Tribal officials of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and contractors look on as Little Miss Cherokee Faith Panther cuts the ribbon at Mingo Falls on Wednesday, Sept. 24. (ROBERT JUMPER/One Feather photo)
By ROBERT JUMPER
One Feather Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) celebrated the completion of the Mingo Falls revitalization project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Becky Bowe, manager of EBCI Project Management, welcomed those in attendance, and Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Rep. Perry Shell led in a prayer. Several were in attendance and included Little Miss Cherokee Faith Panther and Senior Miss Cherokee Kim Lambert.
EBCI Secretary of Commerce Sean Ross congratulated everyone on the completion of the project. “It’s a pretty tall order to take something as beautiful and captivating as Mingo Falls and improve on it, but I think that’s exactly what this group did. They made various improvements to the trail system and to the observation area: a better system of steps, widened the paths, enlarged and changed the perspective of the observation deck. You know, you take a dynamic view already, and you make it even more dynamic with the drop in elevation to the observation deck. All these things combined, and you just see this is amazing and vastly improved. So, a lot of kudos to Becky and team for making this happen. Also, to the architects and our elected officials for supporting us in this endeavor.”
Kolanvyi Rep. Richard French offered his thoughts on Mingo Falls. “Thank you to everybody who had a part in this, getting these Falls back up. This is one of the number one spots. Hopefully, there will be more development up here, like permanent restrooms. I am looking forward to more things that we may put into the old campground here. We are showing that we are moving this tribe forward.”
Rep. Shell said, “The power of this place is not only in its beauty and popularity, but in the spirituality of it and how it reaches into your soul. It’s awe-inspiring in my view. It’s unique. Generations of Eastern Band Cherokee and the Cherokee Nation have visited this place before, and this place is a part of our heritage and our culture.“
Rep. Shell also expressed hope that the watershed above Mingo Falls would be protected for future generations and that any land use in the area would be done judiciously and for the preservation of this environment.
EBCI Taline Ugvwiyu (Vice Chief) Alan B Ensley spoke of the many families he has known from the area, some related to him. He shared the story of one lady from Mingo who experienced the harsh conditions of winter there. He said that it was so cold at times that her siblings would lie on top of her to try to keep her warm, and that some of her brothers and sisters died in trying to keep her warm and alive.
He said, “Mingo has a lot of history, and many families share that history.” He talked about the popularity of Mingo Falls and some of the favorable comments it receives on travel websites from visitors. Taline Ugvwiyu Ensley expressed appreciation to all who brought this project to completion.
EBCI Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks made final remarks before the ribbon was cut by Little Miss Cherokee, Faith Panther.
He said, “I just want to thank Becky, Zach, and the entire team. You guys continue to go above and beyond. Everyone involved. Brandi, in the background, keeps us honest on finances. No individual has these ideas. It takes a community; it takes a team to accomplish these things. There is a lot of history here. I used to listen to Jerry Wolfe’s stories about living back in these areas where times were extremely hard and recall how they heated their homes and attempted to stay warm and beat the weather.
“The view of Mingo Falls will never change. It is always going to be pristine. And we know the value of that. It’s extremely important to our tribe. It’s important to the business community and most important to our people to maintain these areas at a better level than they’ve ever been.”
