Day 2: Stop 3: Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall - (MP 338)

 
This was a really great place to explore. This stone wall was built by Tom Hendrix who has been building a stone wall for over 30 years in memory of his great-great-grandmother's journey.

His great-great-grandmother Te-lah-nay was part of the Yuchi Indian tribe that lived near here along the Tennessee River in the 1800s.

Entrance to the journey

This is a excerpt from this website: https://www.natcheztracetravel.com/natchez-trace-alabama/florence-tennessee-river/456-wichahpi-stone-wall.html

Her journey began when she and her sister Whana-le were sent to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma as part of the removal of native peoples from the southeast. But, that was only the beginning of her journey. Her tribe called the Tennessee River the Singing River because they believed a woman who lived in the river sang to them. When Te-lah-nay arrived in Oklahoma she said the streams and rivers did not sing to her and she longed for home. After spending one winter in Oklahoma she decides to head home. Even though she is alone the lessons that her grandmother taught her as a little girl help her overcome every peril and obstacle along the way. After enough adventure to literally fill a book she returns home and to the Singing River.

It was a really wonderful place to walk around. We never knew what we would find around the next corner. 

This is also from the website above:

After walking the length of the wall, Charlie Two Moons, a spiritual person, said:

"The wall does not belong to you, Brother Tom. It belongs to all people. You are just the keeper. I will tell you that it is wichahpi, which means 'like the stars'. When they come, some will ask, 'Why does it bend, and why is it higher and wider in some places than in others?' Tell them it is like your great-great-grandmother's journey, and their journey through life--it is never straight."