Editorial: Good move by Duke Energy to save Cherokee sacred site

Opinion

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

"Good move, Duke Energy.

The power colossus made a rather large misstep recently when it began grading work for a $79 million substation at Hyatt Creek in Swain County. The misstep came not so much from the project itself, but from its proximity to Kituwah, the Cherokee ancestral home.

The adage in the real estate business is location, location, location.

This location in this instance meant controversy, controversy, controversy, because Kituwah is no ordinary piece of real estate.

Historically, the town was a refuge for any who entered. Year after year Cherokee would gather there, families bringing a basket of earth from their homes to build the mound at Kituwah. The site, archaeologists say, was inhabited as far back as 9,000 years ago. It’s known as the Mother Town of the Cherokee. It’s deeply ingrained in the Cherokee identity, to the point the Cherokee call themselves the People of Kituwah.

The Cherokee lost Kituwah in the forced removal of the early 1800s but were able to regain possession in 1996. The site has since become a focal point of the tribe’s efforts to renew and preserve their culture, and is home to programs focusing on language and traditional farming."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Duke protects sacred site by relocating substation (The Asheville Citizen-Times 8/4)

Also Today:
Duke backs down from controversial substation site (The Smoky Mountain News 8/4)