The water of the Oconaluftee River that flows through the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) appears to glitter in the sun on a chilly morning in February 2024. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photo)
By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – On the morning of Thursday, Jan. 8, Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) unanimously passed a resolution recognizing “the inherent rights of the Longperson, a natural entity within the boundary and ancestral homelands of the Cherokee people.”
The resolution, submitted by the NAIWA Daughters, the Cherokee Youth Council, Beloved Woman Carmeleta Monteith, and the Earthkeepers, reads in part,
“WHEREAS, in Cherokee tradition, the waterways are known as the Longperson, a living, conscious being whose head begins in the mountains and whose feet stretch to the sea. The Longperson is a sacred presence, offering life, guidance, healing, and protection to our people.”
The resolution recognizes the inherent rights of Longperson to protect and ensure the health and habitat of the Qualla Boundary’s waterways, and establishes a “Rights of Nature Task Force,” whose functions are detailed in the resolution.
Jasmine Smith, NAIWA Daughters chairwoman, began her remarks with, “We wanted to acknowledge that we cannot have this discussion without our relative, Longperson, present. Held in two vessels, created by the hands of Beloved Women, these waters were borrowed from the headwaters in the National Park, and will be returned to the Oconaluftee in a water ceremony following the session.”
Smith closed teary-eyed, “Today, we implore this legislative body to stand with us, not because it’s your responsibility as elected leaders, but because it is the right thing to do as Cherokee people.”
