Returning to the River: The Cherokee Diaspora's Hydrospheric Connections.

This article examines how members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) are revitalizing connections to rivers, drawing on Cherokee cosmo-epistemologies—Indigenous ways of knowing that emphasize the spiritual and ecological significance of water—and integrating these with contemporary environmental science and posthumanist theory. It highlights the historical trauma of the Trail of Tears diaspora, which severed many Cherokees from their ancestral riverine homelands in Southern Appalachia, while also exploring how diaspora communities have maintained and adapted their relationships to water and place across new landscapes. The article discusses recent collaborative efforts between the EBCI and scientific institutions to restore and care for river ecosystems, emphasizing the ethical and cultural importance of water as life (ama gvnida) and the ongoing challenges of balancing Indigenous knowledge with Western research methodologies. Overall, it presents returning to the river as a dynamic practice that sustains Cherokee identity, kinship, and environmental stewardship amid climate change and historical displacement.