MARY WACHACHA

CEMETERY COMMITTEE

The Blythe-Burgess Cemetery, Homestead of Chief Jarrett Blythe and Mary Burgess Blythe in the Wolfetown Community, is immediately available for burial of your loved ones.  The graveyard is available for burials to everyone including non-Tribal members and regardless of your religion or your community.  The graveyard is open to all.

In order to maintain the graveyard, a $25 fee is charged for tribal members and a $50 fee for non-tribal members. The Cemetery Committee is working to develop plans and ideas on how to improve the site for future burials.  Future plans are to enhance the cemetery landscape, add a road in the graveyard and erect a sign.

New graves are to be facing east and adjacent (i.e., side by side) to existing graves so that the area can be fully utilized so that there are no scattered graves.  A space for the spouse can be reserved next to the deceased.  All Free Labor groups and grave diggers are asked to put down a tarp next to the grave site on which to put the grass sod and dirt.  Once the coffin is covered, the remaining dirt on the tarp must be removed from the cemetery and the sod replaced on the grave.  The family is responsible for the upkeep of the area immediately around the grave site by removing old decorations, dead flowers, etc.  Please do not plant any shrubbery, flowers, rose bushes, etc. on the grave site. It is encouraged that a headstone be placed on the grave.

Local funeral homes are aware of the Blythe-Burgess Cemetery and will contact one of the Committee members to inform the Committee of the burial.

“Our role is not to approve burials,” said Mary Wachacha, Cemetery Committee.  “Our role is to maintain a record of who is buried at the cemetery and to ensure the upkeep of the cemetery.”

Info: Cemetery Committee members: Cathy Smith Burns 497-5672, Mary Wachacha 788-1196, Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe 788-2665, Wolfetown Rep. Bill Taylor 788-3880, Jimbo Sneed 497-9508, and Polly Castorena 554-6530.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will present a reading on Tuesday, Aug. 25 of “Sliver of a Full Moon”, the powerful play by Cherokee Nation citizen and playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle.  “Sliver of a Full Moon” has been presented at theaters in New York, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Connecticut as well as at the United Nations and the United States Capitol.

“Sliver of a Full Moon” is being staged at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center for the first time ever to pay tribute to the incredible progress inherent in the partial restoration of Native nations’ jurisdiction to prosecute those who commit crimes against Native women on tribal lands in the 2013 re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”).  The performance will demonstrate how effective organizing at the grassroots and national levels addressing how the legal framework, where Native nations have been stripped of their inherent jurisdiction, leaves Native women unprotected and disenfranchised.  As a result of these legal inequalities, Native women suffer rates of domestic violence and sexual assault higher than any other class of American citizens.  In a unique event that combines law and art, this event will bring together tribal leadership and our community so that we can appreciate how the law was reformed to remedy to this injustice for Indian Country and ourselves.

“We are honored to host this incredible play at the Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center and welcome our Cherokee leaders and relatives,” said Tribal Council Chairwoman Terri Henry.

“Sliver of a Full Moon” is the story of a movement to restore safety and access to justice to American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States.  On March 7, 2013, President Obama signed VAWA into law.

The majority of the perpetrators of violence against Native women are non-Native.  Yet, for almost four decades, federal law has stripped Indian nations of their inherent authority to protect their own women, children, and communities from such violence.

VAWA 2013 is a step in the right direction, but in the words of survivor Lisa Brunner, it is only “a sliver of a full moon of what’s needed to really protect us.”  Legal barriers remain.

The cast of “Sliver of a Full Moon” features three courageous Native women who stepped forward to publicly share their stories of abuse by non-Indians and counter staunch opponents to the tribal provisions.

This performance of Sliver of a Full Moon is an event of the 2015 Tri-Council hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  This is event is also sponsored by the E.B.C.I. Domestic Violence Program and Ernestine Walkingstick Shelter.

Info: www.sliverofafullmoon.org.

– EBCI

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel (HCVR) officials announced the line-up of its Food Market on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

“We’re excited to offer these five quality brands to the Food Market at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel,” said Lumpy Lambert, HCVR general manager. “They represent a variety of freshly prepared menu options and will be complemented by terrific service from our team.”

Guests of all ages will have access to these outlets, which will be conveniently located between the hotel, main casino entrance and the gaming floor.

The following will be offered at the property: Starbucks, Panda Express, Earl of Sandwich, Papa John’s, and Nathan’s Famous.

Starbucks officials commented, “We believe that our stores, our partners (employees), our customers and our coffee can help bring people together and are proud to play a significant role in building awareness of the finest coffee around the world.  We’re excited to be opening a new location with Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino this fall and look forward to continue serving the community.”

– Harrah’s Cherokee

Western Carolina University’s autumnal season sage Kathy Mathews says fall leaf color in the mountains of Western North Carolina should be the best it has been in a number of years. (WCU photo)

CULLOWHEE – Fall leaf color in the mountains of Western North Carolina should be the best it has been in a number of years because of generally drier-than-normal conditions during 2015.

That’s the word from Western Carolina University’s autumnal season sage Kathy Mathews in her annual prediction of how foliage around the region will perform as the sunlight of summer wanes and days become frosty.

Mathews, an associate professor of biology at WCU, specializes in plant systematics and bases her color forecast on both past and predicted weather conditions. She believes that the formation of higher levels of pigments in the leaves correlates with dry weather throughout the year, but especially as fall comes around the bend.

“This fall could be one of the best leaf color seasons in Western North Carolina in recent memory,” Mathews said. “Three words explain it – unusually dry weather.”

U.S. Geological Survey records indicate that the region had been drier than normal for most of the year, but with enough rain, particularly in the months of April and June, to avoid drought and keep the trees healthy, she said.

Sugar concentrations in the leaves increase during dry weather because the trees are not taking up as much water through their roots, Mathews said. The abundance of sugars leads to the production of more anthocyanins, the red pigments that appear when green chlorophylls begin receding. “That’s what causes the leaf colors to really pop, along with the simultaneous appearance of orange and yellow pigments on the same or different tree species,” she said.

Some foliage fans may be wondering if the much-publicized El Nino weather pattern may affect the fall colors. Meteorologists are predicting a light hurricane season in the Atlantic this year, partly because of dry air over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean caused by El Nino, and that reduces the chances of heavy rain and big wind storms in the mountains in August and September – good news for the leaf display, Mathews said.

Leaf-peepers always want to know when the “peak color” will happen, but the timing of the color change is highly dependent on the decreasing amount of sunlight that comes with the passing days, plus the elevation of a particular location, she said. “The peak of fall color often arrives during the first and second week of October in the highest elevations, above 4,000 feet, and during the third week of October in the mid-elevations, 2,500 to 3,500 feet,” Mathews said. Visitors can look for leaves to be peaking in color intensity a few days after the first reported frost in any particular area, she said.

Regardless of all the factors that affect leaf color, visitors to Western North Carolina always will find a pleasing leaf display somewhere in the mountains from September into November, with a wide range of color made possible by the region’s elevations ranging from 1,500 feet to over 6,000 feet and the more than 100 tree species, Mathews said.

– WCU

Frieda Huskey (front in orange), EBCI Events and Fairgrounds supervisor, prepares to draw for the 2015 Cherokee Indian Fair Food Booths on Monday, Aug. 24. (ROBERT JUMPER/One Feather)

The 2015 Food Booth Drawing winners for the Cherokee Indian Fair are as follows:

Melisha’s Delicious

Jay Huskey’s Food Booth

Wildcat’s

Mommy-Doo’s

Nikki’s Frybread

The Wrecking Crew Café

Reed’s Frybread

Calhoun’s Frybread

Nana’s Kitchen

Soco Diner

Welch’s

The drawing was held at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds exhibit hall on Monday, Aug. 24 at 5:30 pm.

– Robert Jumper, One Feather editor

Francis Jansen (front in pink), sculptor of the Transformation Through Forgiveness statue, speaks at a send-off event for the piece which will soon be moved to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. (ROBERT JUMPER/One Feather)

By ROBERT JUMPER

ONE FEATHER EDITOR

During an emotional ceremony on Friday, Aug. 28, the “Transformation through Forgiveness” sculpture that has been in place adjacent to the Cherokee Veterans Memorial at Council House Loop for over a decade was prepared for transport to Tahlequah, Okla. The ceremony started shortly after 10am with the Cherokee Junior ROTC posting colors for the event, followed by Cherokee songs performed by the New Kituwah Academy School Singers.

Phyllis Ashenfelter, on behalf of the Principal Chief and Principal Vice Chief, welcomed approximately 40 guests to the farewell event for the sculpture. Bo Taylor, executive director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, offered a song in honor of the occasion as he had all in attendance stand and face east. Driver Pheasant shared a Cherokee legend during the ceremony.

Mary Jane Letts provided a history of how the sculpture came to Cherokee. The “Transformation through Forgiveness” was originally planned to be moved to different tribal locations annually. Letts saw it in Oklahoma and was so inspired by it that she felt it must come to Cherokee. At the time, the sculptor had made arrangements for it to be displayed in Canada, but for some reason the Canada showing was cancelled. This led to an opportunity to move the sculpture to Cherokee in 2002.

Lianna Costantino, chairperson of the Healing and Wellness Coalition, shared her personal testimony concerning the “Journey to forgiveness and Healing” following the route of the “Trail of Tears” in 2012. She spoke of generational grief and trauma.

Costantino commented, “To choose not to forgive, once you have been made aware that it is a choice, is detrimental to your wellbeing.” She shared that the sculpture has been very inspirational to her. She said that seeing it on a regular basis helped her to understand that “the Creator was trying to tell her something”.

Francis Jansen, the sculptor of “Transformation through Forgiveness”, spoke to the crowd. She referred to the sculpture as a “monument”.

She shared her personal experience with grief and abuse. Jansen also spoke of everyone’s life journey and where it leads individuals and talked of being taught to fear in her life and her journey of transformation was to overcome the fear that was instilled in her at an early age. Later, Jansen said she began to have “visions in stone” of Native American faces.

She said, “Transformation through Forgiveness is a call to all human kind for the reconciliation of man’s inhumanity to man”.

The Director of Government Relations for Northeastern State University Jerry Cook explained that a special area had been prepared for the sculpture at the university in Tahlequah and that the plan is now for it to be placed there permanently. He stated that he will be taking some of the Eastern Band Cherokee spirit back to Oklahoma with the sculpture.

Rich Panther closed out the speakers for the ceremony. He is with the Healing and Wellness Coalition. He said that the monument has been very inspirational to him personally. The theme of transformation through forgiveness is common to many people. Panther said we are challenged to move through the pain to a place of healing. We are here to live a better life and many times that better life starts with forgiveness.

By NSE JUSTICE UFFORT

“Super Strength James Saves the Day” is a short story by EBCI tribal member Nse Justice Uffort. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)

The Creeper tries to steal the Cherokee per cap from the bank.  Whoever said “no” to his theft would die when he stole the per cap from the bank.  He blew up the Cherokee bank on the reservation.

Yet, The Creeper didn’t know that there was a Cherokee super hero named Super Strength James.  Super Strength James had super strength and x-ray vision in his pretty blue eyes.  He also had an afro because Cherokee people come in all different colors and don’t always look the same.  Mind control is another super power that Super Strength James has as the first Cherokee super hero.

So, he knew that the Cherokee people were in trouble.  Then, Super Strength James and Cyborg were looking around Oklahoma.  Then, he saw the bank on the rez.  Super Strength James and Cyborg said, “What has happened here?”

The other Cherokees ran up to him and said, “The Creeper has done this!”

Then, Super Strength James said, “I thought I got him locked up for good?”

“No,” the Cherokee guys said, “He broke out!”

Super Strength James turned to Cyborg and said, “He doesn’t bail out on jail on my watch.”

So, then he went to his apartment.  Super Strength James kicks The Creeper’s face LIKE A BOSSSS! Then, he said, “Creeper, it’s you!  I thought you were locked up!”

Then, The Creeper said, “I broke out.”

They fought it out.  Then, The Creeper brought out Super Strength James’ weakness of not being able to endure too much shine.  Super Strength James brought out his weakness of not being able to face took much handsomeness.  Suddenly, he had cracks all over his body and The Creeper blew up!

Super Strength James and Cyborg save the day!

They gave the Cherokee survivors and the employees of the bank money so they can make a new one and all the Cherokee per cap will be safe! The end.

Uffort, age 8, is an EBCI tribal member living in Cherokee, and he also has Nigerian heritage. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash announced on Friday, Sept. 18 that Steve Kloster has been selected as the new Chief Ranger. Prior to this position, Kloster was the Tennessee District Ranger, as well as serving as interim Chief Ranger during several temporary assignments totaling 27 months. Kloster succeeds Clayton Jordan who was recently selected as Smokies Deputy Superintendent in April.

Steve Kloster has been selected as the new Chief Ranger for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (NPS photo)

As Chief Ranger, Kloster will oversee up to 75 people in the Resource and Visitor Protection Division who perform law enforcement duties, emergency medical services, search and rescue operations, campground fee collection, dispatching, and backcountry operations. Kloster brings a wealth of experience to the position after serving in the Smokies since 1988 as a Park Ranger, Backcountry Ranger, and Cosby Area Supervisor at diverse park locations including Abrams Creek, Greenbrier, Cosby, and the Little River District.

“Steve’s broad field experience, extensive institutional knowledge of the park, strong community partner ties, and demonstrated ability to work well with colleagues across divisional lines makes him a great asset to both the Resource and Visitor Protection Division and the management team,” said Superintendent Cash.

Prior to working at the Smokies, Kloster was a Park Ranger at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Independence National Historical Park, Yellowstone National Park, Shenandoah National Park,  Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and Canaveral National Seashore. In addition to these park assignments, Kloster has served as the Operation Section Chief for the National Park Service Eastern Incident Management Team at commemorative special events and emergency incidents across the southeast. He has also served as the Incident Commander in major search and rescue operations in the park and while recently detailed to Congaree National Park to search for a lost family.

Kloster is a native of upstate New York and received his bachelor’s of science degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, NY with a major in recreation education and a minor in biology. He has lived in Pittman Center since 1992 with his daughter Bethany, currently of Tallahassee, Fla. and his son, Matthew, currently of New York City.

– NPS

Louise Goings, shown working on a basket at a past Cherokee Voices Festival, has been chosen, along with her husband Butch, to receive the Community Traditions Award from the North Carolina Folklore Society. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)

CULLOWHEE –  The North Carolina Folklore Society announced the 2015 recipients of its annual awards: The Community Traditions Award, and The Brown-Hudson Award on Wednesday, Sept. 23.  The Community Traditions Award honors  organizations and groups who engage in or support folklife and traditional culture in North Carolina, and The Brown-Hudson Award recognizes persons who have in special ways contributed to the appreciation, continuation, or study of North Carolina folk traditions.

Louise Goings and her husband, George “Butch” Goings, both EBCI tribal members, will receive the Community Traditions Award.

Louise Goings is a versatile basket weaver. With the guidance of her mother, Emma Taylor, herself an award winning weaver of Cherokee baskets, Louise  started weaving baskets at the age of 10.  Her mastery of the craft has taken her to the Festival of American Folklife at the Smithsonian Institute and the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian where she’s demonstrated her process. In the early 1960s, she was accepted as a member of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual artisan guild. In 1992, she and her husband George were invited to Washington DC for President Clinton’s inaugural celebration of southern craft, where they were honored with other southern craftsmen and women. She’s also an active member of the community and regularly demonstrates basket making in schools, at Western Carolina University, at the Mountain Heritage Day festival, and at the Cherokee Voices Festival.

George “Butch” Goings, a talented woodcarver, was born on Owl Branch in the Yellowhill community of the Qualla boundary. As a high school student, he learned to carve animal figures in both wood and stone under the tutelage of Amanda Crowe. He works with alabaster, pipestone and soapstone, as well as walnut, cherry, buckeye and holly. He is a member of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, has demonstrated at the North Carolina State Fair and on the PBS series The Woodwright’s Shop. George Goings also teaches woodworking classes and has served on the Qualla Arts and Crafts board of directors.

Also winning the Community Traditions Award is the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

Tom Belt is among those set to receive the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award.  A Cherokee language instructor at Western Carolina University and a Cherokee Nation citizen, Belt was chosen for his dedication to Cherokee language revitalization through advocacy, teaching, and grassroots organizing.

Belt believes language is integral to group identity and that it carries cultural perspective and cultural thought essential for a group to understand and express its past, present and future.  In addition to his work at the university, he also works with students at the New Kituwah Academy as well as being a member of the Cherokee Language Consortium.

Others set to receive the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award include:  Bill Crawford, a folklore researcher and genealogist from Jackson County; Roger Howell, an Appalachian-style musician from Madkson County; and Phillip E. (Ted) Coyle, WCU anthropology professor.

The award ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 at the N.C. Center for the Advance of Teaching in Cullowhee.  The ceremony will take place at 2:30pm with a reception to follow.  The event is open to the public.

– North Carolina Folklore Society

Brittany Ensley (right), winner of a three-night beach trip in the Mountain Mediation Beach Raffle, is shown with her grandmother, Jane Owle, who purchased the winning ticket for her. (Mountain Mediation photo)

The Grand Prize Winner of the 2015 Mountain Mediation Beach Raffle was announced recently.  Brittany Ensley, this year’s Grand Prize Winner, will spend three nights of her choosing at Beach Colony Resorts in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Her grandmother, Tribal Court employee, Jane Owle, purchased the winning ticket for her and bought one herself.  Both Owle and her granddaughter won prizes this year.  Owle was drawn for another prize, the afternoon sailing adventure on Lake Fontana.

When asked how she felt about winning, Ensley responded, “First off, I want to thank my grandmother for this wonderful birthday present! Secondly, I want to thank the Mediation team for being such an important part of mine and my grandmother’s lives. You all are like family and we appreciate everything you all have done for us!  Thank you for this great opportunity!”

This is the 4^th year Mountain Mediation has held the fundraiser.  “We were so pleased when Brittany’s ticket was drawn,” said Lorraine Williams, executive director of the nonprofit Mediation Center. “Jane has always been a wonderful person to work with in the Clerk’s Office at Tribal Court. I couldn’t wait to tell her.”

Other raffle winners included John Riehl, of Waynesville, who won two hours of live music by a local ensemble known for their Sudanese Gamelan performances, and Attorney Rob Hensley, of Franklin, winner of a $100 gift certificate to Frog’s Leap Restaurant in Waynesville.

The $1,500 raised in this year’s raffle sales will go to support mediation services, bullying prevention efforts, and conflict resolution trainings.

Info: www.mountainmediation.org

– Mountain Mediation

(SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)

(Note: All events will be held at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds unless otherwise noted.)

Tuesday, Oct. 6 (Parade Day)

9am – line-up for Parade begins

2:30pm – Parade judging

4pm – Parade starts

6pm – Opening Prayer, colors, National Anthem, Principal Chief welcome, Vice Chief welcome, Council recognition and speeches, recognition of Grand Marshals, Warriors of Anikituwah

7pm – Teen Miss Cherokee pageant

8:30pm – Tsalagi Touring Group

9pm – J. Creek Cloggers

9:30pm – Cherokee Idol

10:45pm – closing

Wednesday, Oct. 7 (Children’s Day)

10am – Gates open, wristband distribution, sign-ups begin (gum, longest hair and pet show)

10am – Archery at Unity Field

10:30am – Baby Crawling Contest

12pm – Lunch, Magic Show with Bill Grimsley

1:30pm – Corn Shucking Contest, Pet Show

2pm – Longest Hair Contest, Teen Boy and Teen Girl, Youth Boy and Youth Girl

2:30pm – Bubble Gum Contest

3pm – Youth Stickball (6-9) Big Cove vs Wolftown

4pm – Youth Stickball (10-12) Big Cove vs Wolftown

5pm – Greasy Pole Contest

5:30pm – Little Miss Cherokee pageant

7:30pm – Comedian Adrianne Chalepah

8:30pm – South 129

10pm – Gates close

Thursday, Oct. 8 (Elder’s Day)

9am – Gates open

10am – Presentation of Colors

10:45am – Alfred and Maybelle

11:30am – Lunch

12:45 – Basket drawings

1pm – Bingo

2pm – Elder’s Stories and Tales

2:30pm – The Beatles

3pm – Moonshine Creek Band

4pm – Youth Stickball (10-12) Big Cove vs Wolftown

5pm – Elder’s Stickball Big Cove vs Stoney

6pm – Men’s Stickball Big Cove vs Wolftown at Unity Field

7pm – Junior Miss Cherokee pageant

9pm – Cherokee Idol

10pm – Gates close

Friday, Oct. 9 (Veteran’s Day)

11am – Gates open, Veteran’s lunch, Cherokee Community Chorus

11:30am – Birdtown Crossing Singers

12pm – Opening Ceremony

1pm – Pfc. Charles George (Medal of Honor winner) Memorial Service

1:30pm – American Eagle Foundation

2pm – USO Troupe Liberty Bells

3pm – What is a veteran? (EBCI Royalty)

4pm – Youth Stickball (6-9) Big Cove vs Wolftown at Unity Field

5pm – Men’s Stickball Big Cove vs Hummingbirds

6pm – Mountain Faith

7pm – USO Troupe Liberty Bells

7:45pm – Closing Ceremony

8pm – Joey Allcorn

9pm – Lip Singing Finals

11pm – Gates close

Saturday, Oct. 10 (Community Day)

9:30am – Sign-ups for Archery and Blowgun contests

10am – Archery and Blowgun Contests at Unity Field

12pm – Wood Chopping Contest

12:45pm – Corn Shucking Contest

1pm – Raymond Fairchild

2pm – Lid Toss Contest, Polecat Family

2:50pm – AM Super Stars

3:30pm – Men’s Stickball Wolftown vs TBD at Unity Field

4:30pm – Youth Stickball (13-17)

5pm – Soco Creek

6pm – Tsali Manor Cloggers

6:30pm – Language Bowl

7:30pm – Meet and Greet with Erica Nichole

8pm – Erica Nichole

9:15pm – Cherokee Idol Finals

10:30pm – Pretty Legs Contest

11:30pm – Fireworks

The Cherokee Boys Club Board of Directors is now accepting nominations for the 29^th Annual Frell Owl Award.  Nominees should be those who have significantly contributed to the welfare of Cherokee children and families in ways other than those required by their employment.

A letter of nomination must include the person’s name, address, employer, nominator’s name and phone number, and a one-page narrative of the nominee’s work with Cherokee children and families.  Additional information may be included such as newspaper articles, photos, support letters, etc.  Current Cherokee Boys Club Board members are exempt from nomination.

Nomination forms may be picked up from the Cherokee Boys Club, Monday through Friday, 8am – 4:30pm.  Forms can also be e-mailed upon request. Nominations should be submitted to Jeannie Arkansas, Cherokee Boys Club, PO Box 507, Cherokee, NC 28719 or delivered to the Cherokee Boys Club at 52 Cherokee Boys Club Loop. If you have any questions, 359-5508. Please mark your nomination CONFIDENTIAL.  The deadline for receiving nominations is Friday, Nov. 6 at 12pm.

The Frell Owl Award was introduced in 1983 to recognize persons who have exemplified the character and accomplishments of the late Cherokee educator Frell Owl.  Past recipients are: John Crowe, Stella Kanott, the Crowe Family, Ray Kinsland, Pearl and John Reagan, Betty Crisp, Jerri Kinsland, Mary Chiltoskey, Dora Reed, Marie Junaluska, Sharon and David Crowe, Ernestine Walkingstick, Jody Adams, Gary Maney, Mary Sneed, Mary Mantooth, David McCoy, Glenda Crowe, Denise Ballard, David McQueen, Skooter McCoy, Johnson “Booger” Arch, Kathy Wolfe, Carmaleta Monteith, Roy Lambert, Sandy Owle, Lana Lambert and Catherine Blythe Sanders.

– Cherokee Boys Club

The Tsalagi Touring Group is shown (left-right) at the Folkmoot Parade in Waynesville – Byron Locust, James Wolfe, Miss Cherokee Taylor Wilnoty, Leslie Lossiah, Jarret Wildcatt and Program Director Lisa Wilnoty. (Photo courtesy of Taylor Wilnoty)

TAYLOR WILNOTY

MISS CHEROKEE 2014

Siyo nigada! Hello everyone! Wow, another month has come and gone, but I enjoyed my last month of summer because this month myself, along with many on the Boundary will be going back to school soon!

July was an amazing month, and I was so honored to be representing the Eastern Band once again especially at our Annual 4th of July Powwow held here in Cherokee! It was my first time actually being apart of this powwow, and I was so honored to get to represent my people in front of the many nations that came to take part in our festivities, by walking behind the Eagle staff, and head woman and head man dancers during all grand entries.  It was very touching to take part in such an important part of the Powwow.  It was also an amazing experience to see all people from different nations come together as one, through song and dance. I was able to meet with some of the other beautiful royalty that traveled with the powwow, and even go to hand out cash prizes to our younger categories.

My next event was one that lasted over the extent of two weeks, and it was such an amazing opportunity! I got to attend the 2015 Folkmoot USA Festival in Wayenesville. I not only went as Miss Cherokee but as a part of the Tsalagi Touring program. We were able to showcase many of our traditional dances, as well as participate in the Folkmoot USA Parade of Nations in downtown Waynesville, where we were also announced honorary citizens of Waynesville! We all had such a great time experiencing the different cultures through songs, dances, and even their traditional foods. It was so neat to see all the differences in other people’s cultures, but also all the similarities! The group and I did a lot of mingling between all the different cultures, but we got especially close with the Philippine group from San Francisco called the Parangal Dance Company. They all were amazing, and it was an honor to watch them preform and even learn some of their dances.

We are now in the month of August.  Fall sports are starting up, and school is starting back.  The weather is soon to change, and fall time is upon us! That means time for everyone to buckle down and do well in school and for everyone to enjoy this next year of learning! That also means, its almost time for the Fall Festival! Two months to be exact, so two months for people to prepare for all the amazing festivities. That includes the upcoming 2015 Miss Cherokee pageant! If you’re interested in running for the title of Miss Cherokee and have any questions about the pageant, please contact Kritina Hyatt. I strongly urge all young women to take part in this life changing experience; even just running in the pageant is an experience itself! You want to represent your nation? Sign up now!

If you would like for me to attend an event, please contact Tooter Owens with your request!

Sgi, Thank you!

By ROBERT JUMPER
ONE FEATHER EDITOR

Stickball and pageant plans dominated discussion at the Cherokee Indian Fair meeting on Monday, Aug. 10. Those in attendance included: Events and Fairgrounds Supervisor Frieda Huskey, Lisa Frady, Angela Hernandez, Mariah Mahan, Mollie Grant, Faye Pheasant, Laura Blythe, Michelle Westley, Miss Cherokee Taylor Wilnoty, Miranda Stamper, Josie Long and Warren Dupree.

Huskey led the meeting and started by providing a copy of the July meeting minutes and reporting that she had met with each day organizer individually to go over budget clarifications and discuss day plans -giving guidance on planning.

She also told the group to enlist as many volunteers as possible and she would fill in necessary assistance with temporary workers for the Fair. This would help save on labor costs so that more funds could be applied to entertainment and food.

She announced that Sound of Music company would be providing on-grounds, overnight security and would do a radio broadcast during the five-day event. Huskey explained that, as in past Fairs, Sound of Music would provide an alternative to interrupting stage entertainment by making necessary announcements like lost children, vehicles blocking parking or traffic, etc.

A returning favorite, Raymond Fairchild, will perform on Saturday evening at the amphitheater.

The stickball games will be going through some changes. Separate meetings are being conducted to finalize plans for games, but Huskey indicated that children’s stickball games may be played on multiple days of the Fair and several of the men’s games would be played at Unity Field. Last year, all games were played on the Fairgrounds.

Yona Wade will be the master of ceremonies for the pageants to be held at the Fair. The plan is to have the Teen Miss Cherokee pageant at 7pm on Tuesday, Oct. 6; Little Miss Cherokee Pageant at 6pm on Wednesday, Oct. 7; and Junior Miss Cherokee Pageant at 6pm on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Huskey advised the day organizers that they could not assist with the community floats because it would be a conflict of interest, since they are employed in a capacity at the Fair.

Michelle Westley presented a 5K run to coincide with the Community day activities on Saturday, Oct. 10.   The running event, called the “Splash of Color Dash”, is a 5K in which participants are hit with a multi-colored substance called “Hippie Powder” along the route. The cost of registration will be $20; $30 for a VIP registration. Proceeds from the run will benefit the Tahnee Arkansas Memorial Children’s Fund. To learn more or register, go to Facebook and search “Tahnee Arkansas Memorial Children’s Fund”. Huskey advised Westley to work with Chris Watty, the day organizer for Community Day to see what the opportunities are to partner with the 5K group.

Jim Long will be constructing the Exhibit Hall shelving again this year.

Huskey instructed the day organizers to prepare a bullet point list of all activities for the day plans and be ready to present those at the next Fair meeting.

The Cherokee Indian Fair Committee invites anyone interested in helping with the planning process to attend their monthly meetings. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, Aug. 24 at 5:30 pm.

The Cherokee Indian Fair will be held Oct. 6-10 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. The theme for this year’s fair is “Weaving Dreams and Traditions Into Our Future”.

Info: Frieda Huskey, Events and Fairgrounds supervisor, 359-6492 or friehusk@nc-cherokee.com.

Miss Cherokee Sunday Plumb (far left) is shown with the Cherokee Nation’s 2015-16 Little Cherokee Ambassadors including (left-right) Kashyah Teehee, Logan Dreadfulwater, Maysi Fields, Max Purget, Casey Henderson, Nathan Lowrey, and Junior Miss Cherokee (Nation) Chelbie Turtle. (Anadisgoi photo)

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Vinita Elementary School student Casey Henderson was crowned Saturday, Aug. 8 as the 2015-16 Little Cherokee Ambassador in the 10-12 age category.

Nearly 20 Cherokee children competed in three age divisions at Sequoyah Schools’ gym. The competition marked the beginning of this year’s Cherokee National Holiday events on Sept. 4-6.

Henderson, 11, of Welch, Okla. told a traditional story, correctly named a former principal chief, answered that the black star on the Cherokee Nation flag represents the Cherokee ancestors who died on the Trail of Tears and that the pillars at the Cherokee Heritage Center represent the first Cherokee Female Seminary that burned on Easter Sunday in 1887.

“At first I was really nervous about the competition, because I thought I wasn’t going to win, but when they announced my name I was like wow, that felt really special,” Henderson said.

Joining Henderson in the male division of Little Cherokee Ambassador is Tahlequah Middle School student Nathan Lowrey, 11, of Tahlequah, Okla.

Hulbert Elementary student Max Purget, 8, and Brushy Elementary student Maysi Fields, 8, of Sallisaw, Okla. won in the 7-9 age division.

Winning in the 4-6 age division was Kashyah Teehee, 5, and Logan Dreadfulwater, 5, both who attend the Cherokee Immersion Charter School.

The Junior Miss Cherokee competition is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Tahlequah Armory Municipal Center and the Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Cornerstone Church in Tahlequah.

– Anadisgoi (Cherokee Nation newsroom)

MARY WACHACHA

CEMETERY COMMITTEE

The Blythe-Burgess Cemetery, Homestead of Chief Jarrett Blythe and Mary Burgess Blythe in the Wolfetown Community, is immediately available for burial of your loved ones.  The graveyard is available for burials to everyone including non-Tribal members and regardless of your religion or your community.  The graveyard is open to all.

In order to maintain the graveyard, a $25 fee is charged for tribal members and a $50 fee for non-tribal members. The Cemetery Committee is working to develop plans and ideas on how to improve the site for future burials.  Future plans are to enhance the cemetery landscape, add a road in the graveyard and erect a sign.

New graves are to be facing east and adjacent (i.e., side by side) to existing graves so that the area can be fully utilized so that there are no scattered graves.  A space for the spouse can be reserved next to the deceased.  All Free Labor groups and grave diggers are asked to put down a tarp next to the grave site on which to put the grass sod and dirt.  Once the coffin is covered, the remaining dirt on the tarp must be removed from the cemetery and the sod replaced on the grave.  The family is responsible for the upkeep of the area immediately around the grave site by removing old decorations, dead flowers, etc.  Please do not plant any shrubbery, flowers, rose bushes, etc. on the grave site. It is encouraged that a headstone be placed on the grave.

Local funeral homes are aware of the Blythe-Burgess Cemetery and will contact one of the Committee members to inform the Committee of the burial.

“Our role is not to approve burials,” said Mary Wachacha, Cemetery Committee.  “Our role is to maintain a record of who is buried at the cemetery and to ensure the upkeep of the cemetery.”

Info: Cemetery Committee members: Cathy Smith Burns 497-5672, Mary Wachacha 788-1196, Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe 788-2665, Wolfetown Rep. Bill Taylor 788-3880, Jimbo Sneed 497-9508, and Polly Castorena 554-6530.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will present a reading on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 7pm of “Sliver of a Full Moon”, the powerful play by Cherokee Nation citizen and playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle.  “Sliver of a Full Moon” has been presented at theaters in New York, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Connecticut as well as at the United Nations and the United States Capitol.

“Sliver of a Full Moon” is being staged at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center for the first time ever to pay tribute to the incredible progress inherent in the partial restoration of Native nations’ jurisdiction to prosecute those who commit crimes against Native women on tribal lands in the 2013 re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”).  The performance will demonstrate how effective organizing at the grassroots and national levels addressing how the legal framework, where Native nations have been stripped of their inherent jurisdiction, leaves Native women unprotected and disenfranchised.  As a result of these legal inequalities, Native women suffer rates of domestic violence and sexual assault higher than any other class of American citizens.  In a unique event that combines law and art, this event will bring together tribal leadership and our community so that we can appreciate how the law was reformed to remedy to this injustice for Indian Country and ourselves.

“We are honored to host this incredible play at the Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center and welcome our Cherokee leaders and relatives,” said Tribal Council Chairwoman Terri Henry.

“Sliver of a Full Moon” is the story of a movement to restore safety and access to justice to American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States.  On March 7, 2013, President Obama signed VAWA into law.

The majority of the perpetrators of violence against Native women are non-Native.  Yet, for almost four decades, federal law has stripped Indian nations of their inherent authority to protect their own women, children, and communities from such violence.

VAWA 2013 is a step in the right direction, but in the words of survivor Lisa Brunner, it is only “a sliver of a full moon of what’s needed to really protect us.”  Legal barriers remain.

The cast of “Sliver of a Full Moon” features three courageous Native women who stepped forward to publicly share their stories of abuse by non-Indians and counter staunch opponents to the tribal provisions.

This performance of Sliver of a Full Moon is an event of the 2015 Tri-Council hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  This is event is also sponsored by the E.B.C.I. Domestic Violence Program and Ernestine Walkingstick Shelter.

Info: www.sliverofafullmoon.org.

– EBCI

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel (HCVR) officials announced the line-up of its Food Market on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

“We’re excited to offer these five quality brands to the Food Market at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel,” said Lumpy Lambert, HCVR general manager. “They represent a variety of freshly prepared menu options and will be complemented by terrific service from our team.”

Guests of all ages will have access to these outlets, which will be conveniently located between the hotel, main casino entrance and the gaming floor.

The following will be offered at the property: Starbucks, Panda Express, Earl of Sandwich, Papa John’s, and Nathan’s Famous.

Starbucks officials commented, “We believe that our stores, our partners (employees), our customers and our coffee can help bring people together and are proud to play a significant role in building awareness of the finest coffee around the world.  We’re excited to be opening a new location with Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino this fall and look forward to continue serving the community.”

– Harrah’s Cherokee

Western Carolina University’s autumnal season sage Kathy Mathews says fall leaf color in the mountains of Western North Carolina should be the best it has been in a number of years. (WCU photo)

CULLOWHEE – Fall leaf color in the mountains of Western North Carolina should be the best it has been in a number of years because of generally drier-than-normal conditions during 2015.

That’s the word from Western Carolina University’s autumnal season sage Kathy Mathews in her annual prediction of how foliage around the region will perform as the sunlight of summer wanes and days become frosty.

Mathews, an associate professor of biology at WCU, specializes in plant systematics and bases her color forecast on both past and predicted weather conditions. She believes that the formation of higher levels of pigments in the leaves correlates with dry weather throughout the year, but especially as fall comes around the bend.

“This fall could be one of the best leaf color seasons in Western North Carolina in recent memory,” Mathews said. “Three words explain it – unusually dry weather.”

U.S. Geological Survey records indicate that the region had been drier than normal for most of the year, but with enough rain, particularly in the months of April and June, to avoid drought and keep the trees healthy, she said.

Sugar concentrations in the leaves increase during dry weather because the trees are not taking up as much water through their roots, Mathews said. The abundance of sugars leads to the production of more anthocyanins, the red pigments that appear when green chlorophylls begin receding. “That’s what causes the leaf colors to really pop, along with the simultaneous appearance of orange and yellow pigments on the same or different tree species,” she said.

Some foliage fans may be wondering if the much-publicized El Nino weather pattern may affect the fall colors. Meteorologists are predicting a light hurricane season in the Atlantic this year, partly because of dry air over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean caused by El Nino, and that reduces the chances of heavy rain and big wind storms in the mountains in August and September – good news for the leaf display, Mathews said.

Leaf-peepers always want to know when the “peak color” will happen, but the timing of the color change is highly dependent on the decreasing amount of sunlight that comes with the passing days, plus the elevation of a particular location, she said. “The peak of fall color often arrives during the first and second week of October in the highest elevations, above 4,000 feet, and during the third week of October in the mid-elevations, 2,500 to 3,500 feet,” Mathews said. Visitors can look for leaves to be peaking in color intensity a few days after the first reported frost in any particular area, she said.

Regardless of all the factors that affect leaf color, visitors to Western North Carolina always will find a pleasing leaf display somewhere in the mountains from September into November, with a wide range of color made possible by the region’s elevations ranging from 1,500 feet to over 6,000 feet and the more than 100 tree species, Mathews said.

– WCU