Cherokee girls win legal rights for waterway in first all-female U.S. effort
Before the proceedings began, the young women carried Longperson into the room with them, water gathered from the mountain headwaters and held in traditional pottery. The chamber filled beyond capacity, supporters spilling into the lobby. When the vote came, the council passed the resolution unanimously. The crowd and the council rose in standing ovation. On […]
On January 8, 2026, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Tribal Council in Cherokee, North Carolina, made history by unanimously passing a resolution recognizing the legal rights of Longperson, a sacred interconnected waterway system. The resolution was brought forward by the NAIWA Daughters, a youth arm of the North American Indian Women's Association, comprised of Indigenous girls aged 10 to 17.
The waterway, known as Longperson or Ganvhidv Asgaya, originates in the Great Smoky Mountains and spans over 1,270 kilometers (790 miles), traversing multiple states before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The EBCI Tribal Council was moved by the presence of Ancestors and community members, and the resolution was passed unanimously, eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd.
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