Souls of Yesterday

As a full blood Cherokee from Oklahoma, the Trail of Tears has been a major part of Donald's work throughout the years. Many of his most powerful and most sought after images have featured this theme. Souls of Yesterday is among his best expressions of the emotional impact that the Trail of Tears has had on his culture.

Donald is also part of the wolf clan, one of the main branches of the Cherokee tribe. Souls of Yesterday combines these two features of his history into one stunning motif. Three wolves gaze protectively over a cliff at the ancestral spirits of the Cherokees, still walking the Trail of Tears. You can almost hear the howl as one cries along with his brethren on the Trail, reminding us that the repercussions of the relocation still persist today.