NEWS ᎧᏃᎮᏓ
Planning Board holds December meeting
On the afternoon of Dec. 15, 2025, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Project Management and Planning team provided project updates to the Planning Board, led by manager Rebecca Bowe.
EBCI set to leave NCAI in October
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) will leave the NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) at the end of September.
Longperson inherent rights recognized by Dinilawigi (Tribal Council)
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.”
ONE FEATHER PHOTOS
COMMUNITY ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
“Talehvga!”: Walelu’s Daryl Martin
Daryl Martin, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is an Anetsovsgi (Ball player) for the Walelu (Hummingbirds) Anetso (Stickball) team. Martin is the supply manager for Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority.
A player’s responsibility: Wayohi’s Cory Junaluska
Cory Junaluska, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is an Anetsovsgi (Ball player) for the Wayohi (Wolftown) Anetso (Stickball) team.
A commitment to culture: Kolanvyi’s Chris Hornbuckle
Chris Hornbuckle, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is an Anetsovsgi (Ball player) from the Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Anetso (Stickball) team. Hornbuckle works for Qualla Housing as a carpenter/crew leader.
OPINIONS ᏃᎵᏍᎬᎢ
COMMENTARY: What should be the uses of the Kituwah pavilion?
What is proper use of the pavilion and Kituwah as a site? Where is the line drawn?
SPEAKING OF FAITH: I Miss Church, Part 2 of 3
Heb 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” NIV
THE GOOD STUFF: Marie Junaluska, a true servant to the community
Marie Junaluska has served her community in various capacities for decades and continues to this day – working tirelessly to help others learn the Cherokee language. An elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), Marie is a first language Cherokee speaker who can also read and write the language.
SPORTS ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
TRACK & FIELD: Swain sweeps team state titles; Several CHS athletes place
Swain Co. High School won both the men’s and women’s team titles at the 1A State Track & Field Championship held at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. on Monday, May 20.
TRACK & FIELD: CHS athletes place at regionals and qualify for state meet
Several members of the Cherokee High School (CHS) track and field team qualified for the 1A state championship meet with their performances at the 1A West Regional meet at Montreat College in Black Mountain, N.C. on Saturday, May 11.
ON THE SIDELINES: It’s the celebrating that makes sports special
Sports provide a great time of celebration. It is that raw emotion that I love about sports, and it is 100 percent what I love about sports photography.
OBITUARIES ᏧᏂᏲᎰᏒ
OBITUARY: Hattie Elizabeth Panther
Hattie Elizabeth Panther, age 82, passed away peacefully at Tsali Care Center on October 17, 2025.
OBITUARY: Mianna Louise Cucumber Luther
Mianna Louise Cucumber Luther, 80, of the Wolftown Community, Cherokee, N.C., passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, at her residence after a brief illness.
OBITUARY: Melvin Anthony Driver
Melvin Anthony Driver, 27, of the Big Cove Community in Cherokee, N.C., passed away on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., after a brief illness.
HAPPENINGS
Park and DLiA to host Smokies Species Day
Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the non-profit partner Discover Life in America (DLiA) are celebrating the diversity of life in the park by hosting “Smokies Species Day” at Sugarlands Visitor Center on Saturday, June 29
Park to host Smokies Service Days
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is inviting the public to participate in “Smokies Service Days” beginning June 29
Los Moralitos Circus bringing a family tradition to Cherokee
To say that the circus is a family tradition for the Vazquez family would be an understatement.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Dracula returns to Cherokee
“Last year we built it, and I feel like this year we’re crafting it,” said Bailey Frankenberg, who plays Lucy Westerna in “Dracula: The Failings of Men”.
“Disruption” shakes up Museum of the Cherokee Indian exhibit
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is switching gears on its permanent exhibit and taking funerary and ceremonial objects off display. Taking these items off display created holes in the exhibit which have been filled with contemporary Cherokee art pieces.
Kansas returns to Cherokee
After 10 years, prolific rock band Kansas is coming back to the mountains of North Carolina and will play Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort this Saturday, June 25.
Call
(828) 359-6262
Address
801 Acquoni Road • Cherokee, NC 28719
Hours
Mon – Fri • 7:45am – 4:30pm