NEWS ᎧᏃᎮᏓ
Federal legislative updates of interest to EBCI citizens (Dec. 1)
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.
Immeasurable impacts: Second Tsalagi Aniwonisgi Didanvdadisdi (Cherokee Speakers Memorial Day) event held
The second Tsalagi Aniwonisgi Didanvdadisdi (Cherokee Speakers Memorial Day) event was held on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 25 at the Kalvgviditsa Tsalagi Aniwonisgi Tsunatsohisdihi (Cherokee Speakers Place), located adjacent to the New Kituwah Academy in Cherokee, N.C.
Senate passes resolution recognizing National Native American Heritage Month
The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan Senate resolution on Wednesday, Nov. 19, led by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), the vice chairman, recognizing November 2025 as National Native American Heritage Month, honoring the enduring cultures, histories, and contributions of Native Americans to the United States.
ONE FEATHER PHOTOS
COMMUNITY ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
Alea Martens will make modeling debut at Kananesgi
The Kananesgi Fashion Show will be held at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort on Saturday, Nov. 8, and Alea Martens, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), will make her modeling debut. She will model clothes by Mrs. Freida Saylor, an EBCI tribal member and designer.
Behind the designs: Alex Lane returns to the Kananesgi Fashion Show
Alexandria Lane is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and the manager of visitor services for the Museum of the Cherokee People. Lane made her debut as a designer in the 2024 Kananesgi Fashion Show, and she will be returning this year with a new collection.
Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute awarded grants from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation
The Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute (RKLI), a department of the Cherokee Boys Club, has announced that it has received two grant awards from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPF) to support its culturally based leadership programs for youth and adults.
OPINIONS ᏃᎵᏍᎬᎢ
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.
SPEAKING OF FAITH: I Miss Church, Part 1 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
SPORTS ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
Women’s History Month: Women in Recreation
March is Women’s History Month. For the month of March, the One Feather will be sharing articles that highlight strong, intelligent women behind the day-to-day operations of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).
ON THE SIDELINES: The meaning of a teammate
The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) have continued to dominate in the 2024-25 season, initiating a mercy rule running clock for most of their games, echoing last year’s championship run.
SOFTBALL: Tiger-Harlan signs with Reinhardt University
Mica Tiger-Harlan, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a senior at Smoky Mountain High School (SMHS), signed a letter of intent at SMHS in Sylva, N.C. on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 28 to play softball for Reinhardt University.
OBITUARIES ᏧᏂᏲᎰᏒ
OBITUARY: Irvin Phillip Owle
Irvin Phillip Owle, 83, passed away on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, at Maggie Valley Nursing and Rehab in Maggie Valley, N.C., after a period of declining health.
OBITUARY: General Benjamin Grant
General Benjamin Grant, born Sept. 5, 1945, in White County, Tenn., to the late Rebecca Catolster Grant (Cherokee) and Ernest “Lone Wolf” Grant (Lakota Sioux), passed away on Dec. 3, 2025.
Chad “Mongo” Donavon Burton
Chad “Mongo” Donavon Burton, 50, of Cherokee, N.C., passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 19,2025.
HAPPENINGS
Upcoming Pow Wows for Dec. 13-15
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.
Cherokee artist to show at Rotunda Gallery in Sylva
A showing of new works and a series of prints by Jenean Hornbuckle, a landscape painter, will open at the Rotunda Gallery in the Sylva Library on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. with a reception sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council and Sequoyah Fund.
Upcoming Pow Wows for Dec. 6-8
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
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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801 Acquoni Road • Cherokee, NC 28719
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