I Want To Be Remembered As The

One Of The Things My Parents Taught Me, And I'll Always Be Grateful As A Gift, Is To Not Ever Let Anybody Else Define Me; That For Me To Define Myself. And I Think That Helped Me A Lot In Assuming A Leadership Position.

Cows Run Away From The Storm While The Buffalo Charges Toward It - And Gets Through It Quicker. Whenever I’m Confronted With A Tough Challenge, I Do Not Prolong The Torment, I Become The Buffalo.

If You Argue With A Fool, Someone Passing By Will Not Be Able To Tell Who Is The Fool And Who Is Not.

Western Movies Always Seemed To Show Indian Women Washing Clothes At The Creek And Men With A Tomahawk Or Spear In Their Hands, Adorned With Lots Of Feathers. That Image Has Stayed In Some People's Minds. Many Think We're Either Visionaries, `noble Savages,' Squaw Drudges Or Tragic Alcoholics. We're Very Rarely Depicted As Real People Who Have Greater Tenacity In Terms Of Trying To Hang On To Our Culture And Values System Than Most People.

We Are A Revitalized Tribe. After Every Major Upheaval, We Have Been Able To Gather Together As A People To Rebuild A Community And A Government. Individually And Collectively, Cherokee People Possess An Extraordinary Ability To Face Down Adversity And Continue Moving Forward. We Are Able To Do That Because Our Culture, Though Certainly Diminished, Has Sustained Us Since Time Inmemorial. This Cherokee Culture Is A Well-kept Secret.