By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Mary “Missy” Crowe has always been an advocate for her people and works daily and nightly to make sure that a Cherokee voice is always heard. It’s been an honor to know her for three decades now, and to have been able to see her work and dedication is inspiring.
Crowe, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) from Elawodi (Yellowhill), serves as the Indigenous Just Transition coordinator for the Indigenous Environmental Network.
Mary “Missy” Crowe, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Elawodi (Yellowhill), has fun dancing at the Cherokee Summer Social Dance at the Yellowhill Activity Center on the hot, humid evening of July 9, 2022. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
She has accomplished so much in the realm of advocacy and change for the good of the EBCI and Indian Country in general – always keeping her traditional Cherokee beliefs and lifeways at the forefront. But, for all of her work and accomplishments, she is never one to seek the limelight.
Along with Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Rep. Lavita Hill, Crowe worked tirelessly to bring about the name restoration of Kuwohi (mulberry place) – the third-highest summit east of the Mississippi River which is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The name was restored on Sept. 18, 2024.
That effort took several years and probably thousands of hours of work. In true fashion, Crowe was quick to thank others for their efforts. The day of the name restoration, she told me for an article, “Thank you Creator God for the many blessings we received during this journey to restore Kuwohi. Thank God for my sister, Lavita Hill, and her husband, Chris Siewers, who went above and beyond in this effort to restore Kuwohi! There are so many to thank who have supported us along this journey, but especially want to say thank you to the Thomas Lanier Clingman family and Tom Clingman for supporting Lavita and I in our efforts.”
In 2023, Rep. Hill and Crowe were recognized for their efforts by the Tennessee General Assembly with the passage of Bill H.J. 452. That legislation, submitted by State Rep. Justin Jones (D-District 52), stated, “Ms. Crowe and Ms. Hill are testaments to the power of dedication and determination, and their laudable mission deserves to be acknowledged…”
Dedication and determination are two words, among many, that aptly describe Crowe. A thesaurus would list hundreds more, but those two fit like a glove.
Crowe has always seen the power of collaboration and embodies the idea that working together yields more fruit than working alone.
Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) passed Ord. No. 158 on May 7, 2026 which approved a moratorium on data centers within the lands of the EBCI. That legislation was submitted by Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Rep. Lavita Hill, Kolanvyi Rep. Venita Wolfe, Aniwodihi (Painttown) Rep. Shannon Swimmer, and Elawodi (Yellowhill) Rep. Shennelle Feather.
Crowe helped organize a community meeting prior to this vote to educate the public on data centers. That meeting was a collaboration between the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Eastern Cherokee Organization, and the Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative.
At that meeting, she noted, “At the end of the day, we all need clean water, and we all need clean air, and we all need clean and healthy food.”
Crowe is the true embodiment of someone working for the next seven generations.
Several years ago, she was featured on an episode of Six Mile Post: The Student Voice, a podcast of Georgia Highlands College. On the episode, she commented, “We have to come together on common ground. We have to understand who we are as human beings first and what our responsibility is here on this earth.”
Coming together on common ground has been her message for the three decades I’ve known her. Countless times, she has spoken in front of Dinilawigi, and she always encourages tribal unity and human unity.
A sign designating the area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as Kuwohi (mulberry place) was officially unveiled on the morning of Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Shown, left to right, are Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Rep. Lavita Hill, Mary “Missy” Crowe, and Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Hill and Crowe, both EBCI members, were instrumental in the name restoration effort.
She has been an advocate on numerous issues over the years including sovereignty, tribal citizen rights, environmental stewardship, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR), and many more.
At the MMIR Walk & Vigil held in Cherokee several years ago, she commented, “We’ve got to do more…we’ve got to do more. We have to look at our fair and equal rights and protection for everybody. It starts with our inherent right…no one put us on this land but Creator. And no one should be able to take us off of this land known as the Qualla Boundary.”
With all of the important issues that she tackles, Crowe is grounded in her Cherokee culture and history. The issues would weigh most people down, but I want to point out that she is quick to laugh and smile and have fun with life.
For their efforts in the Kuwohi Name Restoration, Crowe and Rep. Hill received the Dogwood Award given annually by the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. At the time, then-N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein commented, “Lavita and Mary are working to make sure that their tribe’s history is recognized and honored. They are advocating to restore the name Kuwohi, which means Mulberry Place, from Clingman’s Dome, which was named for a Confederate general. In doing so, their efforts will help to commemorate the long history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina.”
I’ll end this Good Stuff column by pointing out the last line of the quote above and highlighting the phrase “commemorate the long history”. That is what Crowe seeks – not personal glory but a continuation of the long history of the EBCI.
