In Opposition to the Duke Power Substation Development Near the Kituwah Mound, Ela, NC  Lisa J. Lefler, Ph.D.  Executive Director of the Center for Native Health, Inc. It is time to speak out about destruction of land and the mountains in the name of “progress.” This time, at stake is the site of an ancient sacred Cherokee site, the extended grounds of Kituwah Mound, the acknowledged Mothertown of the EBCI. Former Chief of the Eastern Band, Joyce Dugan, has said that Cherokee identity is synonymous with this place. In oral histories spoken by Cherokee elders and passed down generation-to-generation, this place is identified as the place of origin of their people, the Kituwahs (Keetoowahs). I know of no other group of people on earth who can point to a specific geographic location, and pinpoint within inches, their place of origin. As several respected leaders and elders of the EBCI have stated, this is the holiest of holies, it is where hundreds of their ancestors still lay, and according to Kituwah belief, still watch and observe all that happens in this very special and sacred place. Here is where historic meetings are organized, here is where ceremonies that have preserved the unique identity and traditional beliefs of the Cherokee people continue. This place has withstood horrific events – crop devastation, sickness, death, and maybe even more insidious, misuse from ignorance of the site’s significance. But after this hearing, ignorance is no longer an excuse. Having this ancient sacred town site and birthplace of the Cherokee people disrupted by the development of a power station, is the ultimate slap of insensitivity and disrespect toward the founding peoples of this area. We all love our mountains and those of us whose families have lived here for generations, have had to witness the continuous destruction and irresponsible “development” of the mountains. We identify as mountain people and are honored by that designation because, until recent decades at least, existence of the Appalachians has provided safety, food, medicines, water, and resources for its inhabitants. We’ve seen the use of money and power, subjugate all of these essential elements that makes this region rich and unique in the world. I know even in white families of this region, the destruction due to “development” has caused many to weep and contributed to depression about destruction of those things that cannot be re-created. For the Cherokee people, add the much, much longer evidence of continuous inhabitance (more than 10,000 years longer), and how central these mountains and valleys are to their beliefs, cosmology, resources for living, and ultimately their unique identity as a people, and the pain and depression from destruction of land is considerably more. The extensive knowledge of the environmental resources embedded in the language and culture of the Cherokee people is immeasurable and invaluable to us all. Part of this knowledge is a science that is just recently being recognized by the Western academy in a variety of disciplines. Indigenous Science is an important component of how Western scientists, environmentalists, and health professionals better understand our relationship and impact on one another. Take for example, the writings of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist and national spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (and Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008), “As information processing machines, our ability to process data about the external world begins at the level of sensory perception. Although most of us are rarely aware of it, our sensory receptors are designed to detect information at the energy level. Because everything around us – the air we breathe, even the materials we use to build with – are composed of spinning and vibrating atomic particles, you and I are literally swimming in a turbulent sea of electromagnetic fields. We are part of it. We are enveloped within it, and through our sensory apparatus we experience what is.” (pp.18, My Stroke of Insight, Plume Publishers, 2009) The universal Indigenous philosophy, “we are all connected” is being proven by sciences, from neuroanatomy to metaphysics! We aren’t just all connected to one another, but to every other living thing on this planet. Can you tell me then how will the electromagnetic waves that will be emitted by this substation impact people, children, crops, animals, and everything else in it’s reach????? The EBCI are planning walking trails that would be positioned very close to this substation. Let’s become aware and be more respectful of what is being proposed in Ela. The consequences are dire for the people and place of Kituwah. Once built, the damage is can’t be repaired. Do the right thing. Don’t continue to put the people and culture of the EBCI at risk. “This is the place where the people we call Cherokee began... They were directed by God to come here, and the very first fire was given to the people here... this place wasn't just a town-this was like the Vatican. This is the holiest of holies." -Tom Belt