The Lumbee Indians of North Carolina

The Lumbee Indians of North Carolina

The tribe’s official name is the Sovereign Nation of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. It is the largest tribe in North Carolina, the largest east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the nation. The 55,000 members reside primarily in southcentral North Carolina, specifically in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties. The Robeson County town of Pembroke serves as the tribe’s economic, cultural and political center.

The tribe takes its name from the Lumbee River, formerly called Drowning Creek, which winds its way through Robeson County. Tribal ancestors were mainly the Cheraw and related Siouan-speaking Indians. They were first identified in the area as early as 1725 when a map showed Indian communities living along the Lumbee River. The map identifies the four Siouan-speaking communities as the Saraws, Pedee, Scavanos, and Wacomas. In 1754, there were reports of a 50-family Indian settlement along Drowning Creek, which is believed to be a Cheraw settlement.

The state recognized the Lumbee in 1885 but, despite a 130-year lobbying campaign, the federal government has not followed suit. Bills seeking federal education funds were introduced in 1889, 1910 and 1911 without success. In 1913, proposed legislation prompted the Department of the Interior to send Charles F. Pierce, Supervisor of Indian Schools, to Robeson County to investigate the tribe. Pierce opposed federal assistance but acknowledged the tribe’s Indian origins.

The following year, the Secretary of the Interior sent Special Indian Agent O.M. McPherson to investigate the tribe at the behest of the Senate. Finally, in 1956, Congress passed the Lumbee Act, which recognized the tribe as Indian but withheld official federal recognition.

Legislation for full federal recognition was again introduced in 1988. The Congressional Research Service reviewed the 1956 Act and again declined federal recognition. Although legislation has been...