Native American Legacy

You are part of the Cherokee tribe in the year 1811. Your tribe has been discussing the proposals of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. These proposals consist of urging other tribes, including your own, to gather and resist the Americans attempts to take land away from your people and to work against white expansion. When he visited your tribe, you were inspired by his words and would like to attempt to follow such values. However, your tribe has decided to stay neutral towards the situation. More importantly, Who are you? [[A young Cherokee man | War of 1812]] [[A young Cherokee woman]] (set: $x to 0)

You are a young married Cherokee woman with a 1 year old son. You continue your duties of raising your child, tending to the field, and cleaning and tending to the cabin that your family resides. In passing you hear of Tecumseh’s death in the Battle of Thames which resulted in the ending of the Tecumseh Confederacy. But your life continues as normal until 1817. [[Next | Women of the Cherokee]]

As Tensions between America and Britain grow, the Creek tribe has become divided as Tecumseh urges them to resist attempts from the Americans to take their land. Soon after, news arrives that Tecumseh has fallen against American troops in the Battle of Thames to which your reaction is of sadness as well as anger. Some time passes, and the hostile portion of the Creeks, also known as Red Sticks, are engaging in battle against the Americans. Meanwhile Major General Andrew Jackson is seeking aid from your tribe to fight the Red Sticks. There are several options ahead of you: [[Join M. General Jackson’s Army]] [[Remain neutral]] [[Fight with the Red Sticks]]

You feel the need to since you believe that by doing so you and your tribe will be placed in good favor. Working with the American forces, the Red Sticks quickly fall in defeat. From your victory, the Creeks are forced to cede 23 million acres of their land to the US. As a result of your allegance, your tribe is assigned and entitled a portion of this land. The Treaty of Fort Jackson is signed. [[Continue to 1817 | 1817]] (set: $x to $x + 1)

You don’t see any benefit to the fighting so you decide to keep from stepping on any toes and listen to the wishes of your tribe. You remain neutral and you see the Americans win. Nothing else of note happens and your tribe is proud that you stuck with their ideals. [[Continue to 1817 | 1817]]

Your fueled by the determination to fight the injustice against Tecumseh. You act on your belief in the words of Tecumseh and believe your efforts will help your people get somewhere in the resistance. As the battle continues, you realize that aid that the British had promised the Red Sticks is not arriving and your are soon getting overwhelmed by American forces since your lack of military force is not enough against the Americans. [[The fighting continues | dead1]]

You hear word that the Americans are attempting to negotiate with your tribe over land ownership. Those accepting to cede land would be rewarded with American citizenship while working on that land. You have several options ahead of you: [[Accept citizenship for land]] [[Move West | Move to what is now Arkansas territory]] [[Continue as a member of the Cherokee Nation]]

During the fighting, you feel a sharp pain emerge from your stomach. You look down to notice you are severely injured by a gunshot wound. You try to stand with your fellow men and fight, but you collapse due to the immense pain. The enemy troops notice you fall and seem to disregard you, they might assume you're dead. But you become an onlooker to the brutality and slaughter of the men you attempted to fight proudly with. You see men slashed to ribbons, others shot through, and some even trampled. As you bleed out, everything starts to fade, you go numb. After a few moments everything goes to nothing. [[End | Game Over]]

Game Over

You hear word that the Americans are attempting to negotiate with your tribe over land ownership. Those accepting to cede land would be rewarded with American citizenship while working on that land. Some of the decision making was made by the women during this time since women had political power in the Cherokee Nation since before the 19th century. However, it had been continually diminishing until now. Once talk of the treaties began to spread, women from neighboring houses begin to discuss why they do not want the treaties to take place. [[Speak out against the land treaties]] [[Domesticity]]

You choose to gather with the other women and talk about why you do not want to be removed from these ancestral lands. This is the land of your people, and you cannot have your own fields taken away from you. You go with fellow mothers and tenders of fields to speak to the elder and respected Cherokee women. The elder women are elected to then present their opinions to the Cherokee National Council - as the Cherokee men acknowledge the elder women as wise and valuable voices of the community. [[Continue | Woman 1820's]] (set: $x to $x + 1)

You want to stay out of politics and focus simply on your traditional duties of tending the field and raising your son. As the treaty talks go on, you are afraid because since you are in charge of tending the fields, removal and the loss of land would affect you most harshly. However, you decide it is wise to focus only on your duties and leave the decision making to your husband. [[Continue | Domesticity 2]]

Motivation: Will be given land to farm, drawn to the idea of profiting for himself. The farming life is going well, but you are forced to coexist with the white community that does not treat you so nicely. On top of that, it seems that, despite your American citizenship, you are not able to make the same decisions that your white neighbors are able to make. You feel disconnected and wonder if leaving your heritage behind was worth it. [[Continue as an American citizen]] [[Move back into the Cherokee Nation]] [[Move West | Move to what is now Arkansas territory]]

The Cherokee Nation wishes to resist the outcomes of the treaty. No one is for the Treaty of 1817 and the Council voted to deny Cherokee citizenship for those who left. This persistence to resist resulted in the compromise of the Treaty of 1819 Cherokees ceded land in exchange for 10 mil acres to have for communal ownership [[Next | Continue as a member of the Cherokee Nation 2]] (set: $x to $x + 1)

You hope that your decision to live as an American citizen will benefit you and others as a way to mend relations with whites and other natives. Also, the shame of going back on your decision burdens you. With the Cherokee Nation succeeding in their independence, the ever growing envious Georgians begin assaulting the Cherokee people. [[Continue | Dead 2]]

You miss your life with your tribe and no longer wish to assimilate with white Americans. Denied citizenship for betraying the Cherokee people. [[Continue | Must continue as an American Citizen]]

You are forced to live as an American citizen [[Continue | Dead 2]]

With the Cherokee Nation's continuous improvements in civilization, as well as the discovery of gold on Cherokee land, the Georgians started growing ever envious of the Cherokee people. As a result of this anger, Georgians began randomly assaulting the Cherokee people you die from one of the brutal assaults. [[End | Game Over]]

1830 - The Indian Removal Act is passed under President Andrew Jackson. Cherokees, Seminoles, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Creeks will be forced to Indian Territory. 1831 - Cherokee Nation vs. the State of Georgia 1831 The Supreme Court acknowledges that the Cherokee Nation is its own sovereign nation and the State of Georgia had no control over them. [[Stay to protest the Removal Act | Stay to protest]] [[You choose to respect the outcome of the Removal Act | You choose to respect the outcome]]

You decided to stay back in attempts to get the removal act remanded but your current efforts are not working. What do you do? (set: $x to $x + 1) (if: $x is 2) [[[Continue | The Trail of Tears 2]]] (else:)[(if: $x is 3)[(if: (random: 1, 10) <= 6)[[[Go West | The Trail of Tears 3 bad end]]](else:)[[[Go West | The Trail of Tears 3 good end]]] [[Continue Resistance | Stay to protest]]] (else:) [(if: $x is 4) [[[Go West | The Trail of Tears 4]] [[Continue Resistance | Stay to protest]]] (else:) [[[Continue | The Trail of Tears 5]]]]]

You comply and leave willingly. By complying to leave, they allow you to bring what you can. [[Next | The Trail of Tears]]

You are part of the first groups to leave from the Cherokee. Some of the others decided to stay and attempts that their efforts could stop this exodus. Your route takes you down the river on boat until you reach a bend that you need to hike North to continue. After some time you reach another bend where you can reboard your boats and travel down the Mississippi to your destination. Your experience in this trip was a bit grueling, but you made it through. You are greeted by some of the Cherokee that left west a few years back and They help you and the others set up residence and you make a home here. [[Continue | You lived through pacifism]]

You and several thousand move west into Arkansas and establish a new Cherokee nation. You meet up with other tribes aready inhabiting Arkansas, they try their best to welcome you and the others and help in any way they can from the long journey. The nation became a hybrid of indigenous and eurocentric design. There was still an emphasis on maintaining their identity as Native Americans. The Cherokee Nation persisted in Indian Territory on the Western border of Arkansas. [[Continue | You lived]]

The Council struck a good deal in keeping some land without going to war, if these won’t have to worry about U.S expansion. The Cherokee Nation assimilate with Anglo-American culture in an attempt to gain good-will with their American neighbors. Adopted new agriculture techniques from Anglo-Americans including growing cash crops and using African slaves. Georgians become jealous of thriving new Cherokee Nation. In 1817, missionaries establish a school system in Cherokee country. [[Continue | 1820's]]

Congratulations! You live out the rest of your natural life.

Your husband decides for your family to choose to accept citizenship for land, as he decides that the promises of American citizenship are more profitable than staying in the Cherokee Nation or moving west. The farming life is going well, but you are forced to coexist with the white community that does not treat you so nicely. On top of that, it seems that, despite your American citizenship, you are not able to make the same decisions that your white neighbors are able to make. You feel disconnected and wonder if leaving your heritage behind was worth it. [[Continue as an American citizen]] [[Move back into the Cherokee Nation]] [[Move West | Move to what is now Arkansas territory]]

1820’s - Your family decides to stay and continue living as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation per your opinion on Cherokee land. The Cherokee Nation continues to develop - The Cherokee language is created, we adopt new agricultural techniques from Anglo-Americans (including growing cash crops and using African slaves), and education systems are improved within the Nation. Along with this development, the Cherokee National government begins elevating the role of men, and women start gradually losing political status. Simultaneously, white Georgians are expressing interest in taking ownership of ancestral Cherokee land. However, you observe how more women are backing out of politics and wonder if you should do the same. Or if you should let your previous actions sink in. [[Continue speaking out]] [[Leave the decision to your husband | Domesticity 2]] [[Wait | 1820's]]

You do not want the white Georgians to take your land, so you continue voicing your opinion in organized meetings of Cherokee women. However, as time passes, the Cherokee National Council beings to ignore the requests and opinions of the Cherokee women. By 1827, no women served on the drafting committee for the 1827 Cherokee Constitution. All of the women around you have given up their roles in politics and decided to focus on simply tending to the land. By 1830, women were completely excluded from Cherokee politics. (Leads to 1830 Removal Acts) [[Continue | 1820's]] (set: $x to $x + 1)

In the 1820’s the American government starts discussing the assimilation or removal of Native Americans. 1829 discovery of gold in Georgia leads to push for gold. So, white settlers of Georgia are persistent in claiming territory of the Cherokee Nation. Cherokees are also adopting white culture. By the end of the 1820s - Cherokees governed themselves with a constitutional government, also had well-developed land. [[Next | State of Georgia vs Cherokee Nation 1831]]

You tried protesting, turns out you really weren’t meant for it. A week passes and you notice that quite a few members of your tribe are missing and find out that they had left with the first grouping and the route that they were taking. You believe that if you leave with the next group that it should be the same and would be a leisurely ride down the river to Arkansas. You were wrong. [[Next | The Trail of Tears 2 pt2]]

Your route is a long hike that was nearly a direct line between locations. The trail killed thousands due to the unsanitary conditions, starvation, the harsh winter, and exhaustion. Although the trail was especially fatal for children and elderly. You somehow survived the removal and made it to the new territory, and thousands more are dying from disease, epidemics, and starvation due to corruption. You and many others struggle to adapt, so you die of... [[Continue | Game Over]]

You fought a good fight but you knew it was a losing battle. You decided to pack up your things and decided to join others in the next departure. You were able to take many of your items and preserves for the long journey ahead of you. On your travels, there are few losses. Most were the elderly and some of the young. When you finally arrive, you find that your group had some of the highest resilience and highest amount of survivors. You are greeted by some of the Cherokee that left west a few years back before the removal act and They help you and the others set up residence and you make a home here. [[Continue | You lived]]

You protest until the very end and the U.S. army eventually forced you and the other protesters away. From your forced evacuation of the land, you must leave all of your possessions behind. You are practically treated as a prisoner and are forced to take the harshest route. [[Next | The Trail of Tears 5 pt2]]

At the beginning of your journey, you believe in your resolve and resilience. “You have been through worse before” you tell yourself. But as the journey continues through the next few weeks, you had seen many others fall from starvation and exhaustion. You still tell yourself you will make it through. [[Next | The Trail of Tears 5 pt3]]

After so long of this tormenting treatment of being forced to march forward day in and day out. Your body finally gives up on you and you collapse from the weight of your own body. You lie there, watching as the rest of your tribe is forced to continue on without you, for if they tried to get you they would be bayonetted or shot. All you can do is watch and wait for deaths embrace. [[Continue | Game Over]]

Congratulations you lived through Pacifism! You live out the rest of your natural life.

Your route was actually a long hike that was close to a direct line between locations. However, you were a little underprepared for this journey, on top of that, your resistance to the elements and treatment was less than ideal for this scenario. You do not make it through the travels and pass away due to your mediocrity. [[Continue | Game Over]]

Your route is a long hike that was nearly a direct line between locations. The trail killed many due to the unsanitary conditions, starvation, the harsh winter, and exhaustion. Although the trail was especially fatal for children and elderly. You somehow survived the journey and made it to the new territory, and thousands more are dying from disease, epidemics, and starvation due to corruption. You and many others struggle to adapt, but you fight the odds and survive through resiliance. [[Continue | You lived by chance]]

Congratulations! You lived by beating the odds...literally. You live out the rest of your natural life.