Native American Heritage Month Lecture: The Trail of Tears Experience of Ohio’s Iroquois
Christopher B. Chaney, Unit Chief, Criminal Justice Information Law Unit, FBI Office of the General Counsel Mr. Chaney is a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation from Oklahoma who currently resides in West Virginia. In 1832, Seneca and Shawnee tribal members living in Ohio were forcibly removed from their homes and faced deprivation and death on the Trail of Tears. Upon arrival in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), the tribal members forged a new way of life only to find their dreams shattered by the Civil War. Key to the survival of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation during this tumultuous time was Quashacaugh, also known as Lewis Davis, who is Mr. Chaney’s great- great-grandfather.