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Published Each Thursday Since January 18,1973 V . Cfivolma Indian ^oice Pembroke , NC Robeson County 'Building Communicative Bridges in a tri-racial setting" OLUME 20 NUMBER 1 THURSDAY, JANUARY 7. 1993- 25c PER COPY Rose Introduces 1993 Lumbee Recognition Bill ashington, D.C.-Congressman larlie Rose (D-NC) introduced fislation on Tuesday that would jvide federal recognition to the imbee Tribe of Cheraw Indians, jdominately located in Robeson lunty, North Carolina, his is the third time that Mr, Rose sintroduced a bill that would give sLumbee the same privileges and jiections that federally recognized )es have. "The Lumbee tribe has ited long enough to receive the ognition theyrightfully deserve,' . Rose said. "The tribe has main- led a separate identity and cul- e as Indians and the time has ne for the government to ac- twledge them. This is an issue of nan dignity.” the lU2nd Congress, the bill was ited by the House but failed to be y considered on the Senate floor to a procedural block by oppo- ts of the measure. "I am hopeful [the third time will be the last (that this issue comes up," stated i^"I am confident that the House ^)nce again approve this bill, but lljuncenain what will happen in the 1 ve've had problems with this bill xause other recognized tribes are Etakl that Lumbee recognition will leap less federal money for them," Bled Rose. "I am sensitive to their oncerns and have included a provi- ion in the bill which would keep any unds to the Lumbee separate from he BIA." Mr. Rose's legislation would also •enefit other tribes in the Seventh Congressional District.The 1956 Act [ave the Lumbee name to all Indians n Robeson and adjoining counties, lowevei. there are Indians in this irea who identify themselves as a eparate group other than Lumbee. This bill would allow those groups to letition the BIA separately for recog- lition. Without this legislation, they lie deemed ineligible for the process or the same reason that the Lumbees ire restricted. The following speech by Congress- nan Rose was printed in the Congres- ional Record for January 5, 1993 in extensions of Remarks: "Mr. Speaker, I am introducing leg- dation today that would provide for he recognition of the Lumbee Tribe f Cheraw Indians who have been put 1 a peculiar situation by Congress Jgarding their status as Indians. It is ymbolic that I introduce this bill on le first day of the 103rd Congress. Today is a day of new beginnings for our nation and for the Lumbee people. "For over one hundred years, the Lumbee Tribe has been seeking rec ognition from the federal govern ment. The Tribe was first recog nized by the State of North Carolina in 1885. On June 7,1956, Congress passed the Lumbee Recognition Act; however, a sentence was added at the bottom of the bill that precluded the members of the tribe from re ceiving any services or benefits that other Indians received. Thirty-seven years have passed and the Lumbee's status is still unresolved. "Mr. Speaker, there are three im portant points that I would like to make so that Members can under stand why the Lumbee's situation is unique and deserves special atten tion. "First, the Associate Solicitor of Indian Affairs for the Department of Interior ruled in 1989 that the 1956 Act precluded the tribe from proceeding through the administra tive process for recognition. This ruling came two years after the tribe had submitted their painstakingly- prepared petition to the BIA. Ten years had passed since the tribe began to assemble their documenta tion and raise funds for legal costs. The tribe obviously tried to follow the procedures only to be told that they are no longer eligible to go that route. They are placed in a position where legislative action is not a choice but a necessity. "Secondly, eight other tribes were also ruled to be ineligible for the Federal Acknowledgment Process. Only the Catawba and Lumbee re main to be recognized. Cunently. the Catawba Tribe is in the process of settling on a land claims restora tion that could eventually give them recognition.Lumbeeisthelast tribe that needs Congressional action to become recognized. Indealingwith those seven groups, no other tribe was asked to go through two pro cesses in order to become recog nized. Congress has established a precedent, and it is only fair that it be applied equitably in this case as well. them apart from all others, they should be dealt with first. This ti ibe has been studied by the Department of Interior on three separate t>cca- sions, in 1912,1915, and 1933, and it was concluded each time that the Lumbees were Indians with a sepa rate and independent community. They do not need to be examined and further probed by the BIA and the staff of the Bureau of Acknowl edgment and Recognition. The U.S. Government is cheating itself and its history by not acknowledging this special group of people. "According to the 1990 Census, the Lumbee tribe is the ninth largest tribe in the nation. Because of their statusas a state recognized tribe, the tribe also receives some federal ser vices from the Office of Indian Edu cation and the Administration for Native Americans. The Indian Health Service allows Lumbees to receive scholarships but will not give medical services to the mem bers of the tribe. Clearly, one hand of the federal government recog nizes the tribe as Indian people while the other hand does not. This tribe deserves the same rights and privi leges that other Native Americans have across the lahd. The current system of federally recognized tribes versus non-federally recognize .’ tribes creates unnecessary frictioi. amongst these people. It makes the non-federally recognized people feel like second-class citizens. "Finally, there are other Indian groups in my Congressional Dis trict that are adversely affected the Lumbee Recognition Act of 1956. The 1956 Act gave the Lumbee name to all Indians in Robeson and adjoining counties. However, there are Indians in this area who identify themselves as a separate group other than Lumbee. "Thirdly, I am aware that some Members are frustrated with the Federal Acknowledgment Process and would like to see it changed. 1 agree and suppon the idea that the process needs to be reformed. But because Lumbee is the only remain ing tribe with circumstances that set This bill would allow those groups to petition separately for recogni tion. Without this legislation, they are deemed ineligible for the same reason that the Lumbees are re stricted. "Mr. Speaker, we need to finish what our predecessors started. To day is the beginning of another ef fort to correct the injustice placed on the Lumbee people by our gov ernment. I urge the Congress to pass the Lumbee Recognition Act as written, so that the history books can be corrected and human dignity can be restored to these people and their culture." Celebrates Birthday Mrs. Reedie Lowry Chavis Henry Berry Lowrie Was Her Ancestor As Well As Hero Jhown leff to right are Dr. William Likins, Martha Likins, Harriet Dial. 5r. Adolph Dial, Adrienne Oxendine and Dr. Joseph Oxendine. Dr. Adolph Dial, professor emerituss of Pembroke State Uni versity, celebrated his 70th birthday Dec. 13 by inviting friends to "drop in" to his residence at Pembroke. Dial is shown here with his wife Harriet; Dr. and Mrs. William H. Likins, president of Greensboro Col lege; and Chancellor and Mrs. Jo seph Oxendine of PSU. Both Greensboro College and PSU have presented Dial with hon orary doctorates. Dr. Likins pre sented Dial a plaque at the birthday celebration which said: "Greens boro College congratulates Adolph L. Dial, L.H.D., adistinguished edu cator, businessman, politician and UnitedMethodist Leader, and wishes hima Happy 70th Birthday and many years ofhappiness and contributor to better understanding among people everywhere." by Barbara Braveboy-Locklear Special to Carolina Indian Voice Fair Warning! Don't scathe the name of Henry Berry Lowrie in the company of Mrs. Reedie Lowry Chavis. It may stir up her dander. The legendary Robeson County In dian was her hero. To Mrs. Chavis he was something more. Her grandpa. Her mother’s father. It is recorded in the Lowrie Family Bible that Henry Berry Lowrie and Rhoda Strong were married in 1866. The bride was 15. In the six short years the couple were together they had three children-SallyAnn"SIS", Nelly Ann "Polly" and Henry Berry Lowrie,Jr. Mrs. Reedie Lowry Chavis, is the 86 year old daughter of Polly. Polly Lowrie was just a toddler when her father suddenly disappeared in 1872. "My mama told me she remembered only once seeing her father, Henry Berry Lowrie.. .He'd come tohis Hopewell community home one night to stay overnight. Before day the house was surrounded by men on horses...had come to capture him," Mrs. Chavis recalls. "Thehousehad a peephole. My grandpa called out, 'Hold your guns! Do not fire until I can get my wife and children out!' My grandma Rhoda took the chil dren and went to the Lowrie homeplace. "It was learned later that Henry Berry summoned gang members who were already in the house with him, and they opened a door to the house and opened fire on the men. killing three." According to Mrs. Chavis, after Lowrie’s disappear ance, his wife, Rhoda, and her three young children settled on a small farm near Sandcutt Cemetery in the Red Banks area. Some few years pass and young Henry Berry, Jr. is lured to Georgia by employment opportunities in the turpentine in dustry. Then to Mississippi where he takes a wife. His sister, Polly, has met Bennie Chavis back home in Robeson County. Chavis, encour aged by Henry Jr., takes his wife, Polly, and follows the turpentine circuit in Georgia, Florida and Mis- sissippi- Polly gives her husband four daughters in as many different states. The last child, Reedie, is bom in Meridian, Mississippi on Christmas Day, 1906. Shortly thereafter, wife and children are abandoned. Polly cites infidelity as the cause of the separation and returns to Robeson County to live withhermother, Rhoda on the farm. Bennie Chavis takes another woman. Polly takesto using her maiden name. After her divorce she never remarries. She later bears a son. Ail her children take hermaidenname. Sev eral years later, she, along with her children and a male companion, fol lows farm work in South Carolina and North Carolina. At her death in 1909, Rhoda Strong Lowrie’s farm goes to her second child, 3 8-year-old Polly Lowry. Mrs. Chavis was just about three years old when her fa mous maternal grandmotherdies. She remembers the route taken to Haiper's Ferry Church, the site of the funeral. "We children were all loaded in a mule-drawn wooden wagon. It was inthefalloftheyear. Icanremember good as we were crossing over Lum bee River. I looked down and sawthe water rushing under the planked bridge. I was afraid the bridge would collapse, and Grandma's body would fall." Itwasin I919onafarmoutside Maxton that young Reedie Lowry saw"themosthandsomeman." Love was instant. After a short engage ment to Willie Chavis, the Indian maiden went with her suitor to neigh boring Laurinburg and was married to him on Independence Day, 1920. Their lives became one of hard labor during hard times. "My hus band ditched in Bear Swamp for fifty cents aday. I hoed cotton for twenty- five cents. We saw some hard times and a lot of trouble back in Hoover days when we were raising our chil dren," she laments. "Yes, I vote in presidential elections, but have never voted a Republican ticket because Old Hoover was a republican, and he brought starvation to this land.” Mrs. Chavis learned the art of sewing from her mother who was a skilled seamstress, and who sewed for the public. The 11 Chavis chil dren, eight sons, and three daughters, benefited from the long hours their mother spent operating the peddle driven machine. "I could make as pretty-a-pair of coveralls you could find in any department store.” She never used a commercial pattern in creating garments for her children. Mr. and Mrs. Chavis were able to buy a farm of respectable acreage off Highway 710 in Robeson County. Mrs. Chavis, a widow since 1969, still lives at the homeplace located behind New Prospect Church in the Prospect community. Memories of happy times in the place flood her mind. Like the time her husband bought an organ for the family and taught all 11 children how to play it. Mrs. Chavis had learned as a young child to play a banjo and guitar. "I took no schooling for it. Com mon-sense taught me." She says her mother, Polly, played both instru ments as well as an accordion. The Chavis sons learned string music and tunedtheirguitarsand mandolins Dy the organ. The family got "shed" of the organ. The childrentaughtthem- selves how to play its replacement the piano. The young Chavis sons became such accomplished musi cians that they were invited to per form in churches throughout Robe son and Scotland Counties. Five of the sons were to later form a professional group named "The Chavis Brothers" and tour through out the U.S. They preformed to gether at a family gathering as recent as two year ago at a recreational center outside Pembroke. "There was always picking and singing tak- ingplaceinourhome. Aslongasmy mother lived, she loved to hear The Chavis Brothers play music," Mrs. Chavis comments. "The last gig I saw him cut was right here on this floor. She was 90 years old then," the proud daughter says of her mother who died in April, 1962. She was 91. Willie and Reedie Chavis were married 49 years. Seven of their 11 children are still alive. In recent years poor health has slowed Mrs. Chavis. Aftershesufferedthefirstof three heart attacks six years ago, a son and his wife moved from Balti more to live with her at the homeplace. The family-owned farm is rented aimually as it has been since 1969. Mrs. Chavis chooses to work outdoors in her vegetable and flower gardens when she feels like it. "I never was a housekeeper." Her memory is not quite clear of the ex act years, but she does remember working in the handkerchief factory in Pembroke as long as it was there. "I'd ^^'ork or. the farm during the day, and then after supper, go to the factory and work until midnight. Wages weren't no big pay. But a help." Sheistheonlysurvivinggrand- daughterofHeniy’BerryLowrie. The only other surviving grandchild, is her brother Calvin Lowry. He re sides in Wade, NC. Mrs. Chavis admitstohavinglittlepatience. Cer tainly none enough to sit and cro chet. "Too many other things to do,” she cries. She enjoys reading her Bible, a book whose wisdom she has striven to obey since 1943, the year she professed Christianity. She doesn't care much about television and regrets the day her husband caught her gone fishing and brought one to their home. "If I'd had my way there would never had been a television put in my house." She feels television pro gramming isdetrimental to the minds of today's young people who see all the meanness on the tube and go out a and try to imitate it. This past summer Mrs. Chavis journeyed to the burial site of Rhoda Strong Lowrie in Harper's Ferry Cemetery outside Pembroke. At her maternal grandmother's grave she gave pause to think of the life of this most fa mous woman...and to that of her leg endary husband. She knew her grandfather was no ordinary man. Even the people of his time noted many times that he had exceptional intelligence, handsome features, incredible endurance, courage and determination, and pride inhimselfandhispeople. And though she regrets the violence associated with him and his band, she neverthe less understands that circumstances directed her grandfather and his fol lowers onto thatpath. And what does she think of the mysterious disap pearance of her grandfather? "I be lieve he was killed based on what my mother said his followers told Grandma Rhoda...That he was load ing his gun and the load went off . And the reason she believed them (Fol lowers) was that they had his gun and watch. Rhoda said that if Henry Berry Lowrie had been alive, his followers wouldn't have had either the watch, or gun. "Rhoda was given her husband's, watch. The gang followers kept the gun," Mrs. Chavis says. It doesn't matter too much to her how he died, or when he died, or where his body lies for it's dust. It's his spirit that counts. AND HE WAS HER HERO.
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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Jan. 7, 1993, edition 1
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