In 1838, the U.S. Government ordered the Cherokee removed from the only home they had ever known, forcing 16,000 people from these mountains and marching them to Oklahoma. Even a Supreme Court decision in their favor could not prevent the removal. During the winter of 1838-39, nearly 4000 Indians died from starvation, disease, exposure, and murder, and many were children. This tragic removal of the Cherokee from their beloved homeland became known as the Trail of Tears. Before their forced exodus, Cherokee leaders strengthened their people with prayer, beginning, "I will lift my eyes unto these hills, whence comes my strength." Nearly one thousand escapees and refugees hid in the dense forests of these rugged mountains, and Cherokees living in western North Carolina today descend from those who avoided removal and remained in their ancient homeland. Cherokee called themselves "Ani-Yunwiya," meaning "The Principal People," and modern archeology indicates they were the principal occupants of these mountains for nearly 10,000 years.