Early Lumbee History

1
EarlyLumbee History
2
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

3
Lumbee Origins

• According to the Scots, these Indians lived in
  simple houses and farmed and lived like Europeans.

Where did these English-speaking Indians come
from?
4
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.

5
The Lost Colony Theory

• Some historians theorize that the Lumbee are
  decedents of the intermarriage between survivors
  of the John Whites Lost Colony and the
  Hatteras Indians of the NC coast.

John Whites Illustrations of the Hatteras Indians
6
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

7
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.

8
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

9
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