By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
KITUWAH – For a sacred site with thousands of years of history, a mere 30 years doesn’t seem like much, but an upcoming anniversary is very important to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). This year’s annual Kituwah Celebration, set for Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will mark the 30th anniversary since Kituwah – the Mother Town of the Cherokee – came back under the control of the Cherokee people.
The event will feature Cherokee songs and dances, anetso (stickball), food, and more.
Members of the Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Indian Ball Team go for the ball during an exhibition stickball game held during the Annual Kituwah Celebration at Kituwah on the evening of Friday, May 31, 2024. The Kituwah Celebration of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is held annually to mark the return of the site to the Tribe. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Kituwah, located just outside of Cherokee, N.C., near Bryson City, N.C. was purchased by the EBCI in 1996, and according to the Public Notice to Acquire Land into Trust, the site totals 307.03 acres. The property was placed into trust for the EBCI by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Dept. of the Interior in 2021.
“Kituwah is not just a plot of land, or a quiet field, it is one of the most sacred places in Cherokee history,” Renissa McLaughlin, EBCI Youth & Adult Education director, told the crowd at last year’s Kituwah Celebration held on June 6, 2025. “It is our Mother Town, the regional village where our ancestors first gathered as people, where the first fire was lit, and where Cherokee life, government, and traditions began.”
A week earlier, the new pavilion was opened officially at Kituwah. EBCI Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks spoke to the crowd at the ribbon cutting ceremony about the history of the EBCI getting Kituwah back. “Going back to when this land was originally being contemplated, I was a young finance officer. Chief Dugan had recruited me back, I was working for a company in New York City, and it wasn’t far into her term that we started looking at this opportunity…I didn’t know a lot about it. In our generation, we just weren’t told a whole lot about the importance of this land. So, the direction was ‘I need you to find some resources’. And, at that time, it was a significant amount of resources that we were asked to put together…we found a way without much resources. The key was that we knew how important and what this meant to the future of our tribe, in addition to the historical aspect. So, I’m just glad to be a small part of that history of getting this back into the name of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. It’s very important.”
Former Ugvwiyuhi Joyce Dugan was instrumental in getting Kituwah back for the Cherokee people. In 1996, she took a resolution to Tribal Council asking that they purchase the property, then known to most as Ferguson Fields, for $2.1 million. Council passed the legislation unanimously.
“I think, looking back, it created a cultural renaissance because people began to learn about their culture,” she told the crowd at the Kituwah Celebration on May 21, 2022. “If anything, the legacy that I left and the Tribal Council at that time left, was a renaissance of our culture, of our language, our customs for future generations. And, for the first time, our people began to say, ‘our culture and our traditions are important’.”
Ugvwiyuhi Dugan went on to say, “Enjoy your day. Love each other. And think about what all went on down here on this piece of land. And listen to the sounds of those children, those mommas and daddies who lived here. I’ve been told that if you’re real quiet down here in the evenings you can hear them. I don’t doubt that.”
That same night, then-Ugvwiyuhi Richard G. Sneed said getting Kituwah put into trust status was a priority of his since taking office. “It is an historic day. We would not be here today if it were not for the vision and the leadership of Chief Dugan…Great leaders like Chief Dugan have several things in common and one is they have vision. If you’re going to be in leadership, you’re going to have to have vision for the generations of Cherokees that are coming after us.”
Taline Ugvwiyu (Vice Chief) Alan B. Ensley, was a Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) representative when the legislation was passed to purchase Kituwah. At the May 2025 ribbon cutting for the new pavilion, he noted, “This is a place that we all own and need to come down here and enjoy…we all need to learn to come down here and relax and enjoy our hometown.”
Organizers for the June 6 event have a call out for EBCI vendors including artists, crafters, farmers, demonstrators, etc. Call (828) 359-6406 if you’re interested in being a vendor at the event.
Everyone is welcome. Make plans to attend this historic event as history continues to be made at Kituwah.
