Along the Robeson Trail by Dr. Stanley Knick Director, VSCP Sative American Resource Center In our continuing discussion of the Lumbee in context, and specifically | the prehistoric part of that context, last ; week we began looking at the i linguistic diversity of the Woodland ancestors of the Lumbee. We saw that i the three language families of eastern North Carolina were Algonkian, Iroquoian and Eastern Siouan, and that some ancestors of some segments of the modern Lumbee population probably came from the Algonkian and Iroquoian language families. This week we turn to the third and probably largest linguistic contributor to the Lumbee ? the Eastern Siouan language family. The homeland of the Eastern Siouan language family apparently covered a large portion of eastern North Carolina (and well into South Carolina). The southern coastal plain (including present-day Robeson County) and most of the Piedmont were home to numerous Siouan languages (Western Siouan languages such as Lakota and others are distantly related). These original Carolina languages included Tutelo, Cheraw, Catawba and Woccon (probably the same as Waccamaw), as well as Saponi, Occaneechi, Santee, Waterce and others. The Woodland archaeological sites found in Robeson County fall within the geographical and chronological distribution of the Eastern Siouan language family in the Carolinas. That is, they occur in the same region at the same period of lime. Thus it seems probable that the core ancestral language of Native Americans here along the Lumbee ? the ones who left so many Woodland archaeological sites here ? was also an Eastern Siouan language. Aside from the fact that some < people like to know about their ancestral linguistic stock, why is this diverse linguistic background ? with its three language families and many distinct languages ? important for understanding the Lumbce in context? Perhaps one of the most significant reasons is that when we comprehend just how linguistically diverse the ancestors of the Lumbce were then we may better understand why no single Indian language dominated into the twentieth century. Looked at another way, if only one Native language group had been the source of the modem Lumbce population, itwouldhavebccn much more likely for that Native language to have survived. Thus the great linguistic diversity of the Woodland ancestors of the Lumbce may have been a contributing factor to the complete replacement of Indian languages with English. As the colonial conquest of America proceeded, many tribal remnants (greatly diminished in population by smallpox and other epidemics) coalesced with remnants of other tribes in isolated areas. One such geographically isolated area was the land of the Lumbee, in what came to be known as "the Settlement" to the Indians of the early 1800s (Evans 1971). Situated as it was near the geographical intersection of three language families, "the Settlement" was a place where Indian people speaking different languages came together (probably as many as four Eastern Siouan languages, and at least one each from Iroquoian and Algonkian). As small remnant groups ? sometimes as few as a single extended family ? joined the pre existing Lumbce community at "the Settlement," old language barriers bad to melt away in order for the people to survive together. With only a few members of some groups remaining after, .the massive epidemics, some whole languages disappeared. Encouraged by the desire not to have to learn the language of a traditional opponent (such as a Siouan speaker being forced to learn an Iroquoian language); encouraged by missionaries who promised the Indians an English-speaking God who would protect the people from epidemic diseases; and encouraged by an increasing need to trade with Europeans for products only available in English, the Indian people of "the Settlement" soon adopted English. It became, as' they say in West Africa, the lingua franca, the common language of trade. j In the process, all that would remain of the (probably Eastern Siouan) Lumbee language was the word itself: Lumbee. This would be true of many other Carolina Native languages (i.e., Machapunga, Coree, etc.) By the mid-1700s when nonIndians began to establish permanent settlements here along the Lumbee River, the Indians were already speaking a kind of broken English (at least they spoke it to their new European neighbors) (Dial and Eliades 1975). In the next segment we will continue to look at the prehistoric context of the Lumbee. For more information, visit the Native American Resource Center in historic Old Main Building, on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. __ Chicken and BBQ Plate Sale 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Friday, October 3, J 997 $5.00 per plate Union ChapeI Baptist Church Say You Read | It In The Carolina Indian Voice, To Subscribe Call 521-2826, R - l CT Lorry T. Brooks To Pembroke Toujn Council For Continued Progressive Government On November 4, 1997 "ffle Charts $/(> will move into us thirdycar WilliSI ' million in new funding. Cumberland County will conlinne us model protiniiii mid Bladen. Hoke and Sampson connlies have platinum money lo slarl ilieir partnerships The Senate also coniinued the crack down against drunk drivers Willi a clear message lliat is violators coiilinued lo drink and drive we will pui ihem in jail and lake llieircar Plus, we led the way with a slaie-wide registry for sc\ offenders llial willbcopcn I'oi public rev icw VVilliotil Senator Wcinslcin's leadersliip as v ice cliairnian of (lie Transportation ('oniinillec and as a meinbci of llie .Senate's Agrieulline. I iiv iionmeiil and Nalural Resources Committee and the I'inanee('oniinillec ouracoomplishnicnis would have been far less I am proud of his ihoughful deliberation and Ins hard work, and the people of the slate's Ttith Senatorial District should be. loo Sincerely. Marc liiisnifjht Prcsitlvnl Pro tempore North ( arolina Senate ^ Say You Read It In The Carolina Indian Voice. Public Announcement The Lumbee Tribe/Lumbee Regional Development Association will conduct elections on December 4, 1997 for Districts 4, 5, and 8 to serve on the LRDA/Council/Board of Directors. Specific candidate criteria will be announced later. VOTERS OF M I Let Us Continue To Love Lillian McKoy\ Our Commissioner for Maxton, Lillian McKoy has two (2) more years i as commissioner. VOTE AND ELECT CLARENCE WOODS ? FOR MAYOR Tuesday,November , 1997 Paid for hy Clarence Woods VOTE FOR AND ELECT CLESTER LOCKLEAR to the LREMC Board of Directors * at-large October 7, 1997 Performing Arts "t 'on siller what / say am! die l.ortl f>ivc the an/leisfanthny in all things. " ^