Don't Forget

A Limited-Edition Tribute to Memory, Resilience & Rebirth

Don’t Forget is a powerful work created to honor the lives, suffering, resilience, and enduring legacy of those whose stories are intertwined with the history of the Trail of Tears—including the Cherokee people who were forcibly removed from their homelands and the enslaved people whose lives were also shaped by the forced removal and displacement of Indigenous communities during this period.

Through subtle symbols of death, transformation, and rebirth, the work asks us to confront a painful chapter of American history while recognizing the strength of the people who endured it. The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Oklahoma’s state bird, represents the land that became home to the Cherokee people following removal. The Cherokee Rose flowers reference the enduring Cherokee story associated with the Trail of Tears, while the Monarch butterfly, whose migration passes through Oklahoma, symbolizes endurance, transformation, movement, and the continuation of life across generations.

Created with honor and respect, Don’t Forget is both a remembrance and a call to learn from history—to acknowledge the lives and experiences that shaped it and carry those lessons forward toward a more compassionate future.

This limited-edition work was exhibited and sold at the Cherokee Nation Trail of Tears Show, giving it a meaningful place within my artistic journey and its history of remembrance.

Printed signature on the front; personally hand-signed by Hiawasi on the reverse.