f
Page 6, The Corolino Indian Voice
UP FROM DUST AND DARKNESS
— By Lew Barton —
CHAPTER 2; NORTH CAROLINA INDIANS
But let us lower our gaze and focus upon the Indians of North
'arolina rather than the Indians at laio-
TIIK KIVIC MOST I
NOiiT
t has b
•i'ant of Indians in
liOI.tNA IIISTOUY
I thi
rviitivclv cMinialod tha.
^5,000 Indians living in the ton-ilnry now North C a
Lnd Barlowe arrived in InH-l. Johii'l-awson.
)f North Oarolina, devoted mneh of his flist
desci-i|)tioj| of the Indians and, wvitiiut ii
:re from SO,000 to
ina when Amadaa
Surveyor-General
7/ Ilf i\iirlli Camliiia to a
i7(l9. listed 29 different
5 probably
r’s N"i
I, Cam
The five tribes Kiven by Dr I.efler as historically the moat important
are (1) The Hatteraa Intlians so important historically because it was
this tribe who made the first contacts with the Enydish and were, more
or less, involved in the first three Enn'Iish settlements in America, all
made at Roanoke l.sland. (2) The Chowanoc Indians, historically im
portant because it was with them that the colonists fouKht their first
war. (3) The Tuscarora Indians of eastern North Carolina, were the
most numerous, had the most finhtinir men, and were, perhaps, more
inclined to fiitht because of their Kvievaiices than any of the other four
tribes. (4) In Piedmont North Carolina, the Catawba Indians were the
larsesl and most powerful tribe. (5) The Cherokee Indians, of moun
tainous western North Carolina, were at one time more than 30,000
Strom: in North Carolina. Most of the Cherokee wore removed to Indian
Territor.v, now Oklahoma, where they still live; but a number of them
resisted removal, concealed themselves in the mountains, and there have
remained to this day. There Ls a federal reservation for them today.
Rev. C. D. Brewincton, whom I reyarcl as an able historian where
North Carolina Indians arc concerned, writes: " , . . The classification
of Indian tiihcs li// Inslariaim and laitn inilns is iiftcn confushiij and
aiiilrailicforu. R>/ am- iviilrr linn am nivoi Ihc name nf the nver or
I t/iT on irliirh then livi d as llii iv h H’lil name. Aiiolliev irinild dcsionalc
as a hihe a sahdirisinn or cMo,- anil still alhris minlit class Ihrm as
Ihen icem k-iioirn In/ some otliev Ivilie." However, sa.vs Rev. Brewineton,
> class III! m arroidian lo llicir Ivue tribal
n/naiii. l■llslallls, and nencval character-
The first American is pictured nearly alway.s as a deadly enemy,
a trespasser upon the '‘rights" of European-Americans; and a menace
that the civilized Christian world was reBretfully compelled to wipe
out, for the everlasting good of mankind. Few liooks or stories have ever
pictured the original American as he really was — a cornered creature,
fighting with his back to the wall for home, life and family. From the
beginning, almost, the Indian has been largely on the defensive, fighting
a losing battle, with bow and arrow pitied against blazing "thunder-
slicks" for his very existence. What has happened to the Indians has
been lauded and applauded, from court benches, from pulpits, from
government halls. It has been proclaimed as moral goodness, the ex
termination of these people.
I walk almost daily among my people; and often, at nightfall
I have come home to work, to prav, and to ponder their destiny. I seem
to .sense, rather than to see (for'l am partially blind), the hurt, de
pressed, uncomprehending looks in their eyes; and to feel, rather than
to hear (for mine are largely a stoic and uncomplaining people), the
mute question that so often fills the hearts and minds of us all: Why
are we still misunderstood and thus forsaken? And not infrequently,
in the stillness of my work-cluttered little room, I bare my sou! to Al
mighty Goo ind pray most fervently for the offspring of my own loins
— and for all other Americans like them.
"Have mercy ti/ion them, dear God!" I cry. "Have compassion
upon them and deliver them from all misunderstanding and from all
persecution. Heal their myriad wounds: and restore to this heaven-
blessed land of the free the spirit of brotherhood without which no na
tion can be truly great. Da Thou look down upon us in Thine infinite
jnly: for, behold. Lord, we are the woebegone, woe-begotten children
of historyt Lo, Thou Who rulest in the hearts of men: ‘The harvest
is past and the summer is ended and we are not saved/' "
But at such times there seems to be no balm in Gilead for o
n.Hhip. ha:
>1 their I
Each writer of the pa.st seems lo have had his pet way of distingui.sh-
uig lietwven elo.sely related tribes and clans. In many ease.s, the early
ivttlers, explori'i-s and other writers .simply called the Indians by the
.)culion in which they were observed by them, little realizing that many
if the trilios were nomadic, largely because of their dependence upon
I'linting and fishing as a means of livelihood, and also becau.se of the
movements of their enemies.
It is not surprising then, that in later .veavs historians arrived at
the inescapable conclusion that the Hatteras Indians and the Croatan
Indians were one and the same tribe.
I no historical Knowieugc oI tlie avi-i.igc jvmerican today is only
sunei-ficial at best, where Aniericn’s original inhabitants are concerned.
riie oVoyHhUini of the America,, People. The American Hcilage
Bonk of /miinn.s, and other works have done much within recent years
lo dispel the main- mi.sconcoptions surrounding the American Indian;
but there is still a long, long way to go before the American Indian is
really understood. Thu.s, to the average American, it is utterly in
conceivable that more than 200 groups of human beings, numbering
up in the thou.sniuls, could lose their tribal identity over a period of a
few hundred yeans. But considering the stres.ses and strains to which
thev have been .subjected since the coming of Columbus, in 1492, the
wonder is not that thev have lost their identity in some case.s. but that
they have not lost their existence, ns well.
As a matter of fact, manv groups have perished from the face of
the earth, so that todav there are only remnants or mere memories of the
great peoples who once roamed the mountains and the valleys, the for
ests and the streams of North Carolina, and other states of the great
fifty.
No longer do the forest lords glide noisles.sly through virgin tim-
berlands on the feet of nymphs. No more is the gentle twang of a bow
heard, followed bv the exasperated grunt of a young doe, as she gurgles
out her life’s blood. Yesterday's wilderness is a wasteland today. Gazing
wistfully across the flat Carolina countryside, wading effortlessly
through the few fitful patches of long and short leaf pines that still
remain, here and there, the land seems haunted, reeks of a strange
kind of loneliness. Borne upon the crest of an oscillating summer
breeze, one can almo.st imagine that he hears the Voice of the Almighty
accusingly a.sking: "Where is thy brother?" even as the same ques
tion was put to Cain after the disappearance of his brother Abel.
"Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain wanted to know. But the an
swer must have been clear in his mind even before he asked. Yes,'
Too many modern Americans depend upon movies, radio and
television scripts, and cheap magazine thrillers for their historical
knowledge — a knowledge that the entertainment media do not even
pretend to supply. The silent graves, Idaded with faded bones, are ig
nored-
National Lunch Week
observed at Fairgrove
My family and I are but several of some thirty-odd thousand people
officially designated as Lumbee Indiana of North Carolina, residing,
for the most part, in Robeson and adjacent counties of North and South
Carolina, but also found in a number of the industrial cities of the na
tion. Robeson County, North Carolina, is bordered by Dillon County,
South Carolina; and thus a small number of "Our People" may be found
in that state. But Dr. Brewton Berry, a native of Orangeburg, South
Carolina, who is now head of the department of sociology and anthro
pology at Ohio State University, has counted many groups of Indian
survivors in the ea.stern United States. Each of these groups, without
exception, is the product of some unusual incident in American history.
According to ProLssor Berry, the Lumbee Indians are "more fortunate"
than any of the other groups, however, and “have attracted the most at
tention."
These groups, almost without exception, are located near the At
lantic Ocean, and particularly in those areas where the European
colonization of America took place. Almost without exception, they
have been trampled by the onward-marching feet of “progress" and
ilization." Almost every group has played its own peculiar role in the
making of American history; and without exception, afterwards, each
has been discarded and all but forgotten. These are the casualties of
American history; and theirs is the most ironic story in American his
tory. Yet each of these groups is unique; its story is unlike that of any
other group — except that it is, in every case, fraught with hardship
and misery.
I shall not attempi to tell all these stories; for there is enough, and
more than enough, to tell about our own. There is material, and there is
opportunity in each individual case for the pen of .some God-fearing
lover of mankind. If humanity is seeking fields in which to exercise
itself, the harvest is great and the laborers are few.
Since I wrote much ofthe foregoing lament in 1967, much good has
flowed in the direction of our people. Many were the "God-fearing
lovers of mankind" who bestirred themselves lo meet my heart-sent
challenge. For this I am deeply grateful, and humbly appreciative,
knowing full well that only God could have enabled me to speak so
meaningfully on behalf of our beloved people. And only God could
have reached through my words into the hearts of so many truly
magnificant fellow human beings.
high a
1 mountain lo
Pray for me that I may once more ri.se a
champion the cause of Indian people.
(To be coniinued.l
Fairgrove Students
enjoy "Dig Top"
IRf
t IT
NATIONAL SCHOOL LUHCHWEEK
■%_ oa:r »
Stndents at Fairgrove School
waited anxloQsly for the big
dhy this week as they watched
the bulletin board In the school
(yifetcrla for the Universal
Menu to be served on Wed
nesday of this week.
The special meal was pre
pared in observance of Na
tional School Lunch Week,
October 10-16, and Included:
Main Attraction Hot Dog on
Bun; Ring Master’s Vegetable
Soup: Happy Clown TnttI
Frnltti Crisp, Side Show Unin-
ge Wedge and Mid Way Milk.
An additional attraction was
Happy Clown Napkins and
individual Merry-Go- Rounds
of pudding with whipped
topping and cherries surroun
ded with animal cookies.
They were fortunate io
secure one ofthe area Clowns
who make the occasion a gay
one for all children and
distributed candy lo each
child.
The “Big Top’’ Including keeping with the school’s
elephants, animals, balloons, observance of National School
and clowns adorn the Fair- Lunch Week,
grove School Cafeteria In
AL S REMODELING
•Room Additions or any Remodeling
18 Years Experience
For Free Estimate Coll Al Lowery
After 5 p.m. 739-2459
1 ^
if
t Pembroke Seeks ^
i^Town Manager and ^
^ Town Clerk
X
>♦-
>t-
t
4-
4-
4-
PSU Cross Country
Team downs Baptist
College 21-36
WILLIAM
OBSERVES
TFujfsdoy, October 14, 1976
E. RANSOM ,JR
THIRD BIRTHDAY
AT PEMBROKE TJXC
PEMBROKE — Town officials here have
begun seeking a successor to Town Manager
R-D. Locklear, who was fired Sept. 20.
Mayor Reggie Strickland said Monday at least
two persons have applied for the job. The town is
advertising the vacancy.
Locklear, who took the post last April, was
fired by the town board of commissioners by a
nearly unanimous vote.
The dismissal came as a suprise to many town
residents. Immediately after the firing town
officials said they were not sure if the town would
seek another manager.
Strickland said Monday the town is also
seeking a successor to Mrs. Mabelle Elk, town
clerk. She has resigned for health reasons, he
said.
PEMBROKE - Pembroke
State University’s cross
country team won its seventh
victory against no defeats by
downing Baptist College of
Charleston, S.C., 21-36 in a dual
meet held on the Riverside
Country Qub course Saturday
morning. Baptist has been
recognized as one of the best
small college cross-country
powers in the South.
Garry Henry, PSU’s amazing
AustraUan runner, once again
set a new course record for five
miles. Henry, running on soggy
turf, through standing water
and against strong headwinds,
lowered the record from 25:12 to
24:48. Henry had set the
previous record at PSU’s last
home ipeet two weeks ago.
Besides Henrv. three other
Pembroke runners finished in
the top five. Finishing second
was Jeff Moody at 25:07, which
also bettered the old course
record. Fourth place went to
Jim Vogt with a time of 26:01
and fifth place was claimed bj’
James Plummer, who ran the
course in 26:19. The best
showing by a Baptist College
runner was third place by F.
Mwobobia at 25:28.
Other Pembroke runners and
their times were: (9) Wayne
Broadhead, 27:02; (10) Eric
Redding, 27:11; (11) George
Aiken, 27:16; (12) Dan Ryberg,
27:19; (14) Pete Gibson, 27:23;
(16) Ricky Jackson, 28:15; and
(17) David Eskins, 28:18. There
were a total of 17 runners in the
field.
WilHam E. Ranaom, Jr. lin
front of cake] celebrated his
third birthday recently with his
friends at the Pembroke
Lumbee Longhouse Learning
Solar Energy
Some consumers are turn
ing to solar energy to heat
homes and other facilities.
In the first six months of
1975, production and sales
of medium-temperature
solar collectors increased
four times over the rate of
1974. The number of com
panies manufacturing these
collectors jumped from 39
in 1974 to 69 in the first half
of 1975. The solar heating
units absorb the sun's en
ergy and use that energy to
heat the air or water with
in the system.
Cent». Wluiam Is the era of
Mr. and Mrs. William E.
Ransom of Pembroke. Mrs.
Ransom Is employed at the
Learning Center. The high
ugm 01 wuuara's ceieonuira
was his gift of an Evil Kenivel
'stunt cycle. [Bruce Barton
photo]
ONAP IS IN TROUBLE!
$2,000,000 of the Office of
Native American Program
funds have been transferred to
the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The BIA neither has the
staff required nor the experi
ence in grants. The BlA’s
primary function has been
services and trust protection.
This has been done without
a Director of ONAP. we hear
this was done against the
advice of the present staff.
What are the future plans
for ONAP—is it to be phased
out? What will happen to
tribes and Indian organiza
tions that can't get funding
any other place, for their
special projects?
Let your feelings be known-
write to President Ford, Sec
retary Matthews and your
Congressman.
L«t us change your shopping habits with our.
Super Savings Sale
Pembroke, N.C.
OKN 9 fl 6 Monday. TModoy. IMdhwdoy. Ihuwdey
9 e 6 end Saturday
OUZNTITIES W
3.99 3.99 1.54 3.99
SAVE 2,06
Ladies
Woven Shirt
Long Sleeve Woven Shirt Style Blouse,
50% Polyester, 50% Cotton, Assorted Plaid;
Checks, Prints, Sutton Pocket Front.
Cuffed Sleeve
SAVE 2.00 SAVE 1.00
Sidewinder Children’s
Ladies Pants Corduroy Pants
SAVE 2.00
Ladies
T-Shirts
:s Polyester Slocks, Sizes 10-18,
11.88
SAVE 5.00
Cornwall
Crockery
Pot
v*.
tl: ■ tjV A-
9 SAVE 13-
Looney Tune
Glasses With Pepsi
3 CANS rifl
■■
SAVE 1.17
Gulflube
Motor
Oil
1 Quart Size
30 Weight Single
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2 For
88t
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$3.67
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2 P.icks
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