author of If the Legends Fade,
at Te-lah-nay's Wall
In northwest Alabama, there is a stone wall dedicated to my great-great-grandmother's journey, about which this book is written, and to all Native American women.
The wall is my way of honoring my ancestors. It has become a special place to many who visit it, for reasons that relate to their own lives.
After walking the length of the wall, Charlie Two Moons, a spiritual person, explained it this way: "The wall does not belong to you, Brother Tom. It belongs to all people. You are just the keeper. I will tell you that it is wichahpi, which means 'like the stars'. When they come, some will ask, 'Why does it bend, and why is it higher and wider in some places than in others?' Tell them it is like your great-great-grandmother's journey, and their journey through life--it is never straight."
If the Legends Fade is the story of Te-lah-nay's journey. The story, like the wall, belongs to all people.
Ishatae . . . a quiet place
On February 24, 2017, ten days past his 83rd birthday, Tom Hendrix left this earth to join Te-lah-nay in the Great Circle.
Te-lah-nay's Wall, just east of the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 338, remains open to visitors seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
