Question: What other North Carolina town, along with Nikwasi, is considered a Cherokee “mother town”?
Answer: Nikwasi and Kituwah are the Cherokee’s “mother towns”—ancient communities tied to Cherokee origins, with Nikwasi meaning “star place” and home to the protective Nunne’hi. Documented by Juan Pardo in 1566, both towns’ mounds supported council houses with ever-burning hearth fires for daily and spiritual needs.
