(CHEROKEE, NC) SMOKIES.LIVE – The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians say they won a meaningful moment for the people when the Town of Franklin voted to return ownership of Nikwasi Mound.
The Principal Chief Michell Hicks said on Facebook, “This did not happen quickly, and it did not come without persistence. For years, I have believed, and have continued to say, that we should own this land.”
Hicks says Nikwasi was once a thriving Cherokee town along the Little Tennessee River in what is now known as Franklin. In the post, he said the land was taken out of Cherokee ownership 200 years ago.
“Like Kituwah, Nikwasi represents both the deep loss our people endured and the responsibility we carry today to reclaim and protect what was taken. Regaining ownership of this land was necessary,” he said.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have worked since 2014 to have the the land returned.
He went on to say;
“This fight was about standing our ground and continuing to say what needed to be said: that this land belongs to the Cherokee people and we are the ones responsible for its care, protection, and future. Nikwasi once stood at the center of a living Cherokee community, and today it remains the last visible marker of that town. Bringing it back under Cherokee ownership ensures it will be cared for as it should be, guided by our values and our responsibility to future generations.”
(Photo Courtesy of the Nikwasi Initiative)
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