The Nikwasi Initiative came before the Franklin Town Council on Aug. 5 to make requests as part of its new Mound Stewardship Plan and to give an update on some of the organization’s activities.
When ownership of the Nikwasi Mound was transferred from the Town of Franklin in 2019, part of the agreement was that any changes must be approved by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Town of Franklin. Mainspring Conservation Trust and Macon County are also partners in the preservation agreement for the Nikwasi Mound.
At the time, plans called for a museum and that the Nikwasi Mound would be a key stopping point on a Cherokee cultural corridor. The plans have evolved in the last five years, but the organization’s leaders say they are still moving forward.
Bob McCollum, Nikwasi Initiative co-chair, said a committee has been working on a Mound Stewardship Plan. He said across the nation there has been an increase in incidents of cultural disrespect, and sometimes vandalism. “We don’t have that here, but we want to take steps to protect it,” he said.
Nikwasi Initiative is proposing the installation of a low split-rail fence around three sides of the mound, located in East Franklin, across from Hot Spot. McCollum said the fence would be about the same height as the rock cornerstones that are already there. The committee hopes the fence will create a visual boundary and deter people from walking on the mound. A similar fence is around the Kituwah Mound near Bryson City.
“There’s not a lot to do at the mound itself,” McCollum said. “The main thing is to preserve it.”
In addition to the traditional historical marker, in 2020 a kiosk was installed near the mound, in the parking lot next to 828 Café. McCollum said they want to help people understand the history of the mound and how it came to be. To that effort, the group wants to install additional signage asking people to not walk on the mound, to walk in a counterclockwise direction around the mound, to remove trash from the site and to ask permission before photographing any person or event.
They also want to mount security cameras on the former Dan’s Auto Building, which is now owned by the Eastern Band, and located next to the mound.
In giving an update on the plans for the building, McCollum said it will be a learning center, named Gaduni Kanohesgi, that can house a variety of activities. He said it will not be a museum as the EBCI did not want to take away from the museum in Cherokee.
McCollum said renovations still need to be made to make the building safe and usable.
“It’s a complicated thing we’re trying to do,” he said.
“It takes patience and persistence to design, secure approvals, fund, and construct a brand-new facility,” stated a press release from executive director Elaine Eisenbraun. “Noquisi (Nikwasi) Initiative has maintained an unwavering effort toward that end.”
The Franklin Town Council did not take action on the Mound Stewardship Plan as presented at the Aug. 5 meeting. Town Attorney John Henning Jr. said preservation of public access was part of the agreement when the town deeded over the mound. He wanted to research any First Amendment considerations related to asking people to not take photos as the mound is located within a public space. As an example, he said someone could be standing on the sidewalk or at Hot Spot and take a photo.
McCollum said, “Almost all indigenous people have concerns about image capture.”
McCollum said the sign would state “please” and that they realize there may be people who do not adhere to that and that there would be no punitive action. “We’re trying to show a little culture sensitivity there.”
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey said it would be hard to police even if they wanted to, but he understands trying to be culturally sensitive to the issue.
Council member Rita Salain, who participated in the meeting via video, suggested having more information on the signs about the cultural significance of the site and the reasons why they are asking that people not walk on the mound, to walk around it in a counterclockwise path, and to ask permission before taking photos.
Council member Joe Collins said he can see the need for asking people to not walk on the mound. “The steps that are being taken right now, I can stand behind them easily,” he said.
Mayor Jack Horton said with the Nikwasi Mound and the new Women’s History Trail sculpture and park, that area serves as an entrance on the east side of town. “We want that area to be welcoming in every way.”
The mayor said they were committed to continuing to work with the Nikwasi Initiative and pointed out that if it were not for the school children who helped collect money for the town to buy the mound in the 1940s, that it probably would not be there, that there would be a building on the site.
Eisenbraun said as the organization works toward its goals and further developing the area, it will need the partnership “in a much bigger way going forward.”
“This sign is kind of like a starting point – a baby step forward,” she said.
In her press release, Eisenbraun said the Cherokee Heritage Apple Orchard installed along the Little Tennessee River Greenway now has Junaluska, Cullasaga, and Horse apple trees along with Indian Cling Peach trees growing and they will one day produce the same fresh fruits that have long been grown by the Cherokee.
She said a Cherokee Blueway trail is in development to help educate paddlers and fisher people about the Cherokee relationship to local rivers. Signs, designed by Buffalotown Designs, will be installed with an emphasis on maintaining Cherokee culture while informing non-indigenous people.
Simpson Oil property
The Aug. 5 meeting also included an update on the former Simpson Oil property, located next to the Women’s History Trail Park. Mainspring Conservation Trust purchased the land with plans to remediate the parcel so that it would complement the existing greenspace and the neighborhood. The parcel is located across from the Mainspring office, the Friends of the Greenway shop/visitor center, Big Bear Park, and within walking distance of the Greenway.
In November 2023, Mainspring received an Environmental Enhancement Grant through the N.C. Department of Justice and is working to secure permission to perform brownfield remediation on the site.
“Once those permissions from the N.C. Brownfields Program are secured, we look forward to contracting the remediation work later this year and into 2025,” Mainspring Deputy Director Ben Laseter said in his written report to the council.
“We applaud the town and other partners on recent success in moving toward the vision of a revitalized River Gateway District in East Franklin,” Laseter continued.