Who Where The Native Peoples of North Carolina?

Today, North Carolina is home to eight officially recognized Native American tribes—one federally recognized and seven state-recognized—with a total Native American population of over 130,000, one of the largest in the Eastern United States.

Prominent Historical and Contemporary Nations

The tribes of North Carolina are historically and geographically divided, reflecting distinct cultural and linguistic traditions.

• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI): An Iroquoian-speaking nation, the EBCI are the descendants of the Cherokee people who remained in the mountains of Western North Carolina after the forced removal of their kin on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. They are centered on the Qualla Boundary (land held in trust by the federal government) in the Appalachian Mountains. The EBCI is the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina.

• Tuscarora: A powerful Iroquoian-speaking tribe that inhabited the Coastal Plain along the Pamlico and Neuse Rivers. Tensions with colonial settlers over land and enslavement led to the devastating Tuscarora War (1711–1715). After their defeat, most survivors migrated north to New York to join the Iroquois Confederacy, though some descendants remained in the state and integrated into other communities.

  
  
  

• Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina: The largest tribe in North Carolina, the largest east of the Mississippi River, and the ninth-largest in the nation, with over 55,000 members. They are primarily located in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland, and Scotland counties. The Lumbee are descendants of the Cheraw and related Siouan-speaking groups. While the tribe has been recognized by the state since 1885 and received partial federal recognition in 1956, they are still actively seeking full federal recognition status, which is currently pending in Congress.

• Coastal Algonquian Tribes: A collection of smaller, Algonquian-speaking tribes resided along the Outer Banks and coastal regions, including the Croatan, Hatteras, Roanoac, and Chowanoc. They were the first to encounter English explorers at Roanoke Island. Many of these tribes were decimated by disease and conflict, with survivors often integrating into other larger groups.

  
  
  

• Saponi and Related Siouan Groups: The Siouan language family dominates the Piedmont region. Modern state-recognized tribes like the Haliwa-Saponi and the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation are direct descendants of the Saponi, Tutelo, and other Siouan-speaking groups who consolidated in the 1700s. The Sappony also maintain a historical territory straddling the North Carolina-Virginia border.

Tribal Recognition Status

North Carolina officially recognizes eight Native American tribes, categorized as follows:

👑 Federally Recognized Tribe

• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI)

  • Region: Western Mountains (Qualla Boundary, adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park).

🔸 State-Recognized Tribes

North Carolina officially recognizes seven sovereign tribes whose members reside throughout the state:

• Coharie Tribe

  • Region: Sampson and Harnett counties (descended from the aboriginal Neusiok Indian Tribe).

• Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe

  • Region: Halifax and Warren counties (name derived from the two counties).

• Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

  • Region: Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland, and Scotland counties (largest tribe in the state).

• Meherrin Indian Tribe

  • Region: Hertford, Gates, Northampton, and Bertie counties (an Iroquoian nation).

• Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation

  • Region: Alamance, Caswell, and Orange counties.

• Sappony

  • Region: Person County (NC side of the High Plains Settlement).

• Waccamaw Siouan Tribe

  • Region: Columbus and Bladen counties (live near the Green Swamp).