NC Tribal Communities
DOA Indian Affairs does not validate or administer tribal enrollment. Need help with enrollment? Find the applicable Tribal Enrollment Officer below.
Coharie Tribe
Headquartered in Clinton, the Coharie Indian Tribe descends from the aboriginal Neusiok Indian Tribe on the Coharie River in Harnett and Sampson counties. The community consists of four settlements: Holly Grove, New Bethel, Shiloh and Antioch.
The Coharie have approximately 2,700 members with about 20 percent residing outside the tribal communities. Early records indicate the tribe sought refuge from hostilities from both English colonists and Native peoples, moving to this area between 1729 and 1746 from the northern and northeastern part of the state.
Executive Director: Greg Jacobs
Tribal Enrollment Officer: Vacant
Chief: Ammie Gordon "Gordie"
Chairperson: Isabelle Elliott Freeman
Address: 7531 N U.S. Hwy 421, Clinton, NC 28328
Phone: 910-564-6909 Fax: 910-564-2701
Website: coharietribe.org
Eastern Band of Cherokee
The Cherokee people believe the Creator brought them to their home in the Mountains of western North Carolina. Their first village site is the Kituwah Mound in Swain County. It was there that the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians formed a government to oppose the removal of the Cherokee from the east, known as the Trail of Tears. Members of the Eastern Band remained in North Carolina after their kinsmen were forced west to Oklahoma.
Today, the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina makes their home on the 56,000-acre Qualla Boundary, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are more than 16,000 enrolled members with over 60% living on the Boundary. The Qualla Boundary includes the town of Cherokee, as well as several other communities. Cherokee is home to Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, one of Cherokee's largest employers.
Principal Chief: Michelle Hicks
Vice Chief: Alan B. Ensley
Chairman: Mike Parker
Vice Chairman: David Wolfe
Chief of Staff: Paxton Myers
Deputy Chief of Staff: Pam Straughan
Mailing Address: PO Box 455, Cherokee, NC 28719
Phone: 828-359-7019 Fax: 828-497-7000
Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe
The Haliwa-Saponi tribal members are direct descendents of the Saponi, Tuscarora, Tutelo and Nansemond Indians.
At 3,800 members, the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe is the third-largest tribe in the state. The tribe resides primarily in the area traditionally known by the elders as "The Meadows," which encompasses most of the southwestern part of rural Halifax County and the southeastern part of rural Warren County. Tribal members also reside in the adjoining counties of Nash and Franklin.
The Haliwa-Saponi Powwow is the oldest powwow in the state, typically held in April.
Tribal Administrator: Shalene Kanseah | skanseah@haliwa-saponi.org
Chief: Dr. Ogletree Richardson
Vice Chief: Dr. Marty Richardson
Chairman: Gideon Lee
Physical Address: 39021 NC Hwy 561, Hollister, NC 27844
Mailing Address: PO Box 99, Hollister, NC 27844
Phone: 252-586-4017 Fax: 252-586-3918
Website: haliwa-saponi.org
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
The Lumbee Tribe is the largest tribe in North Carolina, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the nation. The Lumbee take their name from the Lumber River originally known as the Lumbee, which winds its way through Robeson County. The more than 55,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe reside primarily in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties. Pembroke is the economic, cultural and political center of the tribe.
The ancestors of the Lumbee were mainly Cheraw and related Siouan-speaking Indians who were first observed in 1724 on the Drowning Creek (Lumbee River) in present-day Robeson County. In 1887, the state established the Croatan Normal Indian School, which is today the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. A variety of enterprises including an industrial park, farming, small businesses and the University contribute to the economy.
Tribal Administrator: Ricky Harris | rharris@lumbeetribe.com | 910-522-2190
Tribal Chairman: John Lowery | jlowery@lumbeetribe.com
Mailing Address: PO Box 2709 Pembroke, NC 28372
Physical Address: 6984 NC Hwy 711 W, Pembroke, NC 28372
Phone: 910-521-7861 Fax: 910-521-7790 Fax-Adm: 910-521-2278
Website: lumbeetribe.com
Meherrin Indian Tribe
The Meherrin People, also known as Kauwets’a·ka (People of the Water), are an Iroquois Nation closely related to the Tuscarora, also known as Skarù·ręʔ (Hemp - Splitters), with whom they share a language, cultural ties, and a history of once being part of a people who long ago traveled East to the rising sun and took up residence in North Carolina. These people would go on to be known as Kahtehnuʔá·ka·ʔ (People of the Submerged Pine Tree), and it is from these people that the Nations of Kauwets’a·ka and Skarù·ręʔ would emerge.
In 1680 Meherrin Chiefs Ununtequero and Horehannah signed an Addendum to the 1677 Treaty of Middle Plantation, which established two reservations for the Meherrin: Kauwitzihocken (Cowinchawkon), and Menderink. Over time, the Meherrin relocated downstream to the Meherrin towns of Unote and Tawarra, and eventually settled in present-day Maneys Neck, formerly known as Meherrin Neck. In 1726, the North Carolina General Assembly assigned a reservation to the Meherrin, and in 1729, “An Act for the More Quiet Settling the Bounds of the Meherrin Indian Lands” expanded their reservation to include the confluence of the Chowan and Meherrin Rivers.
Today, the Meherrin Tribal members primarily reside in Hertford, Bertie, Northampton and Gates Counties, N.C.
Chief: Jonathan Caudill, Jr.
Physical Address: 852 NC-11 South, Ahoskie, NC 27910
Mailing Address: PO Box 274, Ahoskie, NC 27910
Email: meherrincouncil@gmail.com
Website: meherrinnation.org
Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation
The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation is located in Alamance, Caswell and Orange counties, with Tribal Grounds located in the Little Texas Community. At 1100+ members, the Occaneechi are the smallest of the officially state-recognized tribes, but its members are active in their community and in statewide Indian events.
The Occaneechi descend from several small Siouan speaking tribes who were living in the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia when the first European explorers arrived in the 1600s.
Tribal Administrator: Ms. Vickie Jeffries | vickiejeffries@yahoo.com
Tribal Chair: Mr. W.A. "Tony" Hayes | tony.hayes@trancasnc.com
Mailing Address: PO Box 356 Mebane, NC 27302
Phone: 336-421-1317
Email: obsntribe@gmail.com
Website: www.obsn.org
Sappony
The Sappony have made the Piedmont Highlands their home for countless generations.
Today, the tribe's 850 members comprise seven core families, or clans, and live along the border of North Carolina and Virginia known as the High Plains. In the early 1700s, when the Sappony children were attending school at Fort Christanna and the tribe was guarding the frontier for the colonies, they were also helping to mark the North Carolina-Virginia border. As a result, part of High Plains is located in Person County, N.C., and part is located in Halifax County, Va.
The tribe is actively pursuing initiatives in the areas of economic development, education and cultural preservation.
Executive Director: Mr. Dante Desiderio | sappony@msn.com
Chief: Mr. Otis K. Martin
Tribal Chair: Mrs. Dorothy Yates | dorothysyates@gmail.com
Mailing Address: PO Box 3268 Roxboro, NC 27574
Physical Address: 4218 Virgilina Rd. Virgilina, VA 24598
Phone: 434-585-3352
Email: sappony@msn.com
Website: sappony.org
Waccamaw Siouan Tribe
The Waccamaw, historically known as the Waccamassus, were formerly located 100 miles northeast of Charleston, SC. After the Waccamaw and South Carolina War in 1749, the Waccamaw sought refuge in the swamplands of North Carolina.
The present day Waccamaw Siouan Tribal Office is located in Columbus and Bladen counties. The community, consisting of more than 2,000 citizens, is situated on the edge of the Green Swamp about 37 miles west of Wilmington, seven miles east of Lake Waccamaw and four miles north of Bolton.
Housing Coordinator & Tribal Enrollment Coordinator: Leslie Jones | leslie.jones@waccamaw-siouan.com
Chief: Rev. Mike Jacobs | revmdjacobs@gmail.com | 910-619-3967
Asst. Chief: Pamela Young-Jacobs | nativesongpj@yahoo.com
Mailing Address: PO Box 69 Bolton, NC 28423
Physical Address: 7239 Old Lake Rd Bolton, NC 28423
Phone: 910-665-8778 Fax: 910-655-8779
Email: siouan@aol.com
Website: www.waccamaw-siouan.org