The Nikwasi Celebration on May 17 will be a day of cultural learning, event planners say.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Town of Franklin are celebrating the Nikwasi Mound’s placement on Cherokee Heritage Trails, a trail system that tells visitors about the Cherokee way of life.

“This area is so significant to the Cherokee,” said Gordon Mercer, chairman of the Nikwasi Planning Committee and member of the Macon County Historical Society.

The Nikwasi Mound is located near East Main Street and the Little Tennessee River, which runs through Franklin.

The celebration is packed full of events like basket weaving and performances of traditional songs and dances to give Macon County residents a sample of the Cherokee culture.

“A big part of the initiative is to educate the community and Macon County about the culture and history they are sitting on top of,” said Teena Wally, an enrolled tribal member and event planner.

“There is a feeling among us that we need to have more cultural exchange between the two communities,” said Mercer. “As we look at the world today, it’s difficult to understand other cultures.”

Tribal members have been working diligently to create events and organizations to preserve the Cherokee culture. The Cherokee Preservation Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes Cherokee culture through grants, awarded the Town of Franklin $20,000 to help preserve the mound and increase public awareness, said Mercer.

The Nikwasi Mound may look like a dirt pile from a construction project, but it is one of the last well-preserved mounds in Western North Carolina, tribal officials say.

In 1945 some residents wanted to remove the mound for commercial and residential development, but Franklin attorney Gilmer Andrews Jones started a fundraising effort to save the mound. Jones and some Macon school children raised $1,500 to preserve the structure, which was later given to the Macon County Historical Society.

A tribal council house used to sit on top of the mound. The council house was widely used by members to conduct business with the early settlers, said Tyler Howe, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians historic preservation specialists. Nikwasi was one of the central middle towns visited by the early settlers, he added.

The celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with the ceremony at the mound and will feature song by the Cherokee Elementary School Choir, a prayer by Marie Junaluska, and speakers Franklin Mayor Joe Collins and Principal Chief Michell Hicks.

After the ceremony, festivalgoers have a wide variety of games, demonstrations, and dances to watch and participate in at Big Bear Park along the greenway. The park is located across the street from the mound.

• Craft enthusiasts can learn how to basket weave or make pottery at 11 a.m. Cherokee storytellers and elementary school dancers will perform at 11:30 a.m.

• The Warriors of AniKituwah, a nationally known dance group, will perform traditional dances that date back to the 18th century from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• The Mulberries will demonstrate traditional corn and friendship dances from12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

• Cherokee Gospel Singers are scheduled to perform from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

• The final event is a stickball and fish game demonstration from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m.

The celebration is sponsored by Western Carolina University Public Policy Institute, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Town of Franklin, Macon County Historical Society, and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.

All events are open to the public free of charge. Parking will be available near McDonald’s.