By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Nakoa Chiltoskie, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is an outstanding example of what a community-minded person should be. She is helpful, friendly, willing to share her vast cultural knowledge; and she does it all with a smile.
She is currently an elementary immersion instructor at New Kituwah Academy – the Cherokee language immersion school of the EBCI. Nakoa is a dedicated Cherokee second language learner.
Nakoa Chiltoskie, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is shown at the annual Cherokee Indian Fair Parade in Cherokee, N.C. on the afternoon of Oct. 7, 2025. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
She has a lifelong love of and involvement in Cherokee arts and crafts and traditions.
Last spring I interviewed Nakoa for a piece I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the “Unto These Hills” outdoor drama. She worked at “Unto These Hills” from the time she was 9-years-old until age 18 (1987-96). “I worked as a crowd scene actress. At the beginning of the pre-show, Mrs. Maybelle McDonald had a small dance group one year, and we would perform a couple traditional Cherokee social dances.”
She enjoyed her time with the drama. “My favorite part about working with the show was developing such good friendships with the cast. It was so much fun sitting by your friends on the bridge area backstage waiting for your cue to go out for your scene. Many laughs were shared.”
Nakoa has been a pow wow dancer for many years dancing these days as a southern cloth dancer. I interviewed her for our special Pow Wow Issue last June, and she noted, “I am drawn to women’s traditional because of the grace the women show when dancing. The way the fringe moves to the beat, but yet their bodies are held with strict posture. It is very beautiful to watch.
Some of my favorite things about traveling to pow wows are the memories you make while traveling with your family and getting to see places you have never visited before. It’s always good to see old friends and also make new ones. The food is always a bonus.”
Nakoa is shown dancing at the Eastern Band Cherokee Pow Wow held at the old Cherokee High School site in Cherokee, N.C. on July 1, 2022.
Nakoa is a very experienced seamstress and is known all over for her expertise making both traditional Cherokee and pow wow outfits. “I love to sew. This is one of my favorite parts of making regalia. The feeling of pride that you get when you create something that is an expression of your inner creativity and see it come to life is amazing. It motivates you to continue to create. It’s all about taking a traditional concept and making it your own, developing your signature in the art world.”
She is also a very skilled cook of Cherokee traditional foods and has given multiple demonstrations and tutorials on this – most recently doing a video with the Museum of the Cherokee People on making Cherokee blackberry and grape dumplings.
Nakoa was Miss Fall Festival in 1993 and Miss Cherokee in 1996.
She was a graduate of the 2022 Duyugodv’I Right Path Adult Leadership cohort, a program “designed to provide more in-depth teachings on Cherokee values, cultural practices, traditional leadership knowledge, and includes an individual or small group community service project”.
Her accomplishments are numerous, but her attitude and positive demeanor is what makes her special. Nakoa is an absolute ray of sunshine in the Cherokee community.
