“The Eastern Band of the Cherokee is this island … And they sell pot. And I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is some of their actions or activities that are, I think, concerning me that actually speak to the broader issue here about marijuana and what we ultimately do with it,” said Sen. Thom Tillis at an Oct. 7 Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. 

The National Defense Authorization Act cleared the House with bipartisan support last week, prompting the Senate’s Dec. 15 procedural vote — which all but guarantees that the $901 billion spending bill will be at the president’s desk before the holidays. This year, the “must-pass” annual legislation will represent the largest single sum of funds devoted military programs in the nation’s history. And yet, those appropriations have nothing to do with the strong opposition voiced by a community in Western North Carolina. 

Travis Smith began his career with the Tribal Alcohol and Beverage Control Commission on Feb. 27, 2024. He was guaranteed a four-year term until a fellow TABCC member submitted a grievance to the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s Office of Internal Audit and Ethics Aug. 14 of this year. 

Sen. Thom Tillis’ 2025 Lumbee Fairness Act is inching toward the finish line, allowing for full federal recognition of about 60,000 North Carolinians closer to their goal, albeit nearly 140 years after their first government petition. 

Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Center will celebrate five decades of outreach and partnership with the Cherokee community on Tuesday, Nov. 4, with an open house beginning at 5 p.m. followed by a reception and panel discussion at the Cherokee Youth Activity Center from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Born from the high, cold springs of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and destined for the Gulf of Mexico, the clear waters of the Oconaluftee River have a long journey ahead. The river flows through the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ homeland in Cherokee and joins increasingly voluminous waterways as it travels toward the sea. The Cherokee know this southbound path as the Long Person, yvwi ganvhida — a living being with its head in the mountains and its feet in the sea.

Cannabis regulation was again debated by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ leadership on Aug. 7 as tribal council considered two resolutions — in both instances, council representatives overwhelmingly favored the status quo. Nonetheless, a few questions were raised in the process. 

Ernest D. Pheasant, Sr., has received a sentence of life in prison for the murder of his ex-wife, Marie Walkingstick Pheasant. 

In 2013, Marie’s body was found in a vehicle that investigators later determined was intentionally set on fire. An autopsy revealed that she died from stab wounds to the neck and abdomen.

After over a century since receiving recognition from the state of North Carolina as an Indian Tribe, the Lumbee appear to be on the cusp of full federal recognition. 

The bitter battle between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Lumbee as the Lumbee seek federal recognition has grown even more contentious over the last few months. And now, following the announcement from Attorney General and Governor-elect Josh Stein that EBCI Principal Chief Michell Hicks — who has long called into question the Lumbees’ identification as a tribe — will be appointed to Stein’s transition team, a state representative from Lumbee country is sounding the alarm.