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Native Americans Of North Carolina

American Indians had been living in North Carolina for at least 9,500 years before European explorers first encountered them in the 1520's. For the past several decades an increasing number of Americans have been identifying as American Indians. For centuries before European contact, these native people lived in harmony with the natural environment, taking no more from the land than they needed to survive. Of all the states in the Union, North Carolina has witnessed the largest increase in Native American population during the past 100 years, based upon official government census documents.
The Indian population in North Carolina consists of one federally recognized Indian tribe (Cherokee), seven state-recognized tribes, and three state-recognized urban organizations. Through the years, Indian cultures changed rapidly, and some were all but wiped out.

Coharie
The Coharie people are descendents of the Neusiok Indians. Since the 1730s the tribe has lived along the Little Coharie River in Sampson and Harnett Counties. In the 1800s the Coharie established schools with their own teachers and funds. In 1943 Coharie tribe started a high school. The tribe's center of activity is the church. While the Coharie population has been increasing steadily, and sometimes rapidly, over the years, so has their participation in both local and statewide endeavors. Modern Coharie have adapted well to a culture that is centered on written documents, yet they continue to preserve their customs and traditions through the oral method of recall.

Eastern Band of Cherokee
In 1838, the United States government made the Cherokee people leave their homelands. The forced march of the Cherokee to Okalahoma became known as the Trail of Tears. A small group of Cherokee who were allowed to remain the North Carolina Mountains became the Eastern Band of Cherokee. The Qualla Boundary reservation, where much of the tribe now lives, was charted in 1889. The total land...