Yesterday we drove out to the Natchez Trace Parkway. This Parkway runs for over 400 miles from Natchez Mississippi to just south of Nashville Tenn. It is a wide two lane road surrounded by trees and greenery.No buildings except for picnic sites , or park service buildings and bathrooms .
There are exits where you can get off and find cities and services. Bucolic is an apt description.
In Marlina’s research she found a site near us called Tom Hendrix’s wall. To get there you follow the mileage markers and then directions and you come to a driveway. In the underbrush you will see areas of wall.
Tom’s heritage includes part Yuchi,an tribe of native Americans in NW Alabama.
He grew up hearing about his GreatGreat Grandmother who was named Te-lney. The name means woman with dancing eyes. She has dancing eyes because as a child there was a lightening strike very near her. So close that it singed her garments,but she was unhurt.
The other thing it did was it gave her eyes a color that appeared to sparkle.
Her grandmother was a Lachan,which is a healer.She saw In Te-lah-ney the qualities to be a healer also and she began to teach the young girl how to be a healer. Some time later the teaching was interrupted because Te-lah-ney and her sister were forcibly removed via the Trail Of Tears to Oklahoma. This was part of Andrew Jackson’s forced Indian removal.
Do we really want him on the $20.00 bill?
In their native land in Alabama,they lived near the singing river,that we call the Tennessee River.When the girls were born their “birthing cords”were put in the rive,thereby connecting them to the river for all time.(Since the river has been dammed,it is harder to hear it sing).
When they are forcibly marched to “The Indian Lands”,what we call Oklahoma.They end up near a river,but it does not sing. Te-la-ney searches all over for a year but she cannot hear it sing. At an age of less than 15 she decides she is going to walk back to her singing river. It takes her 5 years to return to her river,but return she does.She becomes a famous healer.
This wall that Tom built is a 30 year labor of love and honor to his great great grandmother, Te-lah-ney
He used over 2 million lbs of stone that he and his son collected
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Tom wrote a book about Te-lah-ney and the wall called “If the Legends Fade” I’ve just started it and am enjoying the read.
We met Toms son and he told us many stories about Tom and the various generations of the family. This is a wonderful find, thanks to Marlina.
Next time we’re gonna talk about “The Swampers and their magic,that everyone of you is familiar with.
Good night,Paul
Pau's Travels 