The Sacred Noquisiyi Mound

The landmark Noquisiyi Mound has been deeded back to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI) after being privately owned for 200 years. Formerly known as Nikwasi, the sacred mound once supported a council hall in the ancient Cherokee town that occupied what is today Franklin. Noquisiyi means “star place” in Cherokee. Last January, the Franklin town council unanimously voted to return the mound to tribal ownership, an historic measure that some speculate may mark the first time a town has repatriated a Native American site. The transfer and planned interpretive facility are guided by the Noquisi Initiative, an effort to develop a Cherokee cultural corridor of landmarks and historic sites along the Little Tennessee River between Franklin and Cherokee. The route also includes the nearby Cowee Mound, which the ECBI purchased in 2007. www.noquisi.org