The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is gaining support for its effort to acquire the sacred Nikwasi Indian Mound in North Carolina.

The Macon County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution that calls on the town of Franklin to meet with the tribe. “I think it is very culturally significant to our people,” Chief Michell Hicks told The Smoky Mountain News of the sacred site.

The tribe stepped up efforts to acquire the mound after the town sprayed an herbicide at the site, killing the grass. The state fined the town more than $800 for using an herbicide without a license.

The town has not yet agreed to enter talks with the tribe.

Get the Story:
Franklin unable to shake Nikwasi Mound missteps (The Smoky Mountain News 9/25)

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Eastern Cherokees still hoping to acquire sacred Nikwasi Mound (8/8)