Ever since the Nikwasi Initiative acquired the Nikwasi Mound from the Town of Franklin in 2019, their goal has been to transform the mound site into a space for Cherokee cultural appreciation and education, but the methods they hope to use in pursuit of that goal are starting to change.
After nearly a year without infrastructural changes, the Nikwasi Initiative made their first big step on the mound property with the installation of an information kiosk on the history of the mound in 2020. The initiative originally planned to set up a museum neighboring the property to expand the site’s role in the Cherokee cultural corridor. However, members of the initiative now believe that they can go further.
“We spent a lot of time thinking that over and listening to what people in the community wanted, listening to what members of the EBCI wanted, and we realized that a museum wasn’t going to tell the whole story,” said Elaine Eisenbraun, the Initiative’s director.
The Initiative is now considering a more multi-faceted approach to sharing Cherokee history and culture at the mound site. Instead of just a museum, they’re looking at using the green space to grow traditional Cherokee crops and serving that food in restaurants set up in nearby buildings. The site could also host entertainment facilities like a field for Cherokee stickball and a performance space for traditional dances.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians would remain a financial partner in the project, Eisenbraun said.
Eisenbraun said that complexes of this nature are unusual, but she expects that it would be a big hit because it would offer a more tangible and immersive means to experience the history of Nikwasi. More facilities would also open up job opportunities connected to the site. The tribe has expressed interest in the idea and the board members believe it will be easy to secure financial support from governments.
“There’ll be, I think, significant federal funding, state funding, some local funding and a significant investment by the tribe,” Nikwasi Initiative board member Stacy Guffey said. “It’s really a big economic development project in Macon County.”
The project will likely be quite expensive – Eisenbraun estimates that the initiative will try to raise $2 million in local resources alone. It’ll take time to gauge that much enthusiasm in the community, but after meeting with the Macon County Board of Commissioners during their monthly meeting last week, they feel encouraged that the desire to promote a stronger and more relevant mound site is there.
“It’s a very interesting concept,” commissioner Ronnie Beale said of the plan. “The tribe’s going to have to be a huge player in this, as will the preservation foundation. … We’ve all recognized how important [the mound] is.”
For more information on the Nikwasi Initiative and their plans for the Nikwasi Mound, call the initiative at 541-620-0752 or go online to nikwasi-initiative.org.