American Indians in North Carolina

Ten Thousand Years in Four Weeks?

American Indians, the first people to inhabit North Carolina, arrived more than 10,000 years ago. For the first 9,500 years, they had no written languages, but they left clues about themselves in archaeological records and in the rich oral history and cultural traditions that live on today. Europeans exploring North Carolina in the 1520s came upon these native groups. In the years that followed, known as the Contact period, Indian populations decreased dramatically because of diseases brought by settlers, warfare, and voluntary and forced relocations resulting from colonization. Indian cultures changed rapidly, and some tribes and indigenous languages were all but eradicated. Tribes faced other hardships throughout the centuries. Many groups moved to marginal lands in North Carolina and neighboring states where they faced discrimination as they struggled to preserve their communities and cultural identity. Today, North Carolina’s Indians are recovering their heritage and reviving their languages and traditions.

So how can a four-week workshop cover 10,000 years of the rich history of North Carolina’s Indians? It can’t, of course. But “American Indians in North Carolina, Past and Present” will present information on past and present Indian tribes in the state and will examine some of these groups within the contexts of education, work, government and politics, language, and the arts. The workshop will pay particular attention to today’s eight state-recognized tribes, their activities and concerns, and their leaders.

Maps

American Indian groups in North Carolina, ca. 1600–1700

Data from Tom Ross, American Indians in North Carolina: Geographic Interpretations (Southern Pines, N.C.: Karo Hollow Press, 1999).

Current State-recognized American Indian tribes

 

Population

American Indian population (approximate) in North Carolina during the colonial period

Tribe	Population	Location	Status
Cape Fear	not available	South central N.C., eastern S.C.	Extinct.
Catawba	4,600 in 1682	One band in western S.C., another in central S.C.	Reside on reservation in York County, S.C.
Cheraw	1,000 in 1,600; 510 in 1715	Northwest S.C., western N.C., central N.C., central S.C.	Some may have merged with Catawba and Saponi. Descendants among many of the state-recognized tribes, including Haliwa-Saponi, Sappony, Lumbee, and Occaneechi-Saponi.
Cherokee	8,000 in 1600	Western N.C., western S.C.	Reside on Qualla Boundary reservation and in Snowbird and Tomotla communities in western N.C.
Chowanoc	700 warriors in 1584–1585; 1,500 in 1600;  240 in 1713;  20 families in 1731; 5 in 1755	Chowan River, north central N.C.	Thought extinct, but members of Meherrin tribe trace ancestry to Chowanoc.
Coree	1,000 with the Neusiok in 1600; 75 in 1709	Neuse River in N.C.	Thought extinct. Some may have merged with Tuscarora following the Tuscarora War.
Eno	750 in 1600	Tar and Neuse Rivers in N.C., Hillsborough, N.C., S.C.	May have merged with Catawba and Saponi, with descendants among Haliwa-Saponi, Sappony, and Occaneechi-Saponi.
Hatteras	1,200 with the Machapunga in 1600; 89 in 1709; 3–4 in 1761	Cape Hatteras, N.C.	In 1761 and 1763, nine children were reported living among Machapunga in Hyde County. Hatteras and Machapunga became extinct, moving into the surrounding white and black communities. The surname Mackey, found in Hyde County and surrounding counties, traces back to Hatteras/Machapunga merge.
Keyauwee	500 in 1600	High Point, N.C., Albemarle Sound in N.C., Pee Dee River in S.C.	Merged with Catawba and possibly Robeson County Indians.
Machapunga	1,200 in 1600; 260 in 1709; 7–8 warriors in 1761	Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds in N.C. (present-day Hyde County)	Maintained cohesion as tribe until late 1700s, when they blended with surrounding white and black communities. The surname Mackey, found in Hyde County and surrounding counties, traces back to Hatteras/Machapunga merge.
Meherrin	700 in 1600; 180 in 1669; 7–8 warriors in 1755; 20 warriors in 1761	Meherrin River along N.C.–Va. border	Following Tuscarora War, many Meherrin moved to reservation in Bertie County. When reservation closed in 1802, some moved to N.Y. Descendants of those who remained live in Northampton County and surrounding counties.
Moratok	not available	Roanoke River in N.C.	Extinct.
Neusiok	1,000 with the Coree	Neuse River, Craven and Carteret Counties, N.C.	May have merged with Tuscarora, with descendants among Coharie in Harnett and Sampson Counties.
Nottaway or Notowega	1,500 in 1600; 300 in 1715; 47 in 1825; 300 in Va. in 1827	Western N.C.	May have merged with Meherrin, Susquehanna, or Cherokee.
Occaneechi	750 in 1709	Orange County, N.C.	Some removed to northern U.S. ca. 1740. Descendants in Alamance, Orange, and surrounding counties.
Pamlico	75 in 1709	Pamlico River in coastal N.C.	Enslaved, merged with Tuscarora.
Saponi	750 in 1709	Yadkin River, Salisbury, N.C.	Some migrated north; others remained in the N.C.–Va. border region. Descendants among Haliwa-Saponi, Sappony, Occaneechi-Saponi, and Lumbee.
Shakori	not available	S.C., Nottoway River in N.C., Eno River near Durham	Merged with Eno then joined Catawba and Saponi. Descendants among Haliwa-Saponi, Sappony, and Occaneechi-Saponi.
Sissipahaw	not available	Santee River in S.C., Haw River in N.C.	Merged with Catawba; some may have moved to Lumber River area.
Sugeree	not available	Mecklenburg County, N.C., York County, S.C.	Merged with Catawba.
Tuscarora	5,000 in 1600; 1,200 warriors and 15 towns in 1709; 300 in 1752–1761; 220 to 230 in 1766; 105 in 1767	Roanoke, Neuse, Tar and Pamlico Rivers in N.C.	Migrated steadily to N.Y. and other northern states from 1713 (end of Tuscarora War) to 1802 (closing of Bertie County reservation). Descendants of those who remained merged with various eastern N.C. tribes.
Waccamaw	610 in 1715	Waccamaw River in N.C., Lower Pee Dee River in S.C.	Merged with Catawba; some may have moved to Lumber River and Green Swamp areas of N.C., with descendants among Lumbee and Waccamaw-Siouan.
Waxhaw	not available	Western S.C. (North Augusta), Lancaster, S.C., Mecklenburg and Union Counties, N.C.	Merged with Cheraw and later Catawba; some may have moved to Lumber River area.
Weapemeoc	800 in 1600; 40 in 1701	Northeast N.C.	Extinct. May have merged with Algonquian tribes such as Chowanoac.
Woccon	600 in 1600	Goldsboro	Some merged with Tuscarora, others with Catawba. After a war with South Carolina, many moved to the Green Swamp of Bladen and Columbus Counties. Descendants among Waccamaw-Siouan.

Estimated July 2004 Population Figures

American Indian and Alaska Native population in North Carolina

• 110,198 total, 1.3% of total North Carolina population
• Five states (California, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas) have a larger Indian population than North Carolina

American Indian and Alaska Native population in the United States

• 2,824,751 total, 0.95% of total U.S. population

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Tribal Information

The following information on the eight state-recognized tribes is also offered as a Workshop Handout.

Coharie

Counties: Sampson, Harnett

Population: 2,500

State Recognition: 1911; rescinded 1913;  reinstated 1971

The Coharie people are descendants of the Neusiok Indians. Since the 1730s they have lived continuously as an Indian tribe at their present location along the Little Coharie River. According to legend, when Coharie mothers heard strangers approaching their village, they gathered their children and softly whispered, “Shhh,” to quiet them until the strangers passed. You can hear that same sound today as the wind blows through the whispering pines.

During the 1800s the Coharie developed a strong political base, which allowed them to establish schools with their own teachers and funds. In 1943 the legislature gave the Coharie tribe its own high school, Eastern Carolina Indian School. Today the school building houses tribal offices. The tribe’s center of activity is the church, where families interact, elders are honored, and social customs are reinforced.

Eastern Band of Cherokee

http://www.cherokee-nc.com/

Counties: Swain, Graham, Jackson

Population: 13,400

State Recognition: 1889 Federal Recognition: 1868

The Eastern Band of Cherokee descended from the Cherokee who in the late 1830s remained in the mountains of North Carolina rather than be forced into Oklahoma along the infamous Trail of Tears. These thousand or so tribal members lived along the Oconaluftee River, some hiding out. The Cherokee eventually gained the Qualla Boundary reservation, the 56,572-acre site where the tribe resides today. The Cherokee are the only indigenous people in America to have their own written language, developed by Sequoyah.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee is the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina and the only tribe living on land held in trust. The tribe actively promotes tourism on the boundary, with cultural activities, events, and an outdoor drama. In addition, the Cherokee sell traditional arts and crafts such as baskets, pottery, beadwork, stone carvings, and wood carvings. The tribe’s involvement in many business ventures helps ensure its livelihood.

Haliwa-Saponi

http://www.haliwa-saponi.com/

Counties: Halifax, Warren

Population: 3,800

State Recognition: 1965

The Haliwa-Saponi people are descendants of the Saponi, Tuscarora, Occaneechee, Tutelo, and Nansemond Indians. In the 1700s these five tribes merged, gradually settling in an area known as the meadows, where the Haliwa-Saponi tribe lives today. During the 1800s the Jeremiah Church (Methodist) became the focal point for the tribe, serving as an educational and social center.

In the 1950s the tribe adopted the name Haliwa, combining the names of its two home counties. It added Saponi to its name on the state charter in 1979. In 1957 the Haliwa-Saponi established a school for children in grades 1–12, the only tribally controlled school recognized by North Carolina at the time. In 1969 the state’s desegregation plan forced the school to close. Since that time the building has served as a community center. Today it also houses the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Charter School.

Lumbee

http://www.lumbeetribe.com/

Counties: Robeson, Hoke, Scotland, Cumberland

Population: 56,000

State Recognition: 1885

The Lumbee tribe is the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth-largest tribe in the United States. The Cheraw people and related Siouan-speaking groups are the main ancestors of the Lumbee. Europeans first observed the Cheraw community in 1724. The name Lumbee, which was adopted by the tribe in 1952, comes from the Lumber River that winds its way through Robeson County.

The Lumbee tribe thrives in Robeson County and adjoining counties. It has a strong presence in local government and the community. The superintendent of schools, the sheriff, and many business leaders are members of the Lumbee tribe. The first American Indian–owned bank in the United States, Lumbee Bank, opened in Pembroke in 1971. It was also in Pembroke that the state established Croatan Normal School, the first institution of higher education for Indians. Today the remaining building of that school is on the campus of UNC-Pembroke.

Meherrin

http://www.meherrintribe.com/

Counties: Hertford, Bertie, Gates

Population: 800

State Recognition: 1986

The Meherrin tribe is from the same linguistic stock as the Cherokee and Tuscarora and the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy of New York and Canada. Meherrin means “People of the Muddy Water.” The history of the tribe dates back to 1650, when an English merchant arrived at the Meherrin village. Although the Meherrin originated in Virginia, tribal enemies and colonists forced them down the Meherrin River into Hertford County. Further conflicts with colonists led them into the surrounding swamps and less desirable areas of the county.

Today the Meherrin tribe resides in rural northeastern North Carolina. Many tribal members travel to the neighboring state of Virginia to work in shipyards. Others are employed in various fields as teachers, administrators, health professionals, physicians, and agricultural workers. Although the language of the Meherrin died out, the tribe has seen among its members a resurgence of interest in the traditional arts, crafts, and culture of the tribe.

Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation

http://www.occaneechi-saponi.org/

Counties: Alamance, Orange

Population: 800

State Recognition: 2002

Tradition holds that the ancestors of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation (OBSN), who called themselves Yésah (the people), came originally from the area known today as the Ohio River valley. Tribal accounts relate that nearly one thousand years ago, a powerful enemy attacked the Yésah, forcing them to migrate east and settle in what is now the Piedmont of Virginia and North Carolina.

The Occaneechi began settling in Orange County just before the Revolutionary War and formed the community of Little Texas (in present-day Alamance County). By 1830 the population of Little Texas had grown to almost 300. Today tribal members reside primarily in this community.

The tribe formally reorganized as the Eno-Occaneechi Indian Association in 1984 with the goal of researching and preserving its heritage. Its people also initiated the tribe’s annual August, June, and October powwows. In 1995 the tribe amended its name to Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, and worked toward its goal of state and federal recognition. In February 2002, the tribe realized one goal when it became the newest tribe legally recognized by North Carolina.

Sappony

http://www.sappony.org/

County: Person

Population: 850

State Recognition: 1911

For more than two centuries, the Sappony have made their home in the High Plains, an area of the central Piedmont straddling the North Carolina–Virginia border. They represent a band of Sappony who remained in this area between Mayo and Blewing Creeks and the Hyco River when a large band of the tribe moved north and joined the Iroquois in 1753.

The Sappony, until just recently known as  the Indians of Person County, established a church in the 1830s and a school in 1888, which became important centers of the community. Today, tribal members place emphasis on documenting their unique past and revitalizing their community.

Waccamaw-Siouan

Counties: Columbus, Bladen

Population: 2,000

State Recognition: 1971

The first recorded mention of the Waccamaw-Siouan people appeared in 1712. The tribe, then known as the Woccon, lived northeast of Charleston, South Carolina, but after fighting a war with the state, it sought refuge in the swampland of North Carolina. Many legends have arisen concerning the origin of Lake Waccamaw. Most center around a flaming meteor that fell and burned itself deep into the swamp. This is why the Waccamaw-Siouan are known as “People of the Fallen Star.”

The Waccamaw-Siouan tribe lives on the edge of Green Swamp, seven miles from Lake Waccamaw. Council headquarters, located on tribal land in Buckhead, serves as the site of the tribe’s community outreach and recreation center, as well as the annual powwow, which has been celebrated since 1970.

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General Links

Bureau of Indian Affairs
http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html
This division of the U.S. Department of the Interior offers information about its services and reports, topics of interest, and links to related agencies.

Index of Native American Teaching Resources on the Internet
http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAteach.html
The American Indian section of the WWW Virtual Library includes this extensive list of teacher resources and online course materials.

Intrigue of the Past: North Carolina's First Peoples: A Teacher's Activity Guide for Fourth through Eighth Grades
http://www.rla.unc.edu/lessons/Menu/title.htm
This comprehensive site offers educators background material, lesson plans, printed and online resources, and graphics.

North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs
http://www.doa.state.nc.us/cia/indian.htm
An overview of the commission’s programs and services, annual report, fact sheets, and other information.

Prehistory of North Carolina: A Basic Cultural Sequence
http://www.arch.dcr.state.nc.us/ncarch/articles/basicseq.htm
This time line presents North Carolina’s prehistory.

Storytelling of the North Carolina Native Americans
http://www.ibiblio.org/storytelling/
This site explores the storytelling traditions of the Cherokee, Lumbee, and Occaneechi tribes and includes interviews with and video clips of current storytellers.

Teacher and Student Project
http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/html/education_studentteacher.html
The Cherokee Museum offers lesson plans based on a Cherokee myth. Tips on avoiding stereotypes when teaching are included.

Teaching Young Children about Native Americans
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1996/reese96.html
Debbie Reese, a Pueblo Indian working in the field of early childhood education, provides positive strategies for teaching about American Indians.

Bibliographies

A Critical Bibliography on North American Indians, for K–12: Southeast
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/Indbibl/
The Smithsonian Institution’s Anthropology Outreach Office offers this comprehensive, critically annotated bibliography designed for educators and parents.

An Introduction to Resources on the History of Native Americans in North Carolina
http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/ref/na/intro.html
This annotated bibliography from UNC-Chapel Hill's libraries is divided into two sections -- an introduction to general works on American Indians in North Carolina, and an extensive listing of resources available on the 8 state-recognized tribes. While the resources' locations are referenced in UNC's libraries, most can be found fairly easily in other libraries as well.

 

Assignment 1

Complete one of the following options:

Option 1 (Choose this option if you are seeking technology credits.)*
Visit two Web sites listed in this session and submit an evaluation based on the following:

• What did you learn from visiting these Web sites? What questions did your visits provoke?
• How applicable is the information to what you teach in the classroom? How might it better suit your needs?
• What three ways could you use these Web sites in your classroom?

Next, find two relevant Web sites not included in this session. Post the links on the Bulletin Board and include short descriptions of the sites. Briefly explain why you would or would not recommend them to other educators.

Option 2 (Choose this option if you are seeking technology credits.)*
Test your online investigative skills by researching the following four items using only the Internet. After each answer, list the steps you took to find your response.

1. What are the mission statement and goals of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs?
2. Translate “Hello. How are you?” into Cherokee. (Did you hear it pronounced?)
3. Find a Web site with a lesson plan, story, or book advertisement about American Indians appropriate for your curriculum this year. What is its address?
4. Who is Theda Perdue?

Option 3 (Choose this option if you are seeking reading credits.)*
Helping improve reading skills can go hand in hand with teaching about American Indians. Create a reading list about American Indians appropriate for the grade level you teach and your curriculum and briefly discuss how you could use them to improve reading skills and boost students' interest in reading. Resources can include essays, fiction, interviews, legends or stories, Web sites, government documents, diaries, letters, music lyrics, etc. (The resources do not need to be North Carolina related.)

Submit your completed assignment via e-mail to: tricia.l.blakistone@ncmail.net.

*We suggest that you contact your principal or local education agency if you are interested in technology or reading credits to ensure that you will be allowed to earn them for this workshop. If you complete Option 1 or Option 2 of this session and Option 1 of the assignments from sessions 4 and 5, your Certificate of Participation will confirm that you qualify for technology credits. If you complete Option 3 of this session, Option 1 in Session 2, and Option 2 in Session 4, your Certificate of Participation will confirm that you qualify for reading credits. (Assignments are marked throughout the sessions.) If questions arise or you need additional documentation to obtain these credits, contact Tricia Blakistone at 919-807-7971 or tricia.l.blakistone@ncmail.net. 

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