In a landmark decision for cultural restitution, a town in North Carolina has taken a unanimous vote to return a sacred ancestral site to its original Indigenous stewards.
Unanimous Vote for Historic Land Return
The town council of Franklin, North Carolina, voted unanimously on Monday, 5th January 2026, to initiate the legal transfer of the Noquisiyi Mound to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This earthen mound, situated in the heart of Franklin, was once a central part of a Cherokee mother town centuries before the United States was founded and remains a place of profound spiritual significance.
Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Michell Hicks, expressed profound gratitude for the town's understanding. He emphasised that places of such deep cultural and traditional importance should rightfully be under the care of the tribe to which they belong.
A Site of Deep Cultural and Spiritual Gravity
Described as the largest unexcavated mound in the Southeastern United States, Noquisiyi has survived remarkably intact. Angelina Jumper, a tribal citizen and board member of the Noquisiyi Initiative, conveyed the immense gravity of the moment, noting the mound stands as high as it did when it was taken two or three hundred years ago.
The site's caretaker, Jordan Oocumma, believed to be the first enrolled tribal member to tend the mound since the era of forced removal, explained its enduring sacred role. Translating to "star place," Noquisiyi is considered a protective religious site where generations have sought answers and connection.
A Long Path to Reconciliation
The journey to this point has been decades in the making. Franklin originally purchased the mound from a private owner in the 1940s. Serious discussions about a transfer began in 2012, after a town employee accidentally damaged the site with herbicide. This led to a collaborative partnership in 2019, with the town and tribe forming a non-profit, the Noquisiyi Initiative, to manage the location.
Elaine Eisenbraun, Executive Director of the Initiative, confirmed the next step requires the tribal council to formally accept control, triggering the legal title transfer. Franklin's Mayor, Stacey Guffey, framed the decision within the global Land Back movement, stating it was about honouring a living culture, not just a historical artifact.
The tribe plans to maintain public access to the mound and establish an interpretive centre in an adjacent building it owns. Noquisiyi will join the nearby Cowee Mound as part of a growing cultural corridor of Cherokee sites stretching from Georgia to the Qualla Boundary reservation.
