By ROBERT JUMPER
Tutiyi (Snowbird) and Clyde, N.C.
Since our last edition of 2025 is near, I thought it would be a good idea to recount the headlines of the year.
Jan. 15 – You are not forgotten, MMIW: IWMF One-Year Grant in Review.
Jan. 22 – Healing is culture, New Museum exhibit on view at CIHA
Jan. 29 – Bill to place Tennessee lands into trust for EBCI introduced again
Feb. 5 – Shop local for Valentine’s Day
Feb. 12 – Housing is moving forward, Tribe breaks ground on new housing in Wayohi (Wolftown)
Feb. 19 – With a Native Voice, “Homelands”: EBCI artists featured in McClung’s mound exhibit
Feb. 26 – “Every Brave, Every Day”, CCS School Board holds two meetings in February
March 5 – Maker of War, boxing club (Women’s History Month)
March 12 – Mother Town improvements, Kituwah pavilion construction underway
March 19 – Two In A Row, Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) repeat as state champions
March 26 – It’s ok to feel the pain, Cherokee High School students advocate for mental health
April 2 – “Noble warriors”, Post 143 hosts National Vietnam War Veterans Day event
April 9 – Coming full circle, Sign designation Kuwohi installed in Park
April 16 – “Learning by burning” EBCI Natural Resources holds cultural burning of river cane
April 23 – Sharing her culture: Scarlett Guy (Miss Cherokee 2023-2024) to run for Miss Indian World
April 30 – Community love and support, Cherokee community gathers to support Autism education and acceptance
May 7 – Splish! Splash! Kanunohi! Bullfrog Place Park opens in Cherokee
May 14 – Flip the Script, Tribe celebrates Older Americans Month
May 21 – Running for hope, McCoy doing transcontinental fundraiser run
May 28 – “The past shaped us”, CHS Class of 2025 graduates most ever with 100
June 4 – Historical drama turning 75, “Unto These Hills” set to celebrate its diamond anniversary
June 11 – “We are still here”, Annual Kituwah Celebration held
June 18 – EBCI Chestnut Project update, USDA reopening public comment period for GMO chestnut tree
June 25 – Connecting to the ancestors, Remember the Removal riders finish their journey
July 2 – Annual Eastern Band Cherokee Pow Wow
July 16 – “I need to go and do my part”, Tribal elder’s memory (Fred B Lundsford) honored with Congressional Record
July 23 – Cherokee Fire and Rescue Department commended for high state rating
July 30 – Natural wonder, Ribbon-cutting held for Soco Falls Trailhead improvements project
Aug. 6 – “A place for peace”, Tohi Edasdi Recovery Community Center opens officially
Aug. 13 – Back-to-Back Champions, Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) honored for the second straight state title
Aug. 20 – The greatest generation, Last living EBCI World War II serviceman (Cabe “Cody” Monroe Lambert) honored with Congressional Record
August 27 – Never before seen, Previously unseen photo of Charles George donated to Post 143 Museum
Sept. 3 – A landing party, Whitewater Landing opens officially in Cherokee
Sept. 10 – “Neither snow nor rain…”, Renovations have been completed at the Cherokee Post Office
Sept. 17 – “A sacred space”, Kuwhohi Connection Day held to educate students
Sept. 24 – “What a blessing”, Kuwohi Celebration marks one-year anniversary of name restoration
Oct. 1 – “Beautiful and captivating”, Mingo Falls Revitalization celebrated with Ribbon Cutting
Oct. 8 – Every child matters, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event held
Oct. 15 – Marking a new chapter, EBCI holds Inauguration for Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) and School Board
Oct. 22 – Dedicated service, VOC Building named for Kimlyn Sneed Lambert
Oct. 29 – Hope, Strength, and Healing, EBCI acknowledges Purple Lotus Day
Nov. 5 – Fashion Issue, features on the Kanenesgi Fashion Show
Nov. 12 – “Saving the Voices”, Recording Cherokee Speakers for the future
Nov. 19 – Noble warriors, Veteran’s Day event held in Cherokee
Nov. 26 – Ceremonial Grounds project about to start
Dec. 10 – Immeasurable impacts, Second Tsalagi Aniwonisgi Didanvdadisdi (Cherokee Speakers Memorial Day) event held
Looking back on this year’s newspaper, I am so proud of the amazing team that delivers Qualla Boundary news to you. While the headline might capture the focus of the week each week for our community, that is only the tip of what those editions brought to us in community news over the year. Each edition contains roughly 45 pages of content: articles, commentaries, advertisements, community events, photos, calendars, Cherokee language, culture, and history. Between the print edition and the online readership, millions have seen the contributions of the amazing One Feather team. And the course of Eastern Band Cherokee history has certainly been affected by the reporting contained in this tribal media outlet. We don’t just report, we engage our community and readership.
Scott McKie Brings Plenty is the “old man” at the One Feather. Even though I am older physically than Scott, he has the longest history with the paper. I will tell you that, many times, like I have told Scott, he is the heart and soul of the Cherokee One Feather. I don’t know anyone more dedicated and passionate about our community. He and his wife, Sheena, are heavily engaged community members and work as one when it comes to the newspaper, or pretty much anything else. It is a rare occasion when Scott is out on coverage to not see Sheena there at his side. Scott is an artist when it comes to writing and photography. And the care and pride he has in this community is culminated every week in each edition of One Feather. Side note: When I asked Scott to tell me how long he had been with the paper, I anticipated some years in response. In Scott’s typical “attention to detail” fashion, he replies, “27 years, 4 months, and 18 days.” We are so fortunate to have a true, traditional journalist in our community who cares about integrity, accuracy, compassion, and transparency. That is Scott McKie Brings Plenty.
Dawn Arneach has accumulated approximately a decade and a half in service at the Cherokee One Feather. She has worked under multiple editors in various roles in her contribution to the community with the paper. Dawn is our advertising sales coordinator, guiding the direction of One Feather sales. But Dawn is another person who works and sacrifices beyond what is expected in a 40-hour work week. If at any time the ball is dropped by any of her teammates (including me), she is there to pick it up and carry it to the finish line. She cares deeply about her community and the information that she gets to them from the tribal newspaper. It is a rare day when I don’t call on her experience and talent to help me when I am trying to work something out. And if you ask any member of the team, you will find they have similar experiences with Dawn. She is one of a kind, and we are glad that things worked out so that she could be with us in her current role.
Brooklyn Brown came to join us just as the Cherokee Indian Fair was about to start in 2023. Brooklyn “hit the ground running”, or maybe it should be said that we found out how good she could swim by throwing her into the deep end of the pool. Brooklyn is another incredibly talented journalist. She held writing positions in other organizations before coming to the One Feather, and combined with her education, she has written some of the most meaningful, heartfelt, and impactful articles and commentaries in the Cherokee One Feather over the past two years. She is quick, energetic, and has a sixth sense about relating to people and getting the most out of a story. She, too, is one of those assets that would be out of our reach were it not for her commitment to this community. We are fortunate to have her on the One Feather team.
Indica Climbingbear has been with us just over a year. Indica’s role is that of our subscription clerk. Indica also serves as our front desk and administrative person. As a tribal community member, Indica’s passion for community and service is obvious. With many irons in the fire, both personally and professionally, Indica manages to be an integral part of the One Feather team, ensuring subscription and retail print deliveries take place, administrative traffic is handled, and participates in the policy-making functions for which each team member is responsible. Indica quickly became a valuable member of the Cherokee One Feather team and family.
Twelve years have flown by for me as the editor of the Cherokee One Feather. It is because I have been surrounded by an amazing team and community. We spend our time at the paper focused on the job that was laid out for us in Chapter 75 of the Cherokee Code and adhering to the Free Press Act. We are duty-bound to provide you with information so that you may be informed and make informed decisions. We also serve as a conducive forum for the community to speak to the government and the government to speak to the community. We are guardians, entrusted with the duty to provide a fair and safe forum for the readership of the One Feather to speak their minds. We all take our responsibilities to you seriously. On behalf of the Cherokee One Feather team, we thank you for the opportunity to have served you all. We hope that your holidays are safe, quiet, and full of joy and peace.
