Although there are different beliefs about how the Cherokee first arrived, historical evidence shows that they inhabited northeastern North America between 1000 and 1500 AD (Boudinot, 1829). Elias (1829) deemed the Trail of Tears “the best-known episode in history as well as the worst,” as this devastating event forced the relocation of Indians from their homeland in the southeast to a new, unknown land in Oklahoma. Thousands of Indians were forced from their homes without warning and forced to march in the dead of winter to Oklahoma (Boudinot, 1829). According to Boudinot (1829), “this devastating event left 4-8 thousand Cherokee dead from starvation and unknown diseases contracted along the way, thus drastically decreasing the size of their population.” However, some Cherokees managed to escape the Trail of Tears by hiding in the Appalachian hills, or by obtaining refuge from caring friends in the area targeted by this catastrophic event. After this event the Cherokee essentially no longer “existed” in their former home of North/South Carolina and Georgia. Those who managed to escape the Path of Tears and continue their lives in their homeland struggled drastically and faced many challenges. The Cherokee adapted to their new environment rather quickly; as there was plenty of water, deer and other small animals such as rabbits and squirrels to hunt, as well as fish to catch in the rivers (Boudinot, 1829). The Cherokee lived in the pine forests along the Allegheny River, as well as in the mountains. Survival for them was extremely easy thanks to the weather conditions, which were normal and not abnormally cold or hot. Their houses were made of river reeds and plaster with thatched roofs, which required no time amid paper and village life. The Cherokee Perspective: Written by the Eastern Cherokee. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from HRAFReid, J. (1970). Chapter five a large family: the clans. A Law of Blood: The Primitive Law of the Cherokee Nation. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from HRAFSturtevant, W.C., Trigger, B.G. (1978). Cherokee. Handbook of the North American Indians (Vol. 15, pp. 335-350). Washington: Smithsonian Institution. Sulzman, L. (1996, February 28). History of the Cherokee. Retrieved from http://www.tolatsga.org/Cherokee1.htmlYarbrough, F. (2008). Cherokee race and nation. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=sHJMNVV31T0C&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=polyamy+in+the+Cherokee+society&source=bl&ots=o6c74pIG-b&sig=T2LWnc0wpGAYHWi8tRc1Yiihsqk&hl=en&ei=5V- KTcWZHeq Y0QH9m4yKDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum =1&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAA#v=a page&q&f=false