EBCI Tribal Historic Preservation Office

10/24/2026

AND SO IT BEGINS🌲✊

On Thursday, October 22nd, a group of determined citizens took to the road in Cai Creek, just outside Castlegar, to peacefully stand against road building and imminent logging set to happen in this extraordinary watershed.

They came to stand for something bigger than themselves. They came to stand for the forests, the wildlife, the trails, and the wild places that make this region home.

💚Come and hike the trail this weekend. Pay your respects and speak your prayers to the trees💚

Cai Creek has been identified as a 70 to 80 percent intact watershed and nominated by the Technical Advisory Panel for the Old Growth Strategic Review. Its forests hold ancient trees, including what has been identified as the largest ponderosa pine in British Columbia.

For years, local residents have opposed development plans by BC Timber Sales that would cut through a popular hiking trail just ten minutes outside town — opening the way for increased fires and flooding. Now, the community is stepping forward once again.

This is where we draw the line 😤

Our old growth is irreplaceable. Our intact watersheds matter. Our wild places are not disposable, and the people who love them will not stand by in silence while they are put at risk.

To everyone who has stood up, spoken out, and refused to give up, this is your moment. To everyone who cares about the future of these forests, we need you beside us.

Show up. Spread the word. Share this message far and wide. Make sure our politicians and decision makers hear the voices of the people who call this place home.

The fight for Cai Creek is a fight for every wild place worth protecting.

HANDS OFF OLD GROWTH!!! 🔊🚨🌲

10/22/2026

The Junaluska Museum invites you to join us on Wednesday, November 4th 2026, for the Life of Junaluska Symposium Day.

We will spend the day with esteemed Junaluska historians learning more about his life, leadership, and important role in Eastern Band Cherokee history. We're looking forward to hearing from our presenters and bringing community members together to share in these discussions.

🗓️ November 4th 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm

📍Snowbird Language and Culture Offices at 70 Sweetwater Rd.

Lunch and Snacks will be provided! Please join us!

If you can't join us for this event, we hope to see you at the Junaluska Wreath Laying Ceremony, November 5th 2026.

10/06/2026

https://www.ncai.org/news/joint-statement-on-protecting-section-106-process-of-nhpa

We Need to Hear From You

Changes are being proposed to the federal regulations that implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. These regulations help protect historic and cultural places and provide a process for Tribal Nations and the public to have a voice when federal decisions may affect them.

We encourage everyone who cares about protecting historic places, archaeological sites, sacred places, burial places, ancestral lands, and cultural resources to make your voice heard. Cherokee community voices are especially important, but you do not have to be Cherokee to comment.

Please leave a comment on this post telling us, in your own words, why these protections matter to you.

We also encourage you to follow the instructions in the article linked below and send comments now through the opportunities identified there.

The formal federal public comment period on the proposed Section 106 regulatory changes has not opened yet. When it does, EBCI THPO intends to submit the statements collected here individually, consistent with the federal comment procedures, so these voices can be included in the formal rulemaking record.

By leaving a statement below, you give EBCI THPO permission to submit your statement as a public comment when the formal comment period opens. Federal public comments may become part of the public record.

Your comment does not need to be long or technical. You do not need to be an attorney, archaeologist, historian, or preservation professional. Tell them why these places matter to you and why people and communities connected to them deserve a meaningful voice in decisions that could affect them.

Please comment here, follow the instructions in the article, and share this post with others who care about protecting these places.

Every voice matters, and we need as many people as possible to speak up.

The National Congress of American Indians - Defending Sovereignty since 1944

10/02/2026

STOP Big Canyon Dam Project that threatens sacred areas for local Indigenous communities!

09/25/2026

A huge thank you to the Print Shop at Western Carolina University and Dr. Ben Steere for printing the agendas for this year’s Symposium. We couldn’t have done this without you and we’re grateful for our continued partnership! Sgi!!

09/24/2026

https://jacquelinekeeler.substack.com/p/the-divide-and-conquer-grift-how?r=1dfuy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&fbclid=IwdGRjcAUiDpdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAWZkaWQWUPBsb1kCc4Tno1eLzDYi8RkrR14spXNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5YLVyNIfTtPqfEMa4S-rpD6_Tt6qvQm-j_3QkmKe6LdXmya9bFUI4z8l3avg_aem_IOzfTLG6QxFl0BHsgqrmjg&utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv4_a1demo0jqp7v7u

From Ben Nighthorse Campbell to Linda Black Elk and an active new investigation into Cornell’s River Webb, how pretenders exploit kinship and defy sovereign Tribal Nations

09/18/2026

The 12th Annual Cherokee Archaeological Symposium was held on Nvgine iga (Thursday) Duliisdi (Sept.) 17 at the Harrahs’ Cherokee Casino Resort in the Event Center in Cherokee, N.C.

09/18/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended the Symposium yesterday. We hope you enjoyed all the presentations and getting to connect with other attendees. Thank you to the presenters and those who agreed to serve as mentors. We want to extend a huge thank you to Delancey Griffin (Cherokee Nation) and Makayla Williams (Cherokee Nation) who volunteered their time this past year to help us plan this year’s event. Delancey was integral to making sure that all things registration related went smoothly. Makayla worked with the artists/vendors and spearheaded the mentoring session. This was the first year that we incorporated both of these elements of the event. They helped ensure that our event was successful and we can’t thank them enough for their thoughtful additions and hard work.

We would also like to thank TRC for hosting the welcome reception and the Museum of the Cherokee People for giving our attendees free admission to the museum and hosting the Cherokee Scholar’s panel.

We hope to see y’all next year!

09/18/2026

Congrats to our newest recipient of the Chief D. Jones award for archaeological excellence, Shawn Patch. Sgi for being such a good friend to the EBCI and for working collaboratively and ethically with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO).

09/18/2026

Did you know that Native practitioners make up just over 2% of the professional archaeology workforce?

As recently as 2023, white authors still made up 92% of published archaeological research.

This Friday, September 18 at 10:30am ET, we're speaking with Cherokee leaders in academia, archaeology, anthropology, and journalism about navigating these fields as a Native practitioner, first voice representation, and how they're restoring Cherokee knowledge in their daily work.

This Friday, September 18 at 10:30am ET in-person and via Zoom, Museum of the Cherokee People's 'Restoring Cherokee Perspectives: Exploring First Voice Research Methodologies' welcomes Delancey Paden Griffin (Cherokee Nation) to the conversation.

➡ REGISTER HERE for the virtual presentation: bit.ly/46Wn76t
👥 Or join us in-person: TJ Holland Education Room, Education Wing, Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee, NC

Delancey Paden Griffin is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation from Oklahoma City.

She is a second year Ph.D. student in Anthropology at the University of Georgia and a 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She holds a B.A. in Archaeology from Columbia University in New York.

Her research features a dissertation project on the Indigenous Archaeology of New Echota and early 19th century Cherokee Nation. This combines archaeology with community collaboration to examine centuries of Cherokee governance, cultural continuity, and sovereignty.

Her work seeks to develop further opportunities to involve Tribal Citizens in archaeological research.

This free and open-to-the-public event is presented in collaboration with Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) and the Cherokee Archaeological Symposium. It is made possible through the generous support of the North Carolina Arts Council.