North Carolina
Indian Tribes
Bear River Indians. A body of Indians mentioned by Lawson and
associated with Algonquian
tribes. They may have been a part of the Machapunga. Rights (1947) calls
them the Bear River or Bay River Indians. Lawson (1709) gives the name of
their town as Raudauqua-quark and estimates the number of fighting at 50.
Mooney (1928) places them with the Pamlico in his estimate as of the year
1600 and gives the two a population of 1,000. (See also California for
another tribe of the same name.)
Cape Fear Indians. Named from Cape Fear, their native designation
being unknown or indeed whether they were an independent tribe or a part
of some other.
Connections. No words of
the language of the Cape Fear Indians have been preserved, but early
references clearly associate them with the eastern Siouan tribes, and they
may have been a part of the Waccamaw, since Waccamaw River heads close to
Cape Fear. They would then have been connected with the Siouan linguistic
family and probably with the southern Atlantic division of which Catawba
is the typical member.
Location. On Cape Fear
River, as above stated. (See also South Carolina.)
Villages
The only village mentioned by
name is Necoes, about 20 miles from the mouth of Cape Fear River, probably
in Brunswick County. In 1715 five villages were reported.
History. While the Cape
Fear Indians were probably met by several of the early voyagers, our first
specific notice of them comes from the narratives of a New England colony
planted on Cape Fear River in 1661. These settlers seized some of the
Indian children and sent them away under pretense of instructing them in
the ways of civilization and were themselves in consequence driven off. In
1663 a colony from Barbadoes settled here but soon left. In 1665 a third
colony established itself at the mouth of Oldtown Creek in Brunswick
County, on the south side of the river, on land bought from the Indians,
but, though the latter were friendly, like the others this attempt at
settlement was soon abandoned. They were visited by Capt. William Hilton
in 1663. In 1695 they asked to be taken under the protection of Governor
Archdale. The protection was granted and shortly afterward they rescued 52
passengers from a wrecked New England vessel who formed the nucleus of
Christ Church Parish north of Cooper River. A few Cape Fear Indians
accompanied Barnwell on his Tuscarora expedition in 1711-12. They were
active in his behalf as scouts and also guarded the region around Port
Royal. After the Yamasee War they were removed to South Carolina and
settled inland from Charleston, probably in Williamsburg County (Milling.
1940). In the latter part of the eighteenth century, a remnant of this
tribe and the Pedee lived in the Parishes of St. Stephens and St. Johns
under a chief called King John. By 1808 only a half-breed woman remained
of these two tribes, though others may have removed to the Catawba.
Population. Mooney (1928)
estimates a population of 1,000 Cape Fear Indians in 1600. The census of
1715, above mentioned, gives 206. In 1808 White neighbors remembered when
as many as 30 Pedee and Cape Fear Indians lived in their old territories.
Catawba. This tribe occupied parts of southwestern North Carolina
near Catawba River. Significance unknown. (See South Carolina)
Cheraw.
Significance unknown. Also called:
Ani'-Suwa'II, Cherokee name.
Saraw, Suali, synonyms even more common than Cheraw.
Xuala, Xualla, Spanish and Portuguese forms of the word, the x
being intended for sh.
Connections. The Cheraw
are classed on circumstantial grounds in the Siouan linguistic family
though no words of their tongue have been preserved.
Location.-The earliest
known location of the Cheraw appears to have been near the head of Saluda
River in Pickens and Oconee Counties, S. C., whence they removed at an
early date to the present Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford Counties.
Villages
The names given are always those
of the tribe, though we have a "Lower Saura
Town" and an "Upper Saura Town on a map dating from 1760.
History. Mooney (1928) has
shown that the Cheraw are identical with the Xuala province which De Soto
entered in 1540, remaining about 4 days. They were visited by Pardo at a
later date, and almost a hundred years afterward Lederer (1912) heard of
them in the same region. Before 1700 they left their old country and moved
to the
Dan River near the southern line of Virginia, where they seem to have had
two distinct settlements about 30 miles apart. About the year 1710, on
account of constant Iroquois
attacks, they moved southeast and joined the
Keyauwee. The colonists of
North Carolina, being dissatisfied at the proximity of these and other
tribes, Governor Eden declared war against the Cheraw, and applied to
Virginia for assistance. This Governor Spotswood refused, as he believed
the Carolinians were the aggressors, but the contest was prosecuted by the
latter until after the Yamasee War. During this period complaint was made
that the Cheraw were responsible for most of the depredations committed
north of Santee River and they were accused of trying to draw the coast
tribes into an alliance with them from Virginia. The Cheraw were then
living upon the upper course of the Great Pee Dee, near the line between
the two colonies and in the later Cheraw district of South Carolina. Being
still subject to attack by the Iroquois they finally between 1726 and 1739
became incorporated with the Catawba, with whom at an earlier date they
had been at enmity.
Population. During the Spanish period the
Cheraw appear to have been of considerable importance but no estimate of
their numbers has come down to us. Mooney (1928) gives 1,200 as a probable
figure for the year 1600. The census of 1715 gives 140 men and a total of
510, probably including the Keyauwee and perhaps some other tribes. In
1768 the survivors numbered 50 to 60.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The Cheraw are famous as one of the few tribes in the
Carolinas mentioned by De Soto's chroniclers which can be identified and
located with fair precision. They were noted later for their persistent
hostility to the English and have left their name in Suwali Gap in the
Blue Ridge Mountains, N. C.; in Saura Town Mountains, Stokes County, N.
C.; in the town of Cheraw, Chesterfield County, S. C.; and possibly in the
Uwaharrie River and Uwabarrie Mountains of North Carolina. There is a
locality named Cheraw in Otero County, Colo.
Cherokee.
The Cherokee lived in the mountainous parts of the State in the west. (See
Tennessee.)
Chowanoc. Meaning in
Algonquian "(people) at the south."
Connections. The Chowanoc
belonged to the Algonquian linguistic family and were evidently most
nearly allied to the other North Carolina Algonquians.
Location. On Chowan River
about the junction of Meherrin and Blackwater Rivers.
Villages
Maraton, on the east bank of Chowan River in
Chowan County.
Ohanoak, on the west side of Chowan River not far below Nottoway
River probably in Hertford County.
Catoking, (probably) near Gatesville, in Gates County. Metocaum, on
Chowan River in the present Bertie County.
Ramushonok, apparently between the Meherrin and Nottoway Rivers in
Hertford
County.
History. In 1584-85, when
first known to Europeans, the Chowanoc were the leading tribe in
northeastern North Carolina. In 1663 they entered into a treaty with the
English by which they submitted to the English Crown, but they violated
this in 1675 and after a year of warfare were compelled to confine
themselves to a reservation on Bennett's Creek which became reduced by
1707 from 12 square miles to 6. They sided with the colonists in the
Tuscarora War, and at about the same time were visited by a Church of
England missionary, Giles Rainsford. In 1723 a reservation of 53,000 acres
was set aside for them conjointly with the Tuscarora and in 1733 they were
given permission to incorporate with that tribe. They continued to decline
in numbers until in 1755 Governor Dobbs stated that only 2 men and 3 women
were left.
Population. In 1584-85 one
of the Chowanoc towns, Ohanoak was said to contain 700 warriors, and
Mooney (1928) estimates their numbers at about 1,500 in 1600. In 1707 they
were reduced to one town with about 15 fighting men, but at the end of the
Tuscarora War their numbers were placed at 240. In 1731 less than 20
families were reported and by 1755 only 5 individuals, as above noted.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The Chowanoc seem to have been the most powerful
Algonquian tribe south of the Powhatan. Their memory is preserved in the
names of Chowan River, and Chowan County, and in the designation of a
small post office the county of the name, all in North Carolina.
Coree, or Coranine.
Meaning unknown.
Connections. As the final
stage of the Coree existence was passed with an Algonquian tribe, some
have thought that the affiliations of this people were also
Algonquian. On the other hand Lawson (1860) that notes that their language
and that of a tribe to the north were mutually intelligible and there is a
reason for thinking that this northern tribe belonged to the Iroquois
Confederacy. At least the Coree were closely associated in many ways with
the Iroquoian Tuscarora.
Location. On the peninsula south of Neuse River
in Carteret an Craven Counties.
Villages
Coranine, probably on the coast in Cartert County.
Narhantes, among the Tuscarora, 30 miles from Newbern.
Raruta, probably on the coast of Carteret County, south of Neuse River.
History. When the Coree
and the Whites first met is unknown, but they appear in the records of the
Raleigh colony under the name Cwarennoc. They were greatly reduced before
1696 in a war with another people. They took part with the Tuscarora in
their war against the colonists, and in 1715 the remnant of them and what
was left of the Machapunga were assigned a reservation on Mattamuskeet
Lake in Hyde County, where they occupied one village, probably until they
became extinct. A few of them appear to have remained with the Tuscarora.
Population. The population
of this tribe and the Neusiok was estimated by Mooney (1928) at 1,000 in
1600. In 1707 Lawson says they had 25 fighting men and were living in 2
villages. No later enumeration is known.
Connection in which they have
become noted. Although some distance from the Coree country, Core
Creek Station in Craven County, N. C., may perpetuate the name of the
Coree.
Eno. Significance unknown, but
Speck suggests i'nare, "to dislike," whence. "mean," "comptemptible"; yeni'nare,
"People disliked,"
Haynokes, synonym form Yardley (1645)
Connections. The Eno were
probably of the Siouan linguistic stock, though, on account of certain
peculiarities attributed to them, Mooney (1895) casts some doubt upon
this. Their nearest relatives were the Shakori.
Location. On Eno River in
the present Orange and Durham Counties. (See also South Carolina.)
Villages
The only village name recorded,
distinct from that of the tribe, is Adshusheer, a town which they shared
with the Shakori. It is located by Mooney (1928) near the present
Hillsboro. Lawson (1860) speaks in one place as if it were a tribe but
as there is no other mention of it, it is more likely that it was simply
the name of the town which the Eno and Shakori occupied.
History. The Eno are first
mentioned by Governor Yeardley of Virginia, who was told that they had
valiantly resisted the northward advance of the Spaniards. From this it
appears possible that they had formerly lived upon the Enoree River in
South Carolina, which lay on the main trail from St. Helena to the Cheraw
country at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. Lederer (1912) mentions
them in 1671 and Lawson (1860) in 1701 when they and the Shakori were in
the town of Adshusheer. About 1714, together with the
Shakori,
Tutelo,
Saponi,
Occaneechi, and
Keyauwee, they began to move toward the Virginia
settlements. In 1716 Governor Spotswood of Virginia proposed to settle the
Eno,
Cheraw, and Keyuawee at Eno town "on the very frontiers" of North
Carolina but the project was defeated by the latter province on the ground
that all three tribes were then at war with South Carolina. From the
records it is not clear whether this Eno town was the old settlement or a
new one nearer the Albemarle colonists. Owing to the defeat of this plan,
the Eno moved into South Carolina. Presumably they finally united with the
Catawba, among whom, Adair (1930) states, their dialect was still spoken
in 1743.
Population. Mooney (1928)
estimates the combined Eno, Shakori, and Adshusheer at 1,500 in 1600. In
1714 the Eno, Shakori, Tutelo, Saponi, Occaneechi, and Keyauwee totaled
750. There is no other record of their numbers.
Connection in which they have
become noted. In marked distinction from their neighbors, the Eno had
taken to a trading life. Their name was given to Eno River in Orange and
Durham Counties, N. C., and perhaps to a place called Enno in the
southwestern part of Wake County, and to Enoree River in South Carolina
(see above), as also to a post village near the last mentioned.
Hatteras. Meaning unknown. linguistic
Connections.-The Hatteras belonged to the Algonquian linguistic family.
Location. Among the
sandbanks about Cape Hatteras east of Pamlico Sound and frequenting
Roanoke Island.
Village
Sandbanks, on Hatteras Island.
History. Lawson (1860)
thought the Hatteras showed traces of White blood and therefore they may
have been the Croatan
Indians with whom Raleigh's colonists are supposed to have taken
refuge. They disappeared soon after as a distinct tribe and united with
the mainland Algonquians. In 1761, the Rev. Alex. Stewart baptized 7
Indians and mixed-blood children of the" Attamuskeet, Hatteras, and
Roanoke" tribes and 2 years later he baptized 21 more.
Population. The Hatteras
population has been estimated with the Machapunga and other tribes at
1,200 in 1600; they had 16 warriors in 1701, or a total population of
about 80.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The possible connection of the Hatteras with the Croatan
has been mentioned and their name has become perpetuated in the dangerous
cape at the angle of the outer sand islands of their old country.
Keyauwee. Meaning unknown.
Connections. From the
historical affiliations of Keyauwee, they are presumed to have been of the
Siouan linguistic family.
Location. About the points
of meeting of the present Guilford, Davidson, and Randolph Counties. (See
also South Carolina.)
Villages. No separately
named villages are known.
History. The Keyauwee do
not appear to have been noted by white men before 1701 when Lawson (1860)
found them in a palisaded village about 30 miles northeast of Yadkin River
near the present Highpoint, Guilford County. At that time they were
preparing to join the Saponi and
Tutelo for better protection
against their enemies, and, shortly afterward, together with the last
mentioned tribes, the Occaneechi, and the Shakori, they moved toward the
settlements about Albemarle Sound. As mentioned already, Governor
Spotswood's project to settle this tribe together with the Eno and Cheraw
at Enotown on the frontier of North Carolina was foiled by the opposition
of the latter colony. The Keyauwee then moved southward to the Pee Dee
along with the Cheraw, and perhaps the Eno and Shakori. In the Jefferys
atlas of 1761 their town appears close to the boundary line between the
two Carolinas. They do not reappear in any the historical records but
probably united ultimately in part with the Catawba, while some of their
descendants are represented among the Robeson County Indians, often
miscalled Croatan.
Population. Mooney (1928) estimates 500 Keyauwee
in 1600. In 1701 they are said to have numbered approximately as many as
the Saponi, but the population of that tribe also is unknown. Shortly
afterward it is stated that the Keyauwee, Tutelo, Saponi, Occaneechi, and
Shakori totaled 750 souls. This is all the information that we have.
Machapunga. Said to mean
"bad dust," or "much dirt," in the native Algonquian language.
Connections. The Machapunga belonged to the
Algonquian linguistic stock.
Location. In the present Hyde County and
probably also in Washington, Tyrrell, and Dare Counties, and part of
Beaufort.
Villages
The only village named is
Mattamuskeet (probably on Mattamuskeet Lake in Hyde County). However, we
should probably add Secotan on the north bank
of Pamlico River in Beaufort County, and perhaps the town of the Bear
River Indians
History.-The Machapunga
seem to have embraced the larger part of the descendants of the Secotan,
who lived between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds when the Raleigh colony was
established on Roanoke Island (1585-86) though the Pamlico may also have
been included under the same head. They were reduced to a single village
by 1701, took part with other Indian tribes of the region in the Tuscarora
War, and at its close were settled on Mattamuskeet Lake with the Coree. In
1761 a small number were still living in North Carolina, evidently at the
same place, and the Rev. Alex. Stewart reported that he had baptized seven
Indian and mixed-blood children belonging to the "Attamuskeet, Hatteras,
and Roanoke." On a second visit 2 years later he baptized 21 more.
Population.-The Machapunga
are estimated by Mooney (1928) to have numbered 1,200, including some
smaller tribes, in 1600. In 1701 Lawson gives 30 warriors, probably less
than 100 souls (Lawson, 1860). In 1775 there were said to be 8 to 10 on
the mainland and as many more on the off-shore banks. In 1761 the number
of warriors was only 7 or 8. The Bear River Indians may have combined with
these.
Connection in which they have become noted.
In the form Machipongo, the name is applied to a post village in
Northampton County, Va.
Meherrin. This tribe
extended across from Virginia into Northampton and Hertford Counties. (See
Virginia.)
Moratok. (Moratoc) A place name, but
the meaning otherwise unknown.
Connections. There is
little doubt that the Moratok belonged to the Algonquian linguistic stock
and were closely related to the other Algonquian tribes of the sound
region of North Carolina.
Location. On Roanoke River
and apparently on the north side, and
estimated to be 160 miles up the river, though the distance is evidently
reckoned from the Raleigh settlement on Roanoke Island
Villages. The village
bearing the name of the tribe is the only one known.
History. The sole mention
of the Moratok is in the narratives of the Raleigh expeditions. They were
first recognized as an independent tribe by Mr. Maurice Mook (1943 a).
Population. Unknown but
reported as large.
Natchez. Part of the Natchez
Indians sought refuge with and Cherokee after their tribe had been broken
up by the French and most of them appear to have lived along Hiwassee
River. They accompanied those Cherokee who moved to Oklahoma and settled
on the western margin of the Cherokee Reservation, where a few of them
retained their language long enough to have it recorded. (See
Mississippi.)
Neusiok. Probably a place
name.
Connections. The form of
this name suggests that the Neusiok were of the Algonquian stock, but they
may have been Iroquoian like their neighbors the
Tuscarora and Coree
(?).
Location. On lower Neuse
River particularly on the south side, in Craven and Cartaret Counties.
Village. Chattooka, on the site
of Newbern, and Rouconk, exact location unknown.
History.-In 1584 Amadas
and Barlowe heard of the Neusiok as at war with the tribes farther north.
The later settlers speak to of them as Neuse Indians. They dwindled away
rapidly and perhaps united finally with the Tuscarora.
Population.-With the Coree
the Neusiok are estimated by Mooney (1928) at 1,000 in the year
1600. In 1790 they numbered but 15 warriors although occupying two towns.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The name Neusiok is connected with that of the River Neuse
in North Carolina, and a post village.
Occaneechi. When the
Occaneechi lived on Roanoke River, Va., they probably ranged over into
Warren, Halifax, and Northampton Counties, N. C. In 1701 they were in
Orange County, N. C. (See Virginia.)
Pamlico. Meaning unknown.
Connections. The Pamlico
belonged to the Algonquian linguistic stock.
Location. On Pamlico
River.
History. The Pamlico are
mentioned by the Raleigh colonists in 1585-86 under the name Pomouik. In
1696 they were almost destroyed by smallpox. In 1701 Lawson recorded a
vocabulary from them which shows their affiliations to have been as given
above (Lawson, 1860). In 1710 they lived in a single small village. They
took part in the Tuscarora war, and at its close that part of the
Tuscarora under treaty with the English agreed to destroy them. A remnant
of the Pamlico was probably incorporated by the Tuscarora as slaves.
Population. The Pamlico
are estimated by Mooney (1928), together with "Bear River" Indians, as
1,000 in 1600. In 1710 they numbered about 75.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The Pamlico have given their name to or shared it with
the largest sound in North Carolina and a North Carolina county. They are
also noteworthy as having been almost if not quite the most southerly
Algonquian tribe on the Atlantic seaboard, and the most southerly one from
which a vocabulary has been collected.
Saponi.
This tribe lived on Yadkin River and in other parts of the State for a
certain period. (See Virginia.)
Shakori. A native name but
its significance unknown, though perhaps the same as Sugari, "stingy or
spoiled people," or "of the river whose-water-cannot-be drunk." Also
called:
Cacores, a misprint.
Connections. The Shakori
belonged to the Siouan linguistic family, their closest connections being
evidently with the southern division of the Siouan tribes of the East.
Barnwell (1908) identified them with the Sissipahaw.
Location. The Shakori
moved so frequently and there is so much uncertainty regarding their early
history, that this is hard to give, but, as they usually kept company with
the Eno, tenancy of the courses of Shocco and Big Shocco Creeks in the
present Vance, Warren, and Franklin Counties is perhaps the location most
closely connected with them in historic times. (See South Carolina and
Virginia.)
History. It is possible
that the Shakori gave their name to the province of Chicora visited by
Ayllon and his companions in 1521. If so, we must suppose that they moved
north later in the sixteenth century or early in the seventeenth, perhaps
as a result of the Pardo expeditions. In 1650 Edward Blande and his
associates found the "Nottoway and Schockoores old fields" between
Meherrin and Nottoway Rivers, but the Indians were not there. In 1654
Governor Yeardley of Virginia was told by a Tuscarora Indian of an inland
people called the "Cacores," probably an attempt to indicate this tribe.
In 1672 Lederer found them living in a village 14 miles from that of the
Eno (Lederer, 1912), and in 1701 Lawson says these two tribes (the Shakori
and Eno) were in one village called Adshusheer on Eno River (Lawson,
1860). The later fortunes of the Shakori were bound up with those of the
Eno.
Population.-Mooney (1928)
estimates the Shakori, Eno, and "Adshusheer" at 1,500 in 1600.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The two creeks, Shocco and Big Shocco, and a post office
9 miles south of Warrenton, Warren County, perpetuate the name of the
Shakori. If Chicora refers to the same tribe, it appears prominently in
Spanish narratives of American exploration, particularly because of the
information regarding Indian customs obtained by Peter Martyr from an
Indian, Francisco of Chicora.
Sara, see Cheraw.
Sissipahaw. Meaning
unknown.
Connections.-The
Sissipahaw were probably of the Siouan linguistic family though no words
of their language are known.
Location.-The principal
Sissipahaw settlement appears to have been about the present Saxapahaw on
Haw River in the lower part of Alamance County. (See also South Carolina.)
History.-The name of this
tribe is possibly preserved in the Sauxpa mentioned by the Spanish officer
Vandera in 1569 as a place visited by Juan Pardo. Lawson (1860) spoke of
them in connection with his travels through Carolina in 1701, but he did
not visit them. Barnwell (1908) identified them with the Shakori with whom
they were doubtless nearly allied and of whom they may have been a branch.
They united with other tribes of the region against the English in the
Yamasee war of 1715, and later with other Siouan remnants probably joined
the Catawba.
Population.-Mooney (1928)
estimates the Sissipahaw at 800 in 1600. "Haw Old Fields" constituted the
largest body of fertile land in the region.
Connections in which they have
become noted. The name Sissipahaw has been brought down to our times
by Haw River and the towns of Haw River and Saxapahaw on the same, in
Alamance County, N. C.
Sugeree. This tribe occupied
parts of Mecklenburg County. (See South Carolina.)
Tuscarora.
From their own name Skǎ-ru'-rěn,
signifying according to Hewitt (in Hodge, 1910), "hemp gatherers," and
applied on account of the great use they made of Apocynum cannabinum.
Also called:
Ă-ko-t'ǎs'-kǎ-to'-rěn
Mohawk name.
Ani'-Skǎlǎ'lǐ,
Cherokee name.
Ă-t'ǎs-kǎ-lo'-lěn,
Oneida name.
Tewohomomy (or Keew-ahomomy), Saponi name.
Connections. The Tuscarora
belonged to the Iroquoian linguistic family.
Location. On the Roanoke,
Tar, Pamlico, and Neuse Rivers. (See also Pennsylvania and New York.)
Subdivisions
The Tuscarora should be
considered a confederacy with three tribes or a tribe with three subtribes
as follows: Kǎ'tě'nu'ā'kā',
"People of the submerged pine tree"; Akawǎntca'kā',
meaning doubtful; and Skarū'rěn,
"hemp gatherers," i. e., the Tuscarora proper.
Villages
The following were in North Carolina, a more precise
location not being possible except in the cases specified:
Annaooka.
Chunaneets.
Cohunche.
Conauhcare.
Contahnah, near the mouth of Neuse River.
Cotechney, on the opposite side of Neuse River from Fort Barnwell, about
the
mouth of Contentnea Creek.
Coram.
Corutra.
Harooka.
Harutawaqui.
Kenta.
Kentanuska.
Naurheghne.
Neoheroka, in Greene County.
Nonawharitse.
Nursoorooka.
Oonossoora.
Tasqui, a day's journey from Cotechney on the way to Nottaway village.
Tonarooka, on a branch of Neuse River between "Fort Narhantes" and
Cotechney.
Torhunte, on a northern affluent of Neuse River.
Tosneoc.
Ucouhnerunt, on Pamlico River, probably in the vicinity of Greenville, in
Pitt County.
Unanauhan.
Later settlements in New York were these:
Canasaraga, on Canaseraga Creek on the site of the present Sullivan.
Ingaren.
Junastriyo.
Jutaneaga.
Kanhats.
Kaunehsuntahkeh.
Nyuchirhaan, near Lewiston, Niagara County.
Ohagi, on the west side of Genesee River a short distance below
Cuylersviile, Livingston County.
Oquaga, on the east branch of the Susquehanna on both sides, in the town
of Colesville, Broome County.
Oyonwayea, also called Johnson's Landing, in Niagara County, about 4 miles
east of the outlet of Niagara River at the mouth of Four Mile Creek.
Shawiangto, on the west side of the Susquehanna not far from Windsor,
Broome
County.
Tiochrungwe, on the "main road" from Oneida to Onondaga.
Tuscarora, the name of three villages: one a short distance east of "Anatsagane,"
probably the present Stockbridge, in Madison County; the second about 3
miles below Oquaga, in Broome County, approximately on the site of
Windsor; and the third 12 miles by land and 20 by water below Oquaga, in
the vicinity of Great Bend, in Susquehanna County.
The location of Ganatisgowa is uncertain.
History. The place or
manner of separation of the Tuscarora from the Iroquois tribes of New York
is not known, and they were found in the tract indicated above when the
country was first entered by white colonists. John Lawson, Surveyor
General of North Carolina, lived in close contact with these Indians for
many years and his History of Carolina gives us our earliest satisfactory
picture of them. (See Lawson, 1860.) It was his capture and execution by
the tribe in September 1711, however, which brought on the first Tuscarora
War, though behind it lay a series of encroachments by the Whites on
Tuscarora territory, and the kidnapping and enslavement of numbers of
Indians. Immediately after Lawson's death, part of the Tuscarora, headed
by chief Hencock, and the Coree, Pamlico, Machapunga, and Bear River
Indians conspired to cut off the white settlers and, in consequence, on
September 22, 1711, they rose and massacred about 130 of the colonists on
Trent and Pamlico Rivers. Colonel Barnwell, with 33 white men and about
500 Indians, marched against the hostiles, by direction of the colony of
South Carolina, drove them from one of their towns with great loss, and
invested Hencock's own town, Cotechney. But having suffered severely in
two assaults upon the place and fearing lest the white captives in the
hands of the Indians would be killed, he made peace and returned home.
Dissatisfied with the treatment accorded him by the North Carolina
authorities, however, he violated the treaty during his retreat by seizing
some Indians and sending them away as slaves. This brought on the second
Tuscarora War, 1712-13. South Carolina was again appealed to for
assistance, and Colonel James Moore set out for the north with about 900
Indians and 33 white men, a number which was considerably swelled before
he reached the seat of trouble. March 20 to 23 he stormed the palisaded
town of Neoheroka, inflicting a loss upon the enemy of about 950. The
Tuscarora became so terrified at this that part of them abandoned Fort
Cohunche, situated at Hencock's town and started north to join their
relatives, the Iroquois. This was only the beginning of the movement,
bands of Tuscarora being noted at intervals as moving north or as having
arrived among the Five Nations. They were adopted by the Oneida but,
contrary to the general impression, were not granted coordinate rights in
the League before September 1722. A part of the Tuscarora under a chief
named Tom Blunt (or Blount), had, however, remained neutral. They received
recognition by the government of North Carolina, and continued in their
former homes under their own chiefs. In 1766, 155 removed to New York, and
the 105 remaining were brought north in 1802 while a deputation of
northern Tuscarora were in Carolina to obtain payment for the lands they
had formerly occupied. When the Tuscarora first moved north they were
settled at various places along the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania and in New
York, some in the Oneida country itself. In 1875, by the treaty of Fort
Herkimer, the Oneida sold to the State of New York, the lands on which
their adopted children, the Tuscarora, had settled, and for a time the
Tuscarora were dispersed in various settlements in New York State, and
even in Pennsylvania. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, the
majority of Tuscarora and Oneida espoused the cause of the colonists and
in consequence they were attacked by Indians in the British interest,
including even some of their Iroquois brethren, their houses were burned,
their crops and other property destroyed, and they themselves scattered. A
large band of them settled, however, at a place called Oyonwayea or
Johnson's Landing, on Lake Ontario. Later a party from this settlement
discovered a place in the northeastern part of the present Tuscarora
Reservation which Pleased them so much that they decided to winter there
and they were presently joined by the rest of the inhabitants of Oyonwayea.
At the treaty held at Genesee, September 15, 1797, between Robert Morris
and the Seneca tribe, Morris reserved to the tribe, by grant, 2 square
miles, covering their new settlements, and the Seneca there upon granted
them an additional square mile. As a result of their appeal to the
legislature of North Carolina above mentioned, they were able to lease
lands in the south, and they devoted the proceeds to the purchase of 4,329
acres adjoining their New York reserve. The Tuscarora who had sided with
Great Britain were granted lands in severalty on Grand River, Ontario.
Population. There were
5,000 Tuscarora in 1600 according to an estimate by Mooney (1928). In
1708, Lawson gives 15 towns and 1,200 warriors (Lawson, 1860). Barnwell in
1712 estimates 1,200 to 1,400 fighting men (Barnwell, 1908); Chauvignerie
in 1736, 250 warriors, not including those in North Carolina, and on the
Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers (Chauvignerie, in Schoolcraft, 1851-57,
vol. 3, p. 555). In 1752 the southern Tuscarora were said to number 300
men; in 1754 there were said to be 100 men and 200 women and children and
these figures are repeated in 1761. In 1766 there were said to be 220 to
230 all told in the south; next year we read that 155 southern Tuscarora
had removed and that 105 remained. Other estimates place the total
Tuscarora population at 1,000 in 1765, 2,000 in 1778, 1,000 in 1783, and
400 in 1796. In 1885 there were 828 (evenly divided between New York and
Canada). In 1909 there were 364 in New York and a year later 416 in
Canada, a total of 780. In 1910, 400 were reported in the United States
and in 1923, 376 in New York alone. The number in Canada is not separately
given.
Connection in which they have
become noted. This tribe is noted historically for its prominence
among the peoples of eastern North Carolina, for the two wars which it
waged with the colonists, and for the rather spectacular migration of the
greater part to the north and its union with the Five Iroquois Nations.
The name Tuscarora occurs applied to settlements in Frederick County, Md.;
Craven County, North Carolina; Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania; Livingston
County, N. Y.; Elko County, Nev.; and Ontario; and to a creek and mountain
in Pennsylvania.
Tutelo.
This tribe lived for a while on the upper Yadkin and later in Bertie
County. (See Virginia.)
Waccamaw. They probably
ranged across into North Carolina from the head of Waccamaw River. (See
South Carolina.)
Wateree. According to Lederer
(1912) they were living in 1670 on the upper Yadkin. (See
South Carolina.)
Waxhaw. They extended over
into Union County from South Carolina. (See
South Carolina.)
Weapemeoc. Meaning unknown,
but evidently a place name. Also called:
Yeopim, a shortened and more usual form.
Connections. The Weapemeoc
were almost certainly of the Algonquian linguistic family and related to
the Powhatan Indians the
north and the Chowan, Machapunga, and Pamlico to the south.
Location. Most of the
present Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank, and Perquimans Counties, and part
of Chowan County north of Albemarle Sound.
Subdivisions
In the same section in later
times are given the following tribes which must be regarded as
subdivisions of the Weapemeoc:
Pasquotank, on Pasquotank River.
Perquiman, on Perquimans River.
Poteskeet, location uncertain.
Yeopim, or Weapemeoc proper, on Yeopim River.
Villages
Chepanoc, on Albemarle Sound in Perquimans County.
Mascoming, on the north shore of Albemarle Sound, in Chowan County.
Metachkwem, location unknown.
Pasquenock, perhaps identical with Pasquotank, on the north shore of
Albemarle Sound, perhaps in Camden County.
Weapemeoc, probably in Pasquotank County.
History.-The Weapemeoc
first appear in history in the narratives of the Raleigh colony of
1585-86. Later they are spoken of under the various subdivisional names.
They parted with some of their land in 1662. In 1701, according to Lawson
(1860), only 6 of the Yeopim survived though there were 40 warriors of the
other subdivisions, including 10 Pasquotank and 30 Potekeet.
Population. In the time of
the Raleigh colony the Weapemeoc are said to have had between 700 and 800
warriors. They were estimated by Mooney (1928) at 800 in 1600. From their
number as given by Lawson in 1701 Rights (1947) estimates 200 at that
date.
Connection in which they have
become noted. In the form Yeopim the name has been preserved in that
of a railroad station in Perquimans County, N. C.
Woccon. Significance unknown.
Connections. The Woccon
belonged to the Siouan linguistic stock, their closest relations being the
Catawba.
Location. Between Neuse
River and one of its affluents, perhaps about the present Goldsboro, Wayne
County.
Villages
Tooptatmeer, supposed to have been in Greene County.
Yupwauremau, supposed to have been in Greene County.
History.-The first mention
of the Woccon appears to be by Lawson writing about 1701, who recorded 150
words of their language. These show that it was nearer Catawba than any
other known variety of speech. Lack of any earlier mention of such a large
tribe lends strength to the theory of Dr. Douglas L. Rights that they were
originally Waccamaw (q. v., under South Carolina). They took part against
the Whites in the Tuscarora Wars and were probably extinguished as a tribe
at that time, the remnant fleeing north with the Tuscarora, uniting with
the Catawba, or combining with other Siouan remnants in the people later
known as Croatan.
Population. The number of
Woccon war estimated by Mooney (1928) at 600 in 1600. Lawson (1860) gives
120 warriors in 1709.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The sole claim of the Woccon to distinction is from the
fact that it is the only one of the southern group of eastern
Siouan tribes other
than the Catawba from which a vocabulary has been preserved.
Yadkin. Meaning unknown.
Connections. The Yadkin
probably belonged to the Siouan linguistic family.
Location.-On Yadkin River.
History. The Yadkin first
appear in history in a letter by the Indian trader, Abraham Wood,
narrating the adventures of two men, James Needham and Gabriel Arthur,
whom he had sent on an exploring expedition to the west. They passed this
tribe and town, which they call "Yattken," in the summer of 1674. Lawson
(1860) gives the name as Reatkin but applies it to the river, and there is
no later mention of the people.
Connection in which they have
become noted. Their name Yadkin is perpetuated by the Yadkin River,
Yadkin County, and the towns and villages of Yadkin College, Yadkin Falls,
Yadkin Valley, and Yadkinville, all in the State of North Carolina.
Yeopim, see
Weapemeoc.
Additional North Carolina Indian Resources
Return to Indian Genealogy Notes About the Book:
Source: The Indian Tribes of North America, John R. Swanton, 1953
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then ocr'd. Minimal editing has been done, and readers can and should expect
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