What is "nikwasi"

Nikwasi (also spelled Nequasee, Nequassee, Nucassee, Noucassih, etc.) is a prehistoric archaeological site with a platform mound, constructed by the Mississippi culture c. 1000. When the Cherokee migrated into the area about the 16th century, they settled here and built a townhouse on top of the mound. The site is along the Little Tennessee River and within the boundaries of the later European-American city of Franklin, North Carolina, developed in the 19th century and later.

A large platform mound is still visible. In the Cherokee period, a townhouse stood here. The mound has remained intact, but its age is uncertain as it has never been excavated. It is similar to other nearby mounds built by the peoples of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture (a regional variation of the Mississippian culture) at about 1000. The Cherokee are an Iroquoian-speaking people who migrated into the area at a later time.