By Yolanda Saunook
Meeting in Aquohee District, Cherokee Nation, The Cherokee Phoenix of September 11th, 1830.
“And trusting to the guidance of an all wise Providence, we are encouraged to look forward, through generations yet to come, in the hope that the Cherokees will be still known on their native soil, that the light of truth which already illuminates our horizon, will advance to meridian splendor, and that the magnanimous deeds of the vindicators of our rights will live in the memory and the veneration of our posterity, long after our bodies shall have mingled with the dust.”
“Signed by and on behalf of the meeting.”
CHOSTOSA, Chairman.
JOHN WICKLIFF, Clerk.
JOHN TIMSON.
SWEETWATER.
SITUAGI.
KANEEDA
Cherokee NC – Our lives and traditions are still misunderstood by a vast majority of people, but through the EBCI Tribal Historic Preservation Office I can educate the public and fight to preserve our lands.
As I learn more of the history of my people and their contributions to our Nation, I learn about Cherokee citizens that fought a valiant battle to keep our culture alive. I also learned that I can be part of what Chairman Chostosa called “magnanimous deeds,” or acts that continue to protect the sovereignty of Cherokee lands for my ancestors and future generations.
My responsibilities with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office include protecting and preserving historical, archeological, cultural, and religious sites within our original territory.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is one of 566 federally recognized American Indian nations within the United States. We once occupied parts of eight states, but today we are reduced to a few acres in North Carolina.
Many people do not know that the EBCI purchased their lands in North Carolina. We do not technically live on a reservation because the government did not assign us our land.
With the help of William Holland Thomas and other Euro-Americans, we were able to buy land in Western NC. The 56,000 purchased acres became known as the Qualla Boundary.
In 1996, through the efforts of our first woman Chief, Joyce Dugan, the Eastern Band reclaimed the original home of all Cherokee people, the Kituwah Mound. This one purchase nearly bankrupt the Nation, but it was extremely important to our people culturally and historically as this is considered our Mother Town.
A-ni-s-A-qua-ni-go-di-s-gi Nu-na-dv-ne-lv-i, means “keepers of what they did”. It is my duty to protect, preserve, and grow our history, our culture, and our land. These are the things that make us who we are as Cherokee. It is my duty to enable our children to understand the enormity of our past. I can only hope to have as large an impact on my community as those before me. Sgi.
For more about Cherokee sovereignty, read Researching Culture.