10/17/2025
A Day of Learning — Tohi: Cherokee Concepts of Health, Wellbeing, and the Connection to Place
Students, faculty, and staff spent a day exploring local Cherokee cultural sites, guided by Kituwah elder and speaker Dr. Tom Belt (Cherokee Nation), along with Drs. Jane Eastman and Brett Riggs, archaeologists and Cherokee Studies faculty.
The group visited Judaculla Rock, Nikwasi, Cowee, and Watauga Mounds—each holding deep cultural and historical significance to the Cherokee people and to this region.
At Judaculla Rock, a sacred place of learning, participants listened to the legend of Judaculla, the slant-eyed giant who served as a steward of the land and guardian of his hunting grounds in the Balsam Mountains. His handprint, said to remain on the rock today, connects the past to the present and reminds us of our shared responsibility to honor and protect these sacred places.
Central to the day’s reflection was Tohi, the Cherokee word for wellness. Professor Lisa Lefler writes, “For the Cherokee, health is more than the absence of disease; it includes a fully confident sense of a smooth life, peaceful existence, unhurried pace, and easy flow of time. The natural state of the world is to be neutral, balanced, with a similarly gently flowing pattern… All aspects—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—figure into the Cherokee concept of good health.”
As the College of Health and Human Sciences, we believe we have a unique opportunity to learn from our Native communities and elevate the well-being of our entire region. This specific day of learning invited all participants to reflect on Tohi—and on how our connection to place shapes wellness for individuals and communities alike.
