land acknowledgment
i live on the land that was cared for and shared by the Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Band of Cherokee), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), and Miccosukee peoples.
Ross’s Landing, now chattanooga, was named for John Ross, who served as a Cherokee Principal Chief from 1828 to 1866 and helped write the Constitution for the Cherokee Nation. Ross’s Landing was a key cultural hub and trading post for many years, bringing these three tribal societies together.
when andrew jackson began his campaign to remove the Indigenous peoples of the area, Ross led a resistance to the treaty of New Echota in an effort to maintain the sovereignty of the Cherokee people and the right to remain on the land.
despite their efforts, in 1838 the Cherokee and Yuchi were forcibly removed along the 800-mile stretch known as the Trail of Tears. the Miccosukee evaded forcible removal by emigrating to the florida everglades.
Indigenous presence remains in the chattanooga area. until recent years, the Chattanooga Intertribal Association spent over 2 decades protecting frequently-looted and -desecrated sites in the area. it was the CITA who won a landmark case against the city and county to stop the development of a “civil war reenactment amphitheater” in Moccasin Bend and later made progress in protecting other sites, such as Little Cedar Mountain.
the CITA website contains many links to Indigenous cultural areas and burial grounds throughout the area, including information about the Chickamauga Mound and Moccasin Bend.