Heritage Management at the Cherokee Town of Noquisiyi (Nikwasi) in Franklin, North Carolina, USA

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Politics of Heritage Values: How Archaeologists Deal with Place, Social Memories, Identities, and Socioeconomics" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Noquisiyi or Nikwasi Mound, a monumental earthen platform mound located in the town of Franklin, North Carolina, was first constructed during the Mississippian period (AD 1000–1600) and marks the location of an important Cherokee mother town. In this paper I consider the history of the preservation of the mound as a case study in the evolution of cultural heritage preservation in the ancestral Cherokee territory of western North Carolina. Drawing on insights from Indigenous studies, I suggest that the town of Franklin initially preserved and interpreted the site as monument to Cherokee absence, rather than a symbol of Cherokee resilience. This narrative still haunts current discussions about the site. However, recent efforts at more collaborative interpretations of Noquisiyi, which include the use of concepts from Cherokee language and cosmology and frequent visits to the site by Cherokee cultural organizations, provide examples of a more expansive and equitable concept of heritage. Those involved in the preservation and interpretation of Noquisiyi have an opportunity to reclaim the site as an active part of the Cherokee cultural landscape, but doing so will require all involved to push back against archaeological interpretations that separate living Indigenous people from their past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Politics of Heritage Values: How Archaeologists Deal with Place, Social Memories, Identities, and Socioeconomics

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37817.0