NEWS ᎧᏃᎮᏓ
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians celebrates grand opening of Caesars Virginia
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) joined Caesars Entertainment on Tuesday, Dec. 17 to celebrate the grand opening of the highly anticipated Caesars Virginia casino & resort. Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks, alongside members of his Executive team and Dinilawigi (Tribal Council), attended the event, marking a significant milestone in EBCI’s ongoing partnership with Caesars Entertainment.
A Lumbee recognition bill passes U.S. House again
For the third Congress in a row, a House bill that would grant federal recognition to the state-recognized Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has passed. By a vote of 311-96, the Lumbee Fairness Act (H.R. 1101) passed the U.S. House of Representatives, in the 118th Congress, on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
Groundbreaking held for Soco Falls Trailhead improvements project
Tribal officials of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) held a groundbreaking for improvements to the Soco Falls Trailhead on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 13. The project is being paid for with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) funds.
ONE FEATHER PHOTOS
COMMUNITY ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
EBCI selects its 2025 Remember the Removal ride candidates
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has selected six tribal members to join riders from the Cherokee Nation in June 2025 on the annual Remember the Removal Ride (RTR). The ride will retrace the northern route of the Trail of Tears.
WCU alumna records 100,000th person into craftsman database
Isabel Driver knows how important the work she does is. As an intern with the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University, Driver etched 224 craftspeople into the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts’ craftsman database.
Tribal member working at NASA
Miranda Thompson Meyer, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), works for one of the most well-known federal agencies there is – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She is one of only 28 members of federally recognized tribes employed there.
OPINIONS ᏃᎵᏍᎬᎢ
SPEAKING OF FAITH: Small beginnings
God is big, and we often think of Him in His grandiose state more than we consider Him in small things like a mustard seed or a yud. What’s a yud, you ask? The yud is the tenth and smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It is a small mark that looks like the English version of an apostrophe. The difference in what it means in Hebrew is much more critical.
COMMENTARY: Put the sign back
A debate between the tribal business committee and the tribal museum has left the community without a roadside sign to alert those traveling on Tsali Blvd that there is a valuable source of education and information about our tribe since May 2024.
SPEAKING OF FAITH: Surprise!
Have you ever received a gift and didn’t know where it came from or why? Then later you find out who gave you the gift. Were you surprised? Did it mean more to you to know who gave you the gift? Did you feel more love or affection for the giver, knowing it came from them?
SPORTS ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
JV FOOTBALL: Braves win 28-18 at Hayesville
The Cherokee JV Braves traveled to Hayesville on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 19 and came away with a 28-18 victory over the JV Yellow Jackets.
ON THE SIDELINES: Check out the Cherokee Skate Jam
Aaron Ira Smart soared into the air, grabbed his board, and did a keen trick mid-air between rounds at an annual event that astounds me each year. Smart, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation with heritage from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) as well, did this at last year’s Cherokee Skate Jam.
CROSS COUNTRY: CMS Lady Braves keep rolling with win at Murphy
The Cherokee Middle School (CMS) Lady Braves continued their winning ways with a team victory at a meet in Murphy, N.C. on Saturday, Sept. 14. The team won with a score of 30 followed by Murphy with 62.
OBITUARIES ᏧᏂᏲᎰᏒ
OBITUARY: Bertha Mathews Pilkington
Bertha Mathews Pilkington, 82, of the Towstring Community, went home to be with the Lord Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. A native of Swain County, she was the daughter of the late Seab and Floy Lambert Mathews and wife of the late Buddy Pilkington.
OBITUARY: Agnes Irene Price Gerding
Agnes I. Gerding went peacefully to be with her Lord on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, at the age of 94.
OBITUARY: Bernard Kenneth Biddle Jr.
Bernard Kenneth Biddle Jr., age 73, also known as “Kenny”, passed away at Vero Health and Rehab on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, after an extended illness.
HAPPENINGS
Upcoming events in Cherokee
Following is a listing of events scheduled for Cherokee in the next three months per the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds staff:
Upcoming Pow Wows for March 2020
Note: This list of pow wows was compiled by One Feather staff. The One Feather does not endorse any of these dances. It is simply a listing of ones occurring throughout the continent. Please call before traveling.
Upcoming Pow Wows for February 2020
Note: This list of pow wows was compiled by One Feather staff. The One Feather does not endorse any of these dances. It is simply a listing of ones occurring throughout the continent. Please call before traveling.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“Stellar Picks: A Community Choice Exhibition” to open at WCU
The WCU Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center has tallied the votes, and the results are in on which objects will be included in its newest exhibition Stellar Picks: A Community Choice Exhibition.
EBCI models walk in Native Fashion in the City Fashion Show
Eight Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) models walked in the 10-year anniversary fashion show of Native Fashion in the City (NFITC) in Denver, Colo. on March 14 and 15. NFITC a modeling and fashion organization for Native American First Nations designers and models.
Cherokee musicians featured in new album with N.C. artists
Blue Ridge Music Trails released an album in November of 2023 titled, “Fine Tuned: Volume One” featuring artists from western North Carolina to highlight the musical traditions of the region. Keaw’e Bone and Jarrett Wildcatt, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), collaborated on a song on the album titled, “Three Demons.”
Call
(828) 359-6262
Address
801 Acquoni Road • Cherokee, NC 28719
Hours
Mon – Fri • 7:45am – 4:30pm