Note: This is the last of 5 stories being published today. The first is dated Oct. 14-21. Please scroll back to find it.
Originally my birthday activites didn’t have an afternoon component. Then Kim and David from the Kadey Krogen Manatee Overtime invited us to join them in the marina courtesy car to go see Tom’s Wall. I jumped at the chance and Wally followed suit. After all, it was MY birthday! After a 20 minute drive, we parked along a corn field and found Tom Hendricks seated in a circle of folding chairs in his driveway. We took our places in four remaining chairs and Tom’s story began to unfold. From a very early age, Tom, a white kid, began to hear stories about his Native American heritage from his grandmother. Her great grandmother, Te-lay-nay, was a Yuchi Indian. At age 17, she and her sister were part of the forced migration from Alabama to Oklahoma that came to be called “The Trail of Tears”. Around their necks they each wore a brass tag with a number stamped on it. Te-lay-nay, #59, was the only to walk back. Her sister, #60, did not make the trek. Tom’s great-great grandmother claimed that there was no music in the rivers in Oklahoma like there was back home; she couldn’t live without the music. As Tom reached his 50’s, the urge to honor his great-great grandmother became stronger and stronger. A Yuchi Indian from Oklahoma made the trip to Alabama to explain much about Tom’s heritage. She told him that his people believe that the only things that survive the test of time are the rocks. Right away Tom knew what he was going to do; ten miles away, lining the Tennessee River, was an unlimited supply of river rocks. Tom’s Wall was about to begin. Each stone would represent a step that Te-lay-nay had taken. The wall was built in two sections. The first was built in two straight lines with space for a walking path in between; it represented the forced march that followed the soldier’s compass course. The second was winding and curvy. Like the first it was built in two lines with ample room for walking in-between. Unlike the first, it encircled trees and allowed for alcoves with huge stone seats for meditation and contemplation. This wall represented Te-lay-nay’s journey back home. Tom has the #59 medallion; the others are all in a museum in Oklahoma City. In her later life, Tom’s great-great grandmother met with a local historian who recorded her story in a journal. Tom has that journal and recites from it as he shares his story. Over 35 years, Tom Hendricks moved 8 1/2 million pounds of river rock... one pick-up truck load at a time. He went through 3 pick-up trucks, 27 wheel barrows and 2,700 pairs of gloves. He was proud to show that he still had all his fingers and thumbs and no arthritis! To learn more, check out “Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall” on-line.
Created by Darcy O Campbell
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