Sacred Cherokee mound to be returned after more than 200 years

The ownership of a sacred Cherokee Mound is set to return to the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) after a unanimous vote Monday. 

The Noquisiyi Mound, also known as the Nikwasi Mound, located in Franklin, N.C., is a site of historical and cultural significance for the EBCI, but has not been owned by the tribe for more than 200 years. 

“I am proud of the work that led us here, and I am grateful to see Nikwasi returned to where it belongs, with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,”  Principal Chief Michell Hicks said in a news release.

Noquisiyi was once a Cherokee town that sat along what is now called the Little Tennessee River, appearing on maps as early as the 1500s. Today, this area is now known as the town of Franklin. 

The Cherokee people were displaced from the land after facing attacks during both the Anglo-Cherokee War and the Cherokee-American wars in the 1700s, according to a Noquisi Initiative press release.

After the displacement, the 1819 Treaty of Washington allowed for Na Ka Rebecca, a Cherokee woman, and her husband, Gideon Morris, to claim 640 acres around the mound, the press release explains. 

However, the 1835 Treaty of New Echota revoked the couple’s ownership through the forcible removal of the Cherokee people from their land, better known as the Trail of Tears. 

In 1946, plans from the private owner to flatten the mound raised alarms in the community, causing the Town of Franklin to purchase the mound in order to preserve it. 

According to Hicks, in 2012, town workers sprayed weed killer on the mound in efforts to change out the grass variety.

“This, unfortunately, left the mound brown and exposed,” Hicks said in a news release.

“That moment made clear how vulnerable this place was and became the catalyst for our renewed push to bring Nikwasi under our care,” he said.

In 2016, the EBCI created the Noquisi Initiative as a way to encourage the preservation and advocacy of the mound, while seeking to regain ownership. 

Ten years after the formation of the Noquisi Initiative, the Franklin Town Council voted unanimously to restore ownership to the EBCI. 

“This fight was about standing our ground and continuing to say what needed to be said,” Hicks stated.

“That this land belongs to the Cherokee people and we are the ones responsible for its care, protection, and future,” he said. 

Returning ownership of the mound to the EBCI will ensure proper stewardship and preservation, as guided by the values of the Cherokee people.

Photo courtesy Noquisi Institute

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