Sacred soil: Saving Native American mounds

Sacred soil: Saving Native American mounds

From The Broadside by WUNC News

April 30, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the significance of Indigenous mounds in the U.S. and efforts to preserve them, focusing on a mound in Franklin, North Carolina.

There are tens of thousands of Indigenous mounds located throughout the United States. For Native Americans, these earthen structures are revered as sacred places. Despite their importance to Native cultures, many of these sites have been damaged or destroyed in the past, and very few are actually owned by tribes today. But the fascinating story of one mound in Franklin, North Carolina is highlighting recent efforts to preserve these important sites and put them back in tribal hands. Featuring: Angelina Jumper, cultural resources supervisor for Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Lilly Knoepp, NC Local’s regional reporter for Western North Carolina Ben Steere, archaeologist and professor at Western Carolina University Johi Griffin, tribal historic sites keeper for Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Links: NC Local: There are dozens of Indigenous mounds in North Carolina. Why do tribes only own a few? The Trailhead newsletter from Lilly Knoepp and NC Local Cover image: Noquisiyi Mound in Franklin, North Carolina. Photo by Harrison Keely / Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at…

People in this episode

Host: WUNC News

Guests: Angelina Jumper, Lilly Knoepp, Ben Steere, Johi Griffin

Topics covered

  • Native American culture
  • archaeology
  • site preservation
  • Indigenous mounds
  • cultural heritage

Keywords

  • Indigenous mounds
  • cultural preservation
  • Native American history
  • archaeological sites
  • Franklin North Carolina

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, WUNC News

Places: Franklin, North Carolina

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