Native activists in Tennessee are mounting a campaign to protect the Two Rivers Mounds, a site dating back 1,000 years.

The Two Rivers Mounds Coalition is worried that development will harm the site, located in Sevierville. The property, largely undisturbed, was purchased in October for $1.1 million.

It is know that there more than 1,000 burials at Two Mounds. A Mississippian Dallas village is also located there.

State Archaeologist Nick Fielder says development will destroy the site. The state has tried to acquire the land but the asking price was too high.

The Two Rivers Mounds Coalition has asked the Tennessee Commission on Indian Affairs to get involved. Activist Redhawk Mason, who is Chiricahua Apache, and Valerie Ohle, who is Cherokee, say the commission has not responded.

Get the Story:
Rolling Over in Their Graves (The Knoxville Metro Pulse 12/16)

Relevant Links:
Tennessee Commission on Indian Affairs - http://www.state.tn.us/environment/boards/tcia.php
Tennessee Commission on Indian Affairs, unofficial site - http://www.tncia.org