Nikwasi

Nequasee
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	Franklin, North Carolina
Area:	18 acres (7.3 ha)
Governing body:	Local
NRHP Reference#:	80004598[1]
Added to NRHP:	November 26, 1980

Nikwasi (also spelled Nequassee, Nucassee, Noucassih, etc.) was an important Cherokee town located on the Little Tennessee River at the site of present-day Franklin, North Carolina.

A large mound is still visible, marking the location of the townhouse. The Nikwasi Mound has remained intact. It has not been excavated, so its age is uncertain, but it is similar to other nearby mounds whose age has been determined to be at least 1,000 years (Duncan 2003:152-153). These were built by the Mississippian mound builder culture, about 1000 CE. Cherokee entered the area sometime later.

History

In 1730, Alexander Cuming called for a council at the town of Nikwasi, which thousands of Cherokee attended. Afterwards, seven Cherokee, including Moytoy of Tellico, went with Cuming to visit England. In 1761, British forces destroyed the houses and fields of Nikwasi and used the townhouse on top of Nikwasi Mound as a field hospital.

After the troops left, the Cherokee returned and rebuilt the town. In 1776 Nikwasi was destroyed by colonial American troops led by Griffith Rutherford. The Cherokee rebuilt and reoccupied the town afterward. By treaties in 1817 and 1819, they ceded the land around Nikwasi to North Carolina. European-American settlers were granted 4,000 acres (16 km²) at the site of Nikwasi, where they created the town of Franklin, North Carolina (Duncan 2003:153).

While the mound was probably built during the earlier Mississippian Culture, it was the spiritual center of the area. A Council House, or Town House, used for councils, religious ceremonies, and general meetings, was located on top the mound, and the ever-burning sacred fire, which the Cherokee had kept burning since the beginning of their culture, was located there. Thus the mound was a most revered site. The town of Nikwasi was a "white", or peace, town.

It was believed that the Nunne'hi, the spirit people, lived under this mound. When James Mooney was studying the legends of the Cherokee for the Smithsonian in 1887 - 1890, he was told the legend of these Spirit Defenders of Nikwasi by an old medicine man named Swimmer. (You can read the legend available at the website reference)

In 1980, the village site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an archaeological site.^[1]. It stands at near its original height. Though it is only half its original size.

The area around the mound has been filled level for construction, therefore it is nearly impossible for the mound to be appreciated by simply passing by. A person must be standing at the base of the mound to fully appreciate its construction.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 

http://www.maconnchistorical.org/nikwasi/

Further reading

• Duncan, Barbara R. and Riggs, Brett H. Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook. University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill (2003). ISBN 0-8078-5457-3
• Mooney, James. "Myths of the Cherokee" (1900, reprint 1995).

Coordinates: 35°11′N 83°22′W / 35.183°N 83.367°W / 35.183; -83.367