NEWS ᎧᏃᎮᏓ
EBCI Government Explained: Referendums
Law governing referendums held for voters of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) can be found in the Tribe’s election law in Cherokee Code Section 161-9. That section was established with the passage of Ord. No. 409 on Aug. 7, 2008.
Tabled ordinance would change candidacy requirements
The EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Board of Elections has submitted an ordinance that would remove a section from the tribe’s election law regarding requirements for filing for candidacy. Ord. No. 21 (2025) was deemed read and tabled during the Annual Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) session on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.
Hope, Strength, and Healing: EBCI acknowledges Purple Lotus Day
Hope, strength, and healing were the messages conveyed at the Purple Lotus Day event held at the Cherokee Welcome Center on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 22.
ONE FEATHER PHOTOS
COMMUNITY ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
113th Cherokee Indian Fair EBCI Cooperative Extension winners
113th Cherokee Indian Fair EBCI Cooperative Extension winners
113th Cherokee Indian Fair Qualla Arts & Crafts winners
Cherokee Indian Fair Qualla Arts & Crafts winners
Inheriting the game: Tsisqwohi’s Elias Griffin
Elias Griffin, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is an Anetsovsgi (Ball player) for the Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) Anetso (Stickball) team. Griffin said he comes from the Griffin and Ledford families, and he is a member of the Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) community.
OPINIONS ᏃᎵᏍᎬᎢ
THE GOOD STUFF: Stuttering is ok and you’re allowed to take your time
You might be wondering why I’m writing one of my Good Stuff columns about a neurological disorder, and that’s a fair question. I’ve stuttered since early childhood, and it has been a lifetime of ups and downs regarding my speech.
COMMENTARY: Language Revitalization requires a winner’s mentality
There is a great urgency to our language revitalization efforts; we feel it every day. If we’re not careful, that urgency can feel like anxiety, dread, or even defeat. But urgency does not mean defeat; it means there’s an opportunity that we can seize.
THE GOOD STUFF: Wilbur Paul serves community with a dedicated spirit and a smile
Wilbur Paul is a staple at events in Cherokee and has worked for decades serving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) community.
SPORTS ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
Tribal member to be inducted into North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame
Rebecca Wolfe Damas, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is a member of the Class of 2025 inductees into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF). She will be officially inducted during a ceremony on June 7 in Green Bay, Wisc. at the Onedia Conference Center.
Qualla Boundary Special Olympics team members place at Fall Tournament
Members of the Qualla Boundary Special Olympics team placed at the 2024 Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) Fall Tournament held recently in Charlotte, N.C.
Cherokee Recreation Youth Wrestling Program will begin in March
Starting in March, Cherokee Recreation will launch a new youth wrestling program. Casey Reagan, from Smokey Mountain Judo, will be heading up the program with help from his family, including his sister, Erin Reagan Kirkland, from Cherokee Central Schools.
OBITUARIES ᏧᏂᏲᎰᏒ
OBITUARY: Patricia Goodson Ensley
Patricia Goodson Ensley, 69, of Cherokee, N.C., went home to be with the Lord Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. A native of Haywood County and longtime resident of Cherokee N.C., she was the daughter of the late Charles Junior and Alice Irene Goodson. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her brother, Ricky Dean Goodson.
OBITUARY: Mary Lynn Johnson
Mary Lynn Johnson, 67, Whittier, passed away unexpectedly, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. She was the daughter of the late Cecil and Bernita Johnson.
OBITUARY: Georgia Elaine Driver
Georgia Elaine Driver, 60, of Cherokee, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. A native of Cherokee, she was the daughter of the late Dorothy West and Ralph Maney.
HAPPENINGS
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.
Upcoming Pow Wows for January 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.
Park to host annual Festival of Christmas Past program
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host the annual Festival of Christmas Past celebration Saturday, Dec. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Sugarlands Visitor Center.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Sneed’s art shown in exhibit at Hickory Museum of Art
Lenoir-Rhyne University students participated in an exhibit at the Hickory Museum of Art recently entitled “The Art of Profession” which featured students in the Advanced Studio Practices, and a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) was one of those featured. Tishara Sneed, an EBCI tribal member who also has Dine’ (Navajo) heritage, displayed three ceramic masks for the exhibit.
“Homelands”: EBCI artists featured in McClung’s mound exhibit
Four artists of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) are among Indigenous artists featured in a new exhibit at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.
Carving a path: The future of Cherokee art collection
Driver Blythe, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is a graduate student and student teacher in Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Studies program.
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