Download Early Lumbee History

Early
Lumbee History
Lumbee Origins
•There are many theories regarding the origins
of the Lumbee Indians of NC
•When the Scots first arrived to the Cape Fear
Valley region in the early 1730s, they found a
group of English-speaking Indians living near
the Lumbee River
Lumbee Origins
•According to the Scots, these Indians lived in
simple houses and farmed and lived like
Europeans.
Where did these Englishspeaking Indians come from?
Lumbee Origins
•The Lumbee have no Indian language that
links them to an American Indian tribe
•Oral traditions and folklore link them to the
survivors of the Lost Colony and other
Indian tribes.
The Red Men’s
Lodge of the
early 1900's
The “Lost Colony” Theory
Some historians theorize that the Lumbee are
decedents of the intermarriage between
survivors of the John White’s “Lost Colony”
and the Hatteras Indians of the NC coast.
John White’s
Illustrations of the
Hatteras Indians
The “Lost Colony” Theory
Historians look to the following
characteristics in linking the
Lumbee to the “Lost Colony”:
•Many common Lumbee names are the same
names that appeared on the Lost Colony roll,
such as Sampson, Brooks, Cooper, Sutton, Berry,
Scott, and Harris
•Many Lumbees, up until the mid-1900s, spoke a
pure Old-English, similar that that spoken by the
members of the “Lost Colony.”
•Many Lumbees have European physical
characteristics
Other Theories
•Some historians believe that the Lumbee are
descendents of other American Indian tribes such
as the Cherokee, the Tuscarora, and the Eastern
Sioux (tribes such as the Cheraw, Winyah,
Keyauwee, Santee, Pee Dee, and Waccamaw)
•It is likely that the
Lumbee are descendents
of peoples from many
tribes of North Carolina,
who moved to Robeson
County to enjoy the
isolation provided by the
swamps of the Lumbee
River.
The Lumbee River
•Indians along the Lumbee River enjoyed a life of
seclusion and self-sufficiency
•The swamps gave the protection from enemies,
plenty of fish and game, as well as fertile land to
grow crops.
•The Indian remained in
isolation throughout the
1600s.
•This began to change in
the 1700s with the coming
of European settlers, who
were looking to claim
land
Europeans Come to
Lumbee Land
•In the 1700s, European settlers began to claim
land along the Lumbee River
•Because of Lumbees had many traits of
European culture, relations with the settlers was
very peaceful
•Some Lumbees even fought on the side of the
Patriots in the American Revolutionary War.
•The Lumbees were accepted as free men in
North Carolina until 1835… then the status of
the Indians changed and a hero emerged