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Editorial and Opinion 'Page. Along the Robeson Trail by Dr. Stan Knick, Director PSU Native American Resource Center (Author's Note: This is the ninth in a series of articles about contact between English colonists and early Algonkian Indians in coastal North Carolina, based on the writings of Barlowcin 1584, Lane in 1585-86 and Harriot in 1587. This particular segment is reprinted from four years ago, because it fits here in the chronological sequence of events covered in this series of articles.) One of the best written sources in English about North Carolina's Native Americans is the work of Thomas Harriot. Harriot was a member of the Grenville and Lane expedition (1585-86), and worked closely with John White in the study of the Indians of the northern Coastal Plain. From Harriot's writings we get a glimpse into the traditional world of the Coastal Algonkians. After some introductory comments, Harriot moves to a description of what he calls "commodities" which would be profitable to English traders. Among them, he mentions flax for making linen, hemp for making rope, and pine trees for making tar and turpentine. 11c also describes two types of local grapes, which he says would be good lor making wine. One of the only herbal remedies he mentions, coincidcntally, is sassafras, which he reports was called winauk by the local Algonkianspcakcrs. Of sassafras Harriot says: "...akind of woodofmostpleasantand sweet smell, and of most rare , virtues.. .for the cure of many diseases." lie also mentions animal and mineral products to be traded. These include the fur of sea otters, deer, bear and skunk (which he calls "civet cat"). The two minerals be concentrates upon ^re iron, which he1 says odcurs naturally along stream beds 80 to 100 miles inland; and copper, which he says could be obtained from Indians living in the mountains. Harriot then proceeds to describe what the Indians ate. The menu included corn (callediragarowrby the Indians), available in white, yellow, red, and blue; beans (called okindgier) which from his description were flat like butter beans or lima beans; a kind of field pea; several varieties of squash (called macoqwer); and what must have been sunflower, the seeds of which were made into bread and soup. The traditional menu also included several roots used to make bread and soup, and a variety of nuts and berries including chestnuts, walnuts, and acoms (the latter of which had to be leached to remove poisonous qualities); and strawberries and mulberries. Meat items on the menu included deer, squirrel, bear, rabbit, turkey, dove, crane, goose, crab, oyster, scallops, turtle and several varieties of fish. But perhaps (he most interesting part of Harriot's writings concerns the | people themselves, and how they lived. | They wore loose deer skins, cut into, what Harriot calls "aprons" around the, waist and "mantles" around the^ shoulders. Most of their villages were, ( in Harriot's view, small (having ( between 10 and 30 houses in each). ^ Some villages were walled with tree ( bark lied to stakes, and some with upright poles (like the palisade now ( visible at Town Creek Mound, near I Mt. Gilead, N.C.). The houses were I made from bent poles, covered with | baric orwovenmats; the houses ranged ( from 12 to 24 yards long, being about | half as wide as they were long. | According to Harriot, some chiefs') (called wiroans) presided over a single ( village, while others governed as many { as 18 villages. Each "government," i whether consisting of a single village { or 18, spoke a different language from other "governments." This bit of ?information fq'ggests that there were a very great many distinct Indian languages, possibly hundreds, being spoken in the Carolinas at the time of European contact. Harriot also provides a view into the religious life of these traditional Native Americans, although we must be careful to translate Harriot's words properly inlo modern Iinglish in order to see their religion clearly. These Algonkians believed that there were many spirits, called inantoac. Virtually every thing in nature was believed tohaveaspirit. These Native people also believed in one principal deity, whom Harriot describes as a "chief and great God, which hath been from all eternity," and who created the world. But it seems from Harriot's writings that he did not realize that the "chief and great God" of the Indians was the same as his Christian Creator. In thenext segment, find out more about Harriot's view of Carolina's Native Americans. For more information, visit the Native American Resource Center in Old Main Building, on the campus of Pembroke State University. Church reaches milestone Suit l ake City?A faith loni known as an "American Church' has readied global milestone Tor the first time in this century more than, half of its approximate!) l> 4 million members reside outside the United States Now some 9 4 million strong, the Church of Jesus Christ of l.altcr-da> Saints enjoyed an international presence for more than a century In fact, during the midI'Jth Century missionary efforts in Hngland led to more members there than in the I foiled States But that changed by the turn of the century and the United Slates became dominant Recent membership reports from around the globe now show that there arc more Laltcr=day Saints residing outside of the United Stales, underscoring the dramatic global expansion of recent y cars in ihcTocnl Fnycltcvlllo Stake. membership has increased from nine members to o\cr four thousand in the last forty -fixe \cars. Worldwide growth can also tx seen hi reeenl announcements to build It-new temples 10 of them hi luuigii lands Ieinples arc significant buildines in both si/c and df i" nid mtm as landmark < to people alioser the world Thc> are constructed where ever there arc substantial incmbersofthc Church and arc visual reminders of the Church's presence in that area "The Church is grow ing in am marvelous and wonderful way. " President Gordon B Hinckley world leader of (he faith, said "It is spreading x>\cr (he earth in a miraculous manner and a million new members arc added to the rolls every three years." Since 1980. the non-U S percentage of membership has grow n from 28 percent to 50 percent today Formally organized with jtisl., six members on April (>. 1850. in ; the Finger Lakes region of upstate ' New York, the church has been based in Salt Lake City since 1857 Since its start, the Latter-day Saints have been drisen by extensive missionary efforts, which continually contribute to the Church's growlli and vitality Today nearly so inlit miccioii'iricc spaii the globe, seeking com crls by sharing their unique message of w hat (hey bclici c to be the restored gospel of Jesus Christ Front these original si v members. the church litis exploded into more than 22 ooo congregations 111 I V. tuitions and territories * The most dramatic growth h;is been in Latin America. Mexico and Bra/il with 720.000 and 54x000 members respectively follow the United States in membership and Chile and Peru arc fifth and sixth The country win, the fourth highest Latter-day Saint membership is the Philippines with 75.1.? Some of the more dramatic recent growth has been in Africa, where in 1976 there were'fewer than 7.0(H) Latter-day Saints. Tpday there arc 98.<XH) members fit 24 African nations AficrEnglish. Spanish and Portuguese. some of the most commonly spoken languagcsofLaticrday Saints i ndicalc the remote pans of the world where the church is flourishing These languages include Tahilian. Tongan, Sanioan. Korean mandarin. Cantonese Laotian and ninny languages and dialects from the Philippines such as Tagalog. Ccbuano. Ilokano. Hiligaynon. Pangasinan and B ilokano. After the U nitcd Stalcsand Lit in America the greatest conccntralionsof Latter-day Saintsare found in order, in Asia, the South Pacific Europe Canada. 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The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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