Part I: History, Populations, and Legal Status
By Caitlin BrabbleRose, Ph.D., NC STEM Postdoctoral Fellow
North Carolina holds the distinct privilege of being home to the largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River and the eighth-largest nationwide.[1] Across North Carolina, more than 130,000 individuals represent eight state-recognized tribal nations with deep ancestral roots and cultural identities that remain rooted in our rural landscapes.[1-2] Seven of the eight tribes have headquarters in rural communities.
The first entry in our two-part series exploring the history of Indigenous communities in North Carolina examines demographics, history, and legal recognition of the state’s tribal nations, while Part II will explore the unique river basins, pocosin wetlands, and ecological regions that sustained them.
The percentages below show what share of a county’s residents self-identified as Native American and as a member of a particular tribe in the 2020 Census.
North Carolina’s Eight Tribal Nations
Coharie
Located in Harnett and Sampson counties, the Coharie Indian Tribe is descended from the aboriginal Neusiok Indians.[3]
Following regional displacements between 1729 and 1746, the Coharie moved inland to find sanctuary in the wetlands surrounding the Great Coharie River, a marshy region bypassed by white settlers who viewed the region as unsuitable for agriculture.[4]
The tribe has a statewide population of 1,705 members and has been state-recognized since 1971.3
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are members of the Iroquoian language group and descendants of the Indigenous peoples of the southern Appalachian Mountains.[5]
The tribal territory spans six counties — Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain — with a total statewide population of 7,244.[6]
When the federal government forcibly removed the Cherokee from their ancestral lands from 1838 to 1839 — leading thousands to present-day Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears — a small group resisted by claiming North Carolina citizenship.[7] These remaining families were formally recognized by the federal government in 1868 as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.7
Haliwa-Saponi
The Haliwa-Saponi Tribe has 3,127 state residents and is centered in Halifax and Warren counties — the source of the portmanteau “Haliwa.”[8]
The tribe is composed of descendants of several coastal and inland groups, including the Accomac, Cherokee, Nansemond, Occaneechi, Saponi, Tuscarora, and Tutelo Indians.8
Formally recognized by the state of North Carolina in 1965, the tribe added “Saponi” to its official name in 1975 to signify historical links to the Sappony Tribe.
Lumbee
The Lumbee Tribe is headquartered at the Lumbee Tribal Complex in Pembroke, with a territory spanning Robeson, Scotland, Hoke, and Cumberland Counties.
With a population of 56,483, the Lumbee are the largest tribal nation in North Carolina and one of the largest in the nation.
The Lumbee were state-recognized in 1885, received partial federal recognition via Congressional act in 1956 without federal benefits, and attained full federal recognition on December 18, 2025.[9]
Meherrin
Situated in Northampton, Hertford, Bertie, and Gates Counties, the Meherrin are an Iroquoian nation closely related to the Tuscarora.[10]
The tribe has a statewide population of 417 members. Their traditional name, Kauwets’a·ka, translates to “People of the Water.”
The Meherrin Tribe was officially recognized by the state of North Carolina in 1986.[11]
Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation
The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation has a statewide population of 592 members and traces their direct ancestry to the Saponi and other Piedmont indigenous groups.[12] Most of their members live in Alamance, Orange, and Caswell counties.
While no written records of their language survive, evidence indicates they spoke an Eastern Siouan dialect.[13]
The tribe was recognized by the state in 2002.[14]
Sappony
The Sappony inhabiting Person County, N.C., and neighboring Halifax County, Va., making them the only North Carolina tribe whose traditional homelands cross state lines.[15-16]
The tribe was historically identified in 1607 as the Monassukapanough16-[17] and currently has 156 members in North Carolina.
Originally granted state recognition in 1911 under the designation “Indians of Person County,” the tribe officially changed its name to “Sappony” in 2003 to reflect its ancestral Siouan identity. [18]
Waccamaw Siouan
The Waccamaw Siouan are a Siouan-speaking tribe of 1,686 members based in Bladen and Columbus counties.
According to oral tradition, a meteor struck the earth long ago, filling the crater with surrounding swamp to create Lake Waccamaw. To this day, the tribe is known as the “People of the Falling Star.” [19-20]
The tribe was recognized in 1971 by the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs.20
Official Websites of North Carolina’s Eight Tribal Nations
To learn more about tribal governments, explore community initiatives, and connect with related resources across North Carolina, visit each tribe’s official website:
- Coharie Indian Tribe – Official portal for the Coharie Indian Tribe, headquartered in Clinton in Sampson County.
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians – Official government portal for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, based on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee County.
- Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe – Official portal for the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, headquartered in Hollister in Halifax County.
- Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina – Official portal for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, headquartered in Pembroke in Robeson County.
- Meherrin Indian Nation – Official portal for the Meherrin Indian Nation, based in Ahoskie in Hertford County.
- Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation – Official portal for the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, headquartered in Burlington in Alamance County.
- Sappony Tribe – Official portal for the Sappony Tribe, based in Person County, N.C., and Halifax County, Va.
- Waccamaw Siouan Tribe – Official portal for the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe, headquartered in Bolton in Columbus County.
[1] Triangle Native American Society. (n.d.). Meet our community. https://www.trianglenative.org/our-community
[2] North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission. (n.d.). American Indians in NC. https://aihc.nc.gov/about-us/american-indians-nc
[3] Coharie Tribe. (2026). History: Coharie Indian Tribe. https://coharietribe.org/history/
[4] PBS North Carolina. (n.d.). Reconnecting to the river. https://www.pbsnc.org/
[5] Anderson, W. L., Bell, J. L., Jr., & Wetmore, R. Y. (2021, December). Cherokee people in North Carolina. NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina. https://www.ncpedia.org/cherokee/overview
[6] Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. (n.d.). Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal climate action plan (PCAP).
[7] Anderson, W. L., Bell, J. L., Jr., & Wetmore, R. Y. (2021, December). Cherokee people in North Carolina. NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina. https://www.ncpedia.org/cherokee/overview
[8] Wetmore, R. Y., & Hill, M. (2025, July). Haliwa people and Haliwa-Saponi American Indian Tribe. NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina. https://www.ncpedia.org/haliwa-people-and-haliwa-saponi
[9] Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. (2026). History and culture. https://www.lumbeetribe.com/history-and-culture
[10] Meherrin Indian Nation. (n.d.). About us. https://meherrinnation.org/about-us/
[11] Meherrin Indian Nation. (n.d.). NC recognition. https://meherrinnation.org/
[12] Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. (n.d.). A brief history of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. https://obsn.org/history/
[13] Davis, R. P. S., Jr., & Wegner, A. H. (2021, December). Occaneechi Indians. NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina. https://www.ncpedia.org/occaneechi-indians
[14] North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. (2023, December 21). Occaneechi Indian Tribe (G-142). https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/21/occaneechi-indian-tribe-g-142
[15] North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. (n.d.). Sappony Tribe (G-143). https://www.dncr.nc.gov/
[16] Sappony Tribe. (n.d.). Meet the Sappony Tribe. https://www.sappony.org/
[17] Christie, M. (2017). High Plains Sappony NC/VA settlement report.
[18] Sappony Tribe. (n.d.). Sappony history timeline. https://www.sappony.org/
[19] Waccamaw Siouan Tribe. (n.d.). Waccamaw Siouan Indians – People of the Falling Star. https://waccamaw-siouan.org/
[20] DiNome, W. (2022, November). Waccamaw Indians. NCpedia, State Library of North Carolina. https://www.ncpedia.org/waccamaw-indians