WCU Cherokee Center

08/21/2026

“Hey, Leo?”

“Yeah, mom?”

“The season opener is next week.” 🏈

“YEAHHHHHHHHH!” 💜💛

✨Saturday, August 29th @7:30pm✨

08/20/2026

Siyo! Shalana here, the Director of the WCU Cherokee Center. I’d love to take this moment to discuss our support in sponsoring the event bags for the 2026 Rooted in the Mountains Conference. ⛰️🌿

When I began working on the design for this year’s Rooted in the Mountains event, I knew I wanted it to be more than something that simply looked nice on a tote bag. I wanted to understand the story behind the event and find a way for the design to carry a little piece of that story forward. And the story begins long before there was an event.

In the video link below, Dr. Lisa Lefler, Director of the Culturally Based Native Health Program at WCU, and Cherokee elder and former Cherokee language instructor Tom Belt share how Rooted in the Mountains grew from conversations beginning long ago.

Lisa remembers Tom visiting with her mother, a mountain woman born and raised here, and the two of them sitting together talking about growing up, culture, and the ways their lives and experiences intersected through the land. As Tom says in the video, regardless of whether those who have called this place home are Native or non-Native, “we have one thing in common…the mountains and how we live here.” Those conversations became the spark for something bigger. Rooted in the Mountains grew from the belief that these conversations should be shared, that traditional knowledge, environmental health, human health, and our relationships with the land and one another are not separate things. They are interconnected. That story became the inspiration behind this design. 🌿

The mountains surrounding the cabin are, of course, our home, but they also represent something we have a responsibility to care for. The plants and natural elements throughout the design are intentional reminders that the health of the land, water, plants, animals, and people are connected.

At the center sits the WCU Cherokee Center cabin, here on the Qualla Boundary, a place that represents the connection between Western Carolina University and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and, to me, a fitting place to visually bring these pieces together. And, if you look closely, there’s even a little Ꮻ on the cabin door. 💜

But perhaps my favorite connection came from listening again to Tom explain the Cherokee understanding he associates with root and its connection to the idea of a “helper.” To me, that brings the meaning of Rooted in the Mountains full circle. It is about how we help. How we serve. How we listen. How we care for this place and one another. As Tom reminds us, “the health of these mountains is invariably our own health.” And as Lisa shares, being here on the homeland of the Kituwah people comes with an opportunity, and an obligation, to listen, learn, help, and serve the community.

Egwa sgi to the speakers who reached out to help me execute the language aspect of “rooted” in the present tense. 🙏🏼🤍

Watch the video below to hear Lisa and Tom tell the story in their own words, and then join us for the 2026 Rooted in the Mountains Conference, September 24–25, as we continue these conversations through this year’s theme:

Indigenous Perceptions of Hope 🌿⛰️💜✨
Find the link below to register! We hope to see you there!



Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoO0GyMw26E

Registration link:
https://continuinged.wcu.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=1587609

08/19/2026

08/19/2026

It was a beautiful day in Cherokee today! ☀️🌼🌸🌱✨

08/17/2026

08/17/2026

Cullowhee feels right again, our Catamounts are home.
Happy first day of class 💜🐾

08/17/2026

Happy First Day of Class! Wishing everyone a strong start today. 💜

08/12/2026

Today, the Cherokee Center staff had the opportunity to spend time with Denise Drury Homewood, Executive Director of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. During our visit, we explored the current exhibitions, enjoyed a mini curated tour (including a backstage pass), and even had the opportunity to step onto the stage of the Performing Arts Center.✨

One of the most meaningful moments of the visit was hearing about the journey behind the lobby exhibition highlighting artists from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Seeing the work of local artists and enrolled members of our community so thoughtfully represented within this space filled me with an incredible sense of pride. It was especially meaningful to hear about those who contributed to bringing this vision to life but were never able to see the final outcome of their collaborative efforts. Their impact, however, is still very much present. It lives on through the students, visitors, and EBCI enrolled members, like myself, who can walk in, see our community represented, and immediately feel that connection. 🌱

These are the moments that perfectly explain why I love being the Director of the WCU Cherokee Center. The steps WCU has taken, and continues to take, to showcase EBCI representation in such meaningful and respectful ways matter deeply. I am humbled to witness the direction the campus is moving and incredibly grateful to be included in that continued journey. It is an exciting time to be a Catamount, but for me, it is even more meaningful to have the opportunity to be so deeply embedded in both communities. 💜💛❤️

We also had a wonderful conversation centered around Indigenous art, local artists, and opportunities for future collaboration. I’m incredibly excited about the possibilities ahead and what we can accomplish together through continued collaboration between the WCU Cherokee Center and the Bardo Arts Center.

If you haven’t visited the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, I encourage you to take some time and experience it for yourself. In addition to the meaningful representation of EBCI artists, the current contemporary American art exhibitions are powerful, thought-provoking, and moving, exactly what great art should be.

A special thank you to Denise for welcoming us, sharing the stories behind these spaces, and beginning an exciting journey of collaboration, creativity, and respect. 🤍🙏🏼

08/07/2026

Siyo nigad! 👋🏼

✨Join us for the 16th Annual Public Lecture in Native Health! ✨

The WCU Cherokee Center would like to invite everyone to join us for this meaningful event featuring Cherokee Nation Elder, Dr. Tom Belt, whose lecture, "Tohi’: Kituwah Perspectives of Health," will explore Cherokee understandings of harmony, well-being, balance, and peace.

Dr. Tom Belt is a respected Cherokee language scholar, educator, and cultural leader. He is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Western Carolina University in recognition of his extraordinary lifelong contributions to Cherokee language, culture, and education.

Whether you're a student, faculty member, staff member, community member, or simply interested in learning more about Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness, we encourage you to attend. This lecture offers an opportunity to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful conversation rooted in Cherokee knowledge and lived experience. We hope that you can join and reflect in the essence of tohi'. 🙏🏼🤍

We look forward to bringing together the WCU and EBCI communities for an evening of learning, reflection, and connection.

08/06/2026

This morning, I had the opportunity to welcome Western Carolina University’s newest faculty during New Faculty Orientation.

As I listened to the Associate Provost read WCU’s land acknowledgment, I was filled with pride as she spoke of the rich history of the ancestral homelands on which the campus sits. Moments like that remind me what a privilege it is to serve in a role that connects Western Carolina University and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. I am incredibly grateful to support two strong communities and two places that I proudly call home.

As the Director of the WCU Cherokee Center, I also had the chance to introduce the work of the center and share how our role extends far beyond a building. The Cherokee Center exists to strengthen the relationship between Western Carolina University and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians through collaboration, education, community engagement, and student success.

One of the greatest opportunities we have is building meaningful relationships. I hope our newest faculty will see the Cherokee Center as a place to connect, collaborate, learn alongside our community, and create partnerships grounded in mutual respect and reciprocity.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share the work we’re doing and look forward to the relationships that will grow from today’s conversations. Here’s to a new academic year filled with meaningful connections and impactful collaborations.

Sgi, thank you, and welcome to the Catamount family! Or as I was told, “Welcome Home.” 💜💛

If you see me out and about on campus, say Siyo! 👋🏼

-Shalana Yates