“Mothers on the Trail of Tears had to leave their babies where died. They weren't allowed time to mourn or bury their dead. To the Choctaw people, death is holy and sacred and is to be treated with the utmost respect and reverence. To be forced to leave your child, your mother, your husband or grandfather in the mud would be one of the most painful atrocities that could be inflicted on a person. Thousands and thousands of Native Americans died on the Trail of Tears. They were left where they fell.
I wanted to capture this little known piece of American history, but I didn't want to paint dead babies or grieving women. This story is bigger than that. I decided the since the sky and the land hold those secrets along with the sacred bones, they alone should tell that story”.
-Connie Phillips, Choctaw Art Teacher at the Rector Johnson Middle School