Snowbird Cherokee Matriarchs Bring People Together in Cheoah
Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team, In Partnership with Snowbird Cherokee
Nestled deep in the mountains of southwestern North Carolina is the former Cherokee town of Cheoah, which is present-day Robbinsville in Graham County.
Native people have continuously occupied this land for more than 10,000 years. (To put that in perspective, North Carolina was founded just over 230 years ago.)
Today, Graham County is home to the Snowbird Cherokee, a community of about 500 people. The Snowbird are part of the larger Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) but don’t have the same levels of visibility, due in part to their remote location 50 miles from the main Cherokee land of the Qualla Boundary.
What the Snowbird do have, however, is a well-earned reputation of resilience and deep cultural roots. When the U.S. government forcibly removed native people from their land via the Trail of Tears in the mid-1800s, many Snowbird hid in the steep Nantahala mountains to escape capture.
That spirit of resilience and pride in tradition remains with them to this day. Despite countless obstacles, the Snowbird have maintained the Cherokee language and elements of their culture, thanks in large part to the community’s matriarchs.
The hands of women carry a way of life forward
“It is time!” proclaimed Michelle Shiplet, executive director of the Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team (GREAT).
In 2016, a citizen-led coalition including GREAT determined that it was beyond time to celebrate, front and center, the First People of Robbinsville, and rectify the lack of native representation in the town.
TJ Holland, former Cultural Resource Supervisor for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and manager of the Junaluska Museum, was central to this effort.
TJ noted that Cherokee society was based on a matrilineal clan system, and the traditional Cherokee worldview was one where women had autonomy and agency, including in leadership roles in tribal government. The Cherokee also had a historic practice of bestowing the prestigious title of “Beloved Woman” on leaders who exemplified a deep commitment and vital contributions to the tribe.
“In the day, each town had their beloved people that went above and beyond to ensure that those things that make us Cherokee still continue and provide a sense of identity for future generations,” TJ said.
Snowbird community members decided the best way to celebrate their community was to honor their beloved matriarchs through a beautiful mural for all in Robbinsville to see.
Thus, the idea for the Snowbird Matriarch Mural was born.
Love and resilience find a way
A coalition of community partners began working together to bring the mural to life.
Snowbird Cherokee members gathered to nominate the women they wanted to feature in the mural. Michelle Shiplet from GREAT drove project logistics. TJ Holland did historical research and facilitated community engagement. He also served as a co-lead artist, ensuring that the design was authentic to the Snowbird community.
Then, in 2020, the COVID pandemic hit, and the project stalled.
The mural had already been challenged by staff transitions within grant partner organizations, and with the onset of the pandemic, community focus turned to survival.
But the greatest challenge came in September 2020, when TJ Holland unexpectedly passed away at the age of 44. This loss was devastating for the entire Snowbird community. TJ was not only a respected keeper of Cherokee history, culture and heritage, but he was also a revered and deeply loved husband, father and friend.
In the wake of this tragedy, the community found the resilience to continue, motivated not only to tell the story of the Snowbird matriarchs but also to see the project through in honor of TJ.
With the design of the mural complete, direct descendants of the chosen matriarchs gathered to paint their ancestors, opening space to connect and learn more about each other. As people emerged from COVID isolation, painting days became intergenerational story-sharing days, which was welcomed and healing to the community.
For Cassidy Galaviz, a Snowbird community member in his twenties who is part of a younger generation focused on Cherokee language preservation, receiving elder visits while painting was especially powerful. He had never been around so many Cherokee speakers in one place at one time.
Ancestors are welcomed home
In July 2021, the Snowbird Matriarch Mural was finished.
In the lead-up to the unveiling, volunteers went door-to-door to hand out invitations to every single Snowbird community member in the area.
For Angelina Jumper, Snowbird community member and cultural resource supervisor for the Junaluska Museum, the personal outreach was important. “For our elder generation here in Snowbird, those are things that they miss,” she said, “that smile showing up at their door.”
The unveiling event was a community celebration for everyone in Robbinsville. The sense of pride among attendees was palpable.
“It was a beautiful thing to see support for our women, most of whom are no longer here,” said Angelina. The location of the mural in the heart of Robbinsville is also important, Angelina continued, because it shows the Snowbird are still there, carrying on Cherokee traditions.
Michelle Shiplet recalls standing with Snowbird elders as they saw the mural for the first time. They gazed at the art, taking in the details, and then one person quietly said, “Here we are. We’re home, finally here.”
Inspiring pride and connection among new generations
The mural is now an anchor on Main Street in Robbinsville. The site is a focal point for Cherokee cultural and language classes that use the mural as a backdrop for gatherings and presentations. Young people ask questions about the matriarchs featured in the mural, which helps them connect with their roots.
Visitors can even scan a QR code to hear recorded stories of the matriarchs in Cherokee and in English. There are only about 40 Cherokee speakers left in the Snowbird community; having the matriarchs’ stories available in their native language helps instill pride in the community’s history and preserve the language for future generations. The recordings have motivated Snowbird community members to capture the stories of more elders, too.
The mural has also inspired new ideas for revitalizing Robbinsville’s Main Street, including the proposed installation of the Cheoah Pavillion on the adjacent lot.
According to Michelle, who helped steer the project’s logistics, the cross-community collaboration involved in creating the mural was powerful to witness. Michelle is not a Snowbird community member, but she says the mural has brought the entire community together, creating a better sense of place and belonging for all.
“This beautiful artwork helps us realize the beauty that there is — even though we’re different, we don’t have to be divided, that we can be joined together,” Michelle said. “It has helped to bring healing, to give us a reason to gather together, and to appreciate the beauty not only of the artwork but of the lives that are depicted there.”
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