Western Carolina University is set to host the 14th Annual Rooted in the Mountains Symposium, a two-day event aimed at exposing attendees to the interwoven relationships between climate, health, traditional knowledge and the indigenous worldview.

It was an hour and a half after sunrise, and the day’s first rays had not yet touched Judaculla Rock, hidden away in a hollow near Caney Fork in Jackson County. 

“I would encourage you to come back at different times,” T.J. Holland, cultural resources supervisor for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, told the group assembled around him. “It’s one of these fascinating things — time of the year, time of day, weather all affects how this looks, and I’ve not been here twice that I’ve not seen something different.”