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:

*Full Federal Recognition

and four Urban Indian Organizations:

 

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.