NEWS ᎧᏃᎮᏓ
Continuing to grow: Great Smoky Cannabis Co. expanding
On an overcast and chilly late winter morning, Simon Montelongo works in a room, clean as a laboratory, with fellow employees processing cannabis in various products. Montelongo, a lead processor at the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. farm, is one of over 225 employees with the company which continues to grow and expand.
Senate Indian Affairs Committee advances 25 bills to full Senate
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi), Vice Chairman of the Committee, led a business meeting of the Senate Committee of Indian Affairs in Washington, DC, to consider 25 bills before the Committee.
Kituwah pavilion construction underway
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Kituwah pavilion on the afternoon of Monday, March 3
ONE FEATHER PHOTOS
COMMUNITY ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
Museum of the Cherokee People dedicated to using a Cherokee voice
Visitors walking into the Museum of the Cherokee People these days will see much work being accomplished on the lobby area and beyond. Museum staff is currently working diligently to update the main exhibit which is scheduled to re-open in March.
Shop local in Cherokee for Valentine’s Day
The Sweetheart Market is coming soon on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Peaches Squirrell Sports and Recreation Complex in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown).
EBCI tribal members to shine on the runway at Santa Fe Native Fashion Week
Cherokee designer Faith Long-Presley is making waves in the fashion world with her upcoming showcase at Santa Fe Native Fashion Week. Representing her community with pride, she has selected 11 models from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to model her designs during the event.
OPINIONS ᏃᎵᏍᎬᎢ
SPEAKING OF FAITH: He Thinks of Us
Psalm 139 is a great place to put God’s love in perspective. Verses 13-16 are often used to prove from God’s Word that life begins at conception and that God controls our making in the womb.
COMMENTARY – True Sovereignty and Transparency: No buts about it.
As we think of ourselves or call ourselves sovereign as a federally recognized tribe, we need to think about the term “recognized” and see if there is a “but” in that term.
EDITORIAL: Lumbee Tribal Chairman attacks media coverage of Lumbee federal recognition
On the afternoon of Feb. 10, John L. Lowery, tribal chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, released a public memo making accusations of “propaganda articles” and “fake news reports” from the “smear campaign” of the “multi-million-dollar propaganda machine of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”
SPORTS ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
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.
The Tsalagi Cougars are going for gold
The Tsalagi Cougars are the regional cheer group competing in the North Carolina Senior Games. Beginning last year and earning a second-place medal, the team, representing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has grown in numbers and excitement, gunning for first place at the 2024 Senior Games happening in Raleigh Sept. 16-22.
OBITUARIES ᏧᏂᏲᎰᏒ
OBITUARY: William Jarrett “Jiggy-Fly” Wilnoty
William Jarrett “Jiggy-Fly” Wilnoty, 43, of Cherokee, passed away unexpectedly in his home. He was born on Dec. 21, 1981 to Joseph A Wilnoty (Tammy) and Faye McCoy.
OBITUARY: Fred Bruner Lunsford
Fred Bruner Lunsford, born March 7, 1925, to the late Inez Rogers and Pearlie M. Lunsford; passed to his Heavenly Home on March 1, 2025 (six days before his 100th birthday). He joined his beloved wife of 70 years, Gladys Greene Lunsford, who died on Aug. 14, 2014.
OBITUARY: Mrs. Sara Mae Reagan Waldroop
It is with a heavy heart, we share the passing of Mrs. Sara Mae Reagan Waldroop, 87, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
HAPPENINGS
Upcoming Pow Wows for Nov. 7-10
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 Star Gazing event at Purchase Knob
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a stargazing event on Friday, Nov. 15 at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in North Carolina.
Upcoming Pow Wows for Nov. 1-3
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
Museum receives grant for welcome signs to Cultural District
A grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation will provide for two artistic welcome signs to be installed designating the Cherokee Cultural District on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee, N.C.).
WCU to open exhibition “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson”
This August, the WCU (Western Carolina University) Fine Art Museum opens the exhibition “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson”, featuring over 140 works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of western North Carolina’s most notable art enthusiasts.
Film, concert event to put Cherokee language in the spotlight
On Aug. 4 and 5, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian (MCI) will present The Way We Speak with the World, a film and concert event celebrating the Cherokee language.
Call
(828) 359-6262
Address
801 Acquoni Road • Cherokee, NC 28719
Hours
Mon – Fri • 7:45am – 4:30pm