Land & Wellness

Native Stewardship

Deputy Director
Bonnie Claxton
Chickasaw Nation

“The health of Indigenous Peoples is inherently tied to the well-being of the land we call home. The Center for Native Health’s Land & Wellness Program Area is proud to support community-lead, grassroots efforts that prioritize shifting Indigenous land and food sovereignty, towards a return to living in balance with the land, air, water, plants, and animals we rely on for the well-being of our communities.”
— Bonnie Claxton, Deputy Director
  • the Earth Keepers logo depicts a pair of hands holding a bowl that contains fields and mountains, on a traditional cherokee basketweave background

    Earth Keepers

    ᎡᎶᎯ ᏗᏂᎦᏘᏱ “Elohi Dinigatiyi” Earth Keepers are traditional Cherokee knowledge keepers supported by The Center for Native Health’s Land & Wellness Program who came together to apply Kituwah science, and the language that protects it, to conserve and preserve the mountains, forests, water, and air and all they contain. They advise the EBCI Natural Resources Department and others on how to best care for Cherokee people and lands

    Explore Earth Keepers
  • CNH Cherokee Mothers Garden Sign

    Cherokee Mothers Garden

    Located at the mothertown of Kituwah, CNH's Cherokee Mothers Garden is designed to integrate Native science into every aspect of its design. Currently managed as part of a Blue Cross/Blue Shield grant, the garden contributes to Food Sovereignty initiatives on the Qualla Boundary.

    Volunteer
  • Rooted in the Mountains

    Rooted in the Mountains

    A collaboration between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Center for Native Health and WCU’s College of Health and Human Sciences Rooted in the Mountains is an interdisciplinary forum where ethnography, literature, art, music and native and western science are center stage. Topics range from native heart disease and diabetes prevention, climate change and nature’s resilience, the cultural significance of water, food sovereignty issues and healthy lifestyles. Registration opens annually in August, therefore, 2025 dates and speakers to be announced shortly.

    View Symposium Details

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