklahoma.
"The stopped at Red Clay, which is a very significant part of the Cherokee Nation -- the last location that we had a council before removal. That's a very powerful place for any Cherokee to visit," said Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Secretary of State of the Cherokee Nation.
Billy Flint, a masters student at NSU, rode the trail in 2015.
He says this year's riders will know they've experienced something life changing.
"My knowledge and my appreciation of being Cherokee didn't really scratch the surface before partaking in this program. It's one thing to say, 'I'm a tribal member,' or just, you know, but after this ride, you, you, experience a fraction of what it took for us to survive and actually get out here to Indian Territory," he explained.
The ride that began in 1984 takes the northern route of the Trail of Tears.
In addition to losing their land, the Cherokees lost a quarter of their population when they were forced from their homes in the southeastern U.S. 176 years ago.
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