The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is set to open Great Smoky Cannabis Company April 20. The cannabis dispensary located within the Cherokee reservation will be the first to legally distribute recreational marijuana in North Carolina. Last September ECBI approved a motion to legalize possession and use of marijuana […]
Tag: EBCI
“We are still here”: Western Carolina University remains a Cherokee place
Originally published in The Western Carolina Journalist November is Native American Heritage Month, but it’s not just a heritage for the Cherokee people of Western North Carolina. It’s a living, vibrant culture. There are 547 federally recognized tribes in the United States. Native Americans were not automatically afforded U.S. citizenship […]
WCU alumna, Cherokee Center director named EBCI Secretary of Education – Press Release
CULLOWHEE – Sky Sampson, director of Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Center and alumna, has accepted the position of Secretary of Education for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Sampson assumed her role Oct. 23. “In my role at WCU, I worked closely with the tribe and I am excited to […]
Recognizing the land during Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and respect Indigenous culture. This month also recalls the dark past of colonized land. Land acknowledgements, formal documents honoring tribal homelands, are used by institutions across America, including WCU. WCU sits on land that was, and remains, the ancestral and […]
A chat with Digali’i president Aaliyah Swimmer
Recently, Digali’i, the Native American student organization on campus, elected a new president, Aaliyah Swimmer. Digali’i provides opportunities for learning and promoting Native American history and culture. The organization promotes the significance of Cherokee history, culture and contributions to the campus of Western Carolina University and the surrounding communities. Senior […]