Wachacha was born and raised in Snowbird Gap in Graham County , North Carolina . Her home was rather isolated in comparison to where the majority of other Cherokee people lived which was about 50 miles away from the Qualla Boundary of Swain County , North Carolina . In Wachacha 's youth , European-Americans made many efforts to assimilate Cherokee people into mainstream culture . These efforts led to her going to Christian church every Sunday . Wachacha learned that " the mountains and the valleys were not formed by the Great buzzards wings but by God . " Wachacha liked learning about the Bible , the stories in it , and Jesus , but this did not stop her from feeling connected to Cherokee culture . Cherokee was the language spoken in Wachacha 's home while growing up . Additionally , Wachacha taught herself to read and write in Cherokee at the age of seven using chalk and writing in the dirt . Moreover , Wachacha attended an English speaking school for four months out of the year until she reached the fourth grade . According to anthropologist Sharlotte Nealy , white teachers and boarding schools were forced on the Cherokee people in order to weaken and eliminate Cherokee culture while promoting American culture . Wachacha 's grandson remembers Wachacha talking about her elder 's experiences with the Trail of Tears . Not many Cherokee people wrote about this horrific journey ; but nonetheless , this did not erase the Trail of Tears from the Cherokee historical memory through word of mouth . Wachacha 's ancestors were some of the few Cherokee that were able to remain in North Carolina and avoid forced removal to Indian Territory
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Maggie Axe Wachacha