American Indians in NC
The North Carolina American Indian Community
North Carolina is home to the second-largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi River at approximately 127,000. The North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission is legislatively mandated and advises and assists the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources in preserving, interpreting, and promoting American Indian history, arts, customs, and culture.
For a timeline of American Indians in North Carolina, visit this page from the North Carolina Museum of History.
Today, North Carolina is home to eight statutorily-recognized tribes:
- Coharie
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians*
- Haliwa-Saponi
- Lumbee
- Meherrin
- Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation
- Sappony
- Waccamaw Siouan
*Full Federal Recognition
and four Urban Indian Organizations:
- Cumberland County Association for Indian People
- Guilford Native American Association
- Metrolina Native American Association
- Triangle Native American Society
Map of Territories
Areas in color indicate counties where the eight recognized tribes of North Carolina reside.
Counties in light blue (Mecklenburg, Guilford, Cumberland, and Wake) indicate location of Urban Indian Associations.