In the beginning, or so it is assumed, there were 14 tribes. Although over the years it has shrunk to 7, due to extinction and/or absorption. The names of the tribes were as follows: Ani-wa'-ya (wolf) Ani-Kawi (deer) Ani-Tsi'skwa (bird) Ani-wi'di (paint) Ani'Sah'a'ni Ani'Ga' tagewi Ani'-Gi -la'hiThe last three names of the tribes could not be translated with guaranteed accuracy. The main reason for the extinction was because of what is called "The Trail of Tears". For the colonists it meant new horizons. Dreams of wealth and new lives. For the Cherokee Nation, the journey west was a bitter pill imposed on them by a state and federal government that cared not the least about their culture or society and, it thought it was a ridiculous thought, their justice. It was and is a travesty and tragedy of both our Georgia history and our American heritage that forced the Cherokee west along a path called “The Trail of Tears.” 1835 was a vital year in Georgia's history. Three years earlier, to strengthen its claims to Cherokee land, the state of Georgia had held two land lotteries that divided the Cherokee Nation into 160-acre parcels and gave them to anyone with four dollars and a winning chance to purchase the land. Unfortunately, the Cherokee never ceded the land to either the state or federal government, and the Supreme Court (in Worchester v. Georgia) ruled that the state had no power to make a treaty with a dominant nation. John Ross represented the vast majority of the Cherokee and had their full support. With settlers moving into the Cherokee Nation, Ross realized that making a land deal with the United States was his best option, as he ran the risk of losing the entire nation to Georgia. In early 1835 he and his group wanted to cede a portion of the land to the United States for a sum of money to be determined by Congress, while the remainder of the property was turned over to the Cherokee owners. The sticking point in the Ross Agreement was the condition that the United States and Georgia recognize Cherokee citizenship, including the right to vote and hold political office, etc. Neither Georgia nor the United States would ever accept this. To compensate the Cherokee for their loss by not holding back some land and living a normal life among the settlers, Ross arrived at the figure of $20 million, or about 25% of the value of the land if sold separately to each settler.