Lumbee Indians are Native Americans whom live in Robeson County, North Carolina. Robeson County includes the following cities and towns: Fairmont, Lumber Bridge, Lumberton, Marietta, Maxton, McDonald, Orrum, Parkton, Pembroke, Proctorville, Raemon, Raynham, Red Springs, Rennert, Rowland, and Saint Pauls. Lumbee Indians were named after the Lumbee River which is also in Robeson County. The river flows in a southeastern direction and it’s almost parallel with the North Carolina-South Carolina State Lane.
The Lumbee history is extremely interesting to say the least. Not only are Lumbee Indians descendants of the Lost Colony, they are a mix of Cheraw, Tuscarora and Croatan Indians as well. According to (Lumbee History and Culture, 2009), all of the above mentioned Indians have lived in the area of Robeson County since the 1700’s. Since the Lumbee Native Americans are a mix group of people, they struggled through many hardships throughout the years.
The Lost Colony...
Lumbee Indians are commonly known for being descendants of the Lost Colony. The Lost Colony was the one of the first attempts of colonization in the real world. Sir Walter Raleigh made the effort to create the colony of Roanoke in 1587. (Barton, 1967) states the Lost Colony consisted of three colonies altogether in which include: an exploration colony led by Philip Amadas and Authur Barlowe, a colony led by Richard Grenville and Ralph Lane, and a colony led by John White. Amadas’ and Barlowe’s first expedition to the real world, which was made by Sir Walter Raleigh, led the two explorers to the first contact with Native Americans. The two men described the Native Americans “very handsome, goodly people, and in their behavior as mannerly and civil as any of Europe”, according to (Barton, 1967, p. 17). Grenville and Lane explored the new world and caused a bit of trouble between themselves and the Native Americans. Grenville accused an Indian of stealing a silver cup, so he set fire to fields that belongs to the Aquascogoc Indians. According to (Barton, 1967), Grenville and Lane’s colony eventually left America after 9 months, yet 15 men were left to keep watch of Fort Raleigh. White’s colony is commonly known for being the famous “Lost Colony”. Once other Englishmen came to the United States, they did not find the Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh; they only found the word C R O A T O A N carved in a tree. Many claim that the colony simply disappeared, yet others claim that the colony inhabited with the Croatan Indians once times got tough. The Croatan Indians are the ancestors of the Lumbee Indians today. Once, the Lumbee Indians resurfaced after a few years, they spoke English, practiced Christianity and had common last names of the settlers states (Barton, 1967). So, the Lumbee Indians were believed to be part of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony ever since.
Names of Lost Colony Found in Lumbee Tribe:
(Barton, 1967) states that these colonists were found among the Lumbee Indians:
Allen, Maurice – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and today.
Baily, Roger – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and today.
Berry, Henry and Richard – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and numerous today.
Brooks, John – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and very numerous today.
Cage, Anthony – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888, yet are not found today.
Harris, Thomas – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and very numerous today.
Howe, George – The closest name to it today is Howington.
Hynde, James – The closest name to it today is Hyatt
Payne, Rose – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888.
Viccars, Ambrose and Elizabeth – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888.
Wilkinson, Robert – Found among Lumbee Indians before 1888 and is used in a short form, Wilkins, today.
Allen, Maurice – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and today.
Baily, Roger – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and today.
Berry, Henry and Richard – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and numerous today.
Brooks, John – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and very numerous today.
Cage, Anthony – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888, yet are not found today.
Harris, Thomas – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888 and very numerous today.
Howe, George – The closest name to it today is Howington.
Hynde, James – The closest name to it today is Hyatt
Payne, Rose – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888.
Viccars, Ambrose and Elizabeth – Found among the Lumbee Indians before 1888.
Wilkinson, Robert – Found among Lumbee Indians before 1888 and is used in a short form, Wilkins, today.
Ku Klux Klan...
One example of tough times for the Lumbee Indians occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. The Ku Klux Klan was extremely hostile towards Native Americans during this time period. James Cole, the leader of the KKK in North and South Carolina, began to harass the Lumbee Indians publically. After Cole called the Lumbee Indians many cruel names, he planned a rally near the town of Maxton to “solve the Indian problem” on January 18, 1958, according to (Barton, 1967). (Barton, 1967) claims the purpose of the rally was to teach thirty thousand Lumbee Indians a lesson about “mix-racing”. About two hundred Lumbee Indians showed up to this event and help their ground, in which they began to fire at the KKK. The Klansmen fled the scene in fear, which meant victory for the Lumbee’s. You can only imagine that the KKK didn’t bother the Lumbee Indians ever since that day. The KKK is only one of the several struggles the Lumbee Indians had to deal with regarding their race and color.
In my opinion:
In my own opinion, I admire the Lumbee Indians because they never gave up. They fought for their rights until the very last minute, even if it meant against the KKK. It shows how dedicated these Native Americans are to their heritage. They work together as a team, a family and a community. To me, it proves to me how strong-willed this tribe is and how they will constantly fight for what they believe in.
Pembroke, North Carolina...
Pembroke, North Carolina is a small town that many people do not recognized at the first mention of its name. However, despite being a small town, Pembroke is home to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The University of North Carolina at Pembroke was built in 1887; however, at the time it was called the Croatan Normal School. The college became a four-year school in the 1940’s, but officially became the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 1972. Fighting for Old Main, a highly recognized building at UNC Pembroke, has been a struggle for the school throughout the years and will be discussed in further detail.
At the college, Old Main is recognized as the most important building, which was built in the 1920’s. However, (Currie, 2005) proposes that around the 1970’s the state proposed that they were going to tear down the building. The surrounding Lumbee Indians were furious because this building was the oldest surviving building and helped educate many of the local Indians. (Currie, 2005) says that Old Main not only dealt with education with the Lumbee Indians, but also dealt with Coharie, Haliwa-Saponi, Sappony, and Waccamaw-Siouan communities as well. This building served as a place for meetings, plays and even funerals. For the surrounding Native Americans, this building stands for their education, heritage and culture. The state wanted to tear down the building because of the argument regarding segregation in schools. (Currie, 2005) says that in the 1970’s, all of the Native American schools were closed since individuals of different race could not attend separate schools. Many of the Indian schools today have transformed into community centers and offices. Through all the trouble of keeping the building standing, Old Main is still a prominent building for this University today. This struggle reminds the Lumbee Indians that they must fight for what belongs to them in order for a successful future generation.
In my opinion:
In my own opinion, learning about how this tribe had to fight for a historic building, shows how much they go through. They fought for this building to stay and it still remains to this day. Their hard work and dedication overcame segregation for this building and college. I admire this tribe and hope their hard work and dedication overcomes the Federal government's decision about their benefits.