By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Patrick H. Lambert, former Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), has poured his heart and soul into a new book. “The River: A Cherokee Principal Chief’s Fight for Family, Truth, and Vindication” chronicles his life which has included many historical moments for the EBCI.
Former EBCI Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Patrick Lambert and Former EBCI First Lady Cyndi Lambert are shown with his new book, “The River: A Cherokee Principal Chief’s Fight for Family, Truth, and Vindication” which chronicles his life which has included many historical moments for the EBCI. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
“I think it’s always been something that I thought would be important,” said Ugvwiyuhi Lambert. “Some of the things that I was fortunate enough to be able to work with and work through with the Tribe were some historical matters, I feel like. During our lifetime, we’ve seen a lot of changes and I was, oftentimes, on the front line of a lot of those changes and helping the Tribe and steering the ship as best I could from whatever position I was in at the time. I’ve always wanted to do that. It was just a matter of finding the time and the energy and the real drive to do it.”
When asked what he hoped people would take away from his book, he noted, “I think the most important thing in my mind is you don’t give up. That’s why I titled it the way we did, calling it ‘The River’ because it keeps flowing. And, no matter what life throws at you, always just keep your bearings, keep pushing, keep moving.”
Just like the book’s title, Ugvwiyuhi Lambert kept moving forward – just like a river.
“You can overcome any obstacle because I start out the book kind of talking about being knocked down right out of the gate. And, it wasn’t just my fault, although I take responsibility for dropping out of high school. It was my choice to ultimately do that. To a lot of people that’s the end of it…I just always had a drive to keep pushing.”
He said writing the book, which he began last fall, was a cleansing experience. “The first half a dozen cuts were pretty raw. So, it took me a few drafts to get it to the point to where I felt like it was fair to everybody. The last thing I wanted to do was to be mean about any of it because that’s not the purpose of my book. This is about our life and how I came to be who I am, and what my outlook on the Tribe and life really is, and the events that we lived through, and the events, not just for that, but how my life has helped shape a lot that has happened to the Tribe.
We all have a story. We all have a story to tell if we could just get it out. It’s not an easy process. It’s tough.”
His wife of 40 years, former EBCI First Lady Cyndi Lambert, was by his side in this process as she always has been. “It did take a lot of time, and I helped mostly because we didn’t tell anybody that he was doing this. It was just me and him that knew. So, I had to be the one that had to kind of proofread. I read this story like four times because things kept changing. He had to keep taking things out, adding things, fixing areas that didn’t flow right.”
She also spoke of the resilience that comes through in the book. “I think the bottom-line message is that you can get knocked down – everybody does at some point. It’s getting up is what’s the main thing. It’s how important that is…as long as you get back up, that’s the message. Because you can. You can get back up. You can find a way to get moving forward because that’s not the end. Just because you get knocked down, that’s not the end.
I think that’s what this book’s main message is – family, support, and rising up when everything you think is falling apart around you, you can still survive and push forward.”
Once released, the book became a #1 best seller on Amazon.
Cyndi said the book has been received very positively. “The common comment that we hear is it’s easy to read because you almost start to really live it with him from start to finish. It is easy to read. It’s not confusing, doesn’t get in the weeds like some books can be. It’s not boring. I think it’s very enlightening because it’s about everything, even things that he’s written about, some things I didn’t even know. Some things his mom didn’t even know.”
Ugvwiyuhi Lambert added, “I think the one thing that I would want people to get from this is, to sum it up, the truth.”
In the book’s foreword, he writes, “This is my story. These are my memories. And, I stand behind every word.”
The book is available for purchase online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at www.patricklambert.com. Copies can be found at the Qualla Boundary Public Library in Cherokee, N.C.; the Marianna Black Public Library in Bryson City, N.C.; the Sylva Library in Sylva, N.C.; and at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
