The First Carolinians: Native American Groups of North

Carolina

Ch. 2, Sec. 2

Identify and describe American Indians who inhabited the

regions that became Carolina and assess their impact on the

colony.

The First North Carolinians

People have lived in North Carolina for several thousand years. The first of these native peoples lived as nomadic hunters

and gatherers.

Many artifacts or relics and objects of their existence have been left behind for

archaeologists to study and examine.

By 1492, there were an estimated 35,000 Native Americans living in the state and

well over 34 different groups are known to have existed.

These Native Americans depended on whatever nature or the land offered in order

to survive.

The five major groups of North Carolina

• Hatteras

• Chowan

• Tuscarora

• Catawba

• Cherokee

The Hatteras Indians

• Once occupied the sandbanks in the vicinity of Cape Lookout.

• The survivors of the Lost Colony may have been incorporated into this tribe.

• The Hatteras/Roanoke Indians were the first to come into contact with the Europeans and the first to decline in numbers.

• By 1700, only 16 fighting men were to be counted with a total population of 80.

Chowan Indians

• The Chowan were once a large and powerful tribe in the Albemarle region in the 1600’s, but by 1707, they had only one town left with 15 warriors. This loss of life and identity was because of interaction with the European colonists, disease, and war.

• In 1733, with only a handful of original members left, they were assimilated into the Tuscarora.

The Tuscarora

The Tuscarora were a part of the Iroquoian Nation and were fierce and aggressive, unlike the weaker coastal tribes.

Around 1700, there were approximately 1200 warriors and over 5000 in the tribe. They lived in the piedmont and inner coastal-plain.

The Tuscarora War of 1711 broke their power and control in North Carolina. Many of the survivors of the tribe fled northward into New York where they joined their cousins, the Iroquois. Later on during the Revolutionary War, many Tuscarora fought against the British.

Chief Pelers of the Tuscarora Tribe

The Catawba Indians• At one time, the Catawba were

the largest and most important tribe in the entire piedmont region of the state.

• They lived along the banks of the Catawba River and were largely farmers.

• The Catawba were friendly to the white settlers and were the arch enemies of the Cherokee nation. During the American Revolution, several Catawba Warriors served with distinction in the American army in pivotal battles such as Guilford Courthouse in 1781.

• In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, the tribe suffered significant decline from diseases and warfare.

• By 1944, only 280 full-blooded Catawba Indians were living.

• As of 2006, less than 3,000 Catawbas remain, the majority of which live in South Carolina.

The Catawba were once well-known throughout North Carolina for their pottery and hand-made

baskets.

The Cherokee

The Cherokee• Cherokee civilization may be

as old or older than the Greek and Roman civilizations.

• Part of the Iroquois, the Cherokee have always inhabited the mountain regions of the southeast.

• At one time, the Cherokee numbered over 25,000. Today, there is an estimated 270,000 federally enrolled members.

• The Cherokee battled fiercely against white settlers and sided with the British during the Revolutionary War.

• Little by little, the Cherokee lost their ancient territory as the years progressed.

Sequoyah (above) invented the Cherokee writing system. He never learned to read, speak, or write the

English language.

•The word “Cherokee” means, “Those who live in the mountains.”

•One of the most shameful episodes in American History occurred when the Cherokee Indians were rounded up by the United States government in the 1830’s and forced to relocate west of the Mississippi River in what is today Oklahoma.

•This movement became known as, “The Trail of Tears.” This was due largely to gold being found on their ancestral lands and also because of the expanding white population.

•Thousands of men, women, and children died on the journey.

•During the War Between the States, several thousand Cherokee served gallantly in the Confederate Army with an outstanding battle record.

•Today, the Cherokee Nation continues to expand and grow.

Famous Cherokee

Will Rogers

The owner of the Tennessee Titans

Jimi Hendrix

Johnny Depp

Burt Reynolds

ElvisWes Studi

The Impact of the Invasion of Europeans on North Carolina’s Native Americans

• Severe depopulation through disease and warfare.

• Migration from ancestral lands and removal to reservations.

• Radical alterations of Native American culture and customs.

• Complete assimilation into white European culture.

1. ______________ are relics and objects left from the past.

2. From WEST to EAST, list the five major Indian groups of North Carolina.

3. List the four major effects of European interaction upon Native Americans.

4. Name the first Indian group that met European setters in the late 1500’s.

5. Which Cherokee invented the tribe’s writing system and alphabet?

6. Cherokee means ________________.

7. The forced removal of thousands of Cherokee from their ancestral homes is called _________________.

Bibliography

• www.wikipedia.com• www.davidwrightart.com• www.johnbuxton.com