NEWS ᎧᏃᎮᏓ
This Week in Native News
COMPILED By ANN TOINEETA One Feather Intern Indigenous people spotlighted at Mexico and Canada’s FIFA World Cup opening ceremony The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies in Mexico City, Mexico and Toronto, Canada showcased Indigenous peoples and their...
Qualla Enterprises issues clarification on financial reporting and oversight
Qualla Enterprises, LLC, a tribally-owned enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is issuing this statement to provide clarity and correct recent public misrepresentations regarding the Company’s financial reporting, audit history, and operational oversight.
Federal legislative updates of interest to EBCI citizens (June 16)
The One Feather will now provide weekly legislative updates on various pieces of federal legislation of interest to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The bills are shown in the order in which they were introduced following the new bills for the week.
2026 4th of July Powwow
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ONE FEATHER PHOTOS
COMMUNITY ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
Cherokee High School 4th quarter Honor Roll
Cherokee High School 4th quarter Honor Roll
Sculpture by Cherokee Nation citizen added to N.C. Arboretum’s collection
“Sacred Earth” by Cherokee Nation sculptor Karen Sixkiller features a larger-than-life water beetle perched on a large, faceted form and can now be seen along the walkways of the Stream Garden.
Culture in clay: Didanisisgi Gadagwatli (Mud Daubers) Pottery Exhibit opens
Beauty and incredible artistry were on display as this year’s Didanisisgi Gadagwatli (Mud Daubers) Pottery Exhibit opened at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Friday, June 5.
OPINIONS ᏃᎵᏍᎬᎢ
SPEAKING OF FAITH: Small Beginnings, Part 2 of 2
Consider other Biblical references to small but powerful things. In the book of James, he writes about the bit in a horse’s mouth that controls a large animal and the small rudder that steers a large ship, and in verse five, he writes, “So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire!” James 3:5
Ask a Therapist: The Psychology of Pet Loss
There is a kind of grief that people often underestimate until they experience it themselves: losing a pet.
COMMENTARY: The answer to One Feather’s question is standing right in front of us
Our brothers and sisters at the Cherokee One Feather asked a question worth sitting with: what could unify the Cherokee people?
SPORTS ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
ON THE SIDELINES: A wrestler’s code for life
Wrestling is special. It’s ancient, it’s biblical, it’s unlike any other sport in the world, but it can help you be better in every other sport.
Shirley Reagan receives USA Judo National Referee certification
Shirley Reagan, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been doing Judo for years, and she recently hit a milestone in the sport she loves. She has received certification as a USA Judo National Referee and can officiate any national tournament in the United States.
WRESTLING: Cherokee H.S. competes at regional meets; two wrestlers qualify for state
The Cherokee High School (CHS) men’s and women’s wrestling teams competed in two separate regional events this past week, and two CHS wrestlers have qualified for the upcoming state meet scheduled for Feb. 19-21 at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
OBITUARIES ᏧᏂᏲᎰᏒ
OBITUARY: Sara Jane Lambert
Sara Jane Lambert, 85, of Cherokee, N.C., passed away and went to her heavenly home on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, after a brief hospital stay at Cherokee Indian Hospital.
OBITUARY: Kaytlin Elizabeth Jones
Kaytlin Elizabeth Jones, 23, of Bryson City, N.C., went home to be with the Lord Sunday, June 14, 2026. A native of Swain County and enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, she was the daughter of Yancey and Amanda Dyer Jones of Bryson City.
OBITUARY: Nannie “Nan” Thompson Brown
Nannie “Nan” Thompson Brown, 86, of Graham County and the Snowbird Community, N.C., was reunited with her loving husband and welcomed into her heavenly home on Monday, June 8, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family.
HAPPENINGS
Food truck rodeo coming to Harrah’s Cherokee
Three Cherokee-owned food trucks will be setting up at The Cherokee Convention Center this Friday, Feb. 4 and Saturday, Feb. 5 to serve any and all who want an Indian dinner or Cherokee fare.
May classes at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education
The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, managed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, has released the May class schedule. The workshops will be hosted outside and led by Wildlife Commission staff. The Center’s COVID-19 policies are stated on their...
Mountain Heritage Day planning for return to WCU campus this fall
Mountain Heritage Day, the festival of cultural traditions presented by Western Carolina University, is again being planned as a live, in-person event on Saturday, Sept. 25.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Tribal member releases new titles in “Angelina the Adventure Cat” book series
Maria E. Lyons, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is expanding on a book series based on her beloved Maine Coon cat, Angelina.
Indigenous Poetry Anthology seeking EBCI writers
Work is currently being solicited for a new contemporary Indigenous poetry anthology from the Wesleyan University Press, and members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) are being encouraged to submit their work for consideration.
EBCI tribal member selected as Red Earth Artist
Margaret Littlejohn Wakefield, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been selected as an Official Red Earth Festival Artist for the 2026 event. She will display her paintings at the Festival set for Aug. 1-2 at the OKC Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oka.
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