American Indian Resources

State Resources

NC Highway Historical Marker Program

Since 1935, the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker program has operated jointly with the Department of Transportation to share concise accounts of North Carolina’s history. Currently the system features over 1600 markers statewide—in silver and black, with brief sentences in large font, emblazoned with the state seal—covering a broad swath of topics, including American Indian history.

North Carolina Office of State Archaeology

The OSA serves North Carolina’s citizens through programs that identify archaeological resources on land and beneath state waters. OSA archaeologists and staff are specialists with decades of academic training and practical experience, which they apply to gather and share knowledge about the vast time range—more than 14,000 years—of North Carolina’s historic experience.

North Carolina Division of Indian Affairs

The North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs was created in 1971 by the North Carolina General Assembly in response to the requests of concerned Indian citizens from across the state. Its purpose is to advocate for (or support and promote) Indian communities, tribes, and organizations, and to bring together local, state, and federal money and other resources that can help.

State Advisory Council on Indian Education (SACIE)

North Carolina General Statute 115C-210 established an advisory council to the State Board of Education (SBE) to be known as the "State Advisory Council on Indian Education" in 1987. Subsequently, the SBE developed a policy to implement the establishment of the Council as an advisory body to the SBE on matters on Indian education.

United Tribes of North Carolina

A 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation established in 1982 to provide greater coordination and unity among the American Indian tribes and organizations of the State of North Carolina. United Tribes works to promote educational, economic, religious, charitable, and cultural activities for American Indian people. They are responsible for hosting the Annual NC Indian Unity Conference.

North Carolina Museum of History

The Division of State History Museums collects and preserves artifacts and other historical materials relating to the history and heritage of North Carolina in a local, regional, national, and international context to assist people in understanding how the past influences the present. The division interprets history through exhibitions, educational programs, and publications available to the visitor on-site or through distance-learning technologies.

Museum of the Southeast American Indian

Located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in the iconic Old Main Building, the Museum of the Southeast American Indian offers authentic artifacts, fine arts, and hands-on experiences that will engage visitors with the vibrant cultures and rich histories of Southeastern Native peoples, with special emphasis on the American Indian communities of Robeson County.

Museum of the Cherokee People

At the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, experience 13,000 years of Cherokee history, from the time when mastodons roamed the southern Appalachians to the present day. This story is told through computer generated animation and special effects, life-sized figures, artwork, and priceless artifacts. The museum’s mission is to preserve and perpetuate the history, culture, and stories of the Cherokee people.

Town Creek Indian Mound

A visit to Town Creek Indian Mound offers a glimpse of pre-Columbian life in Piedmont North Carolina. The visitor center contains interpretive exhibits, as well as audiovisual programs that bring alive a rich cultural heritage from the buried past. Self-guided tours of the rebuilt structures and mound and other group activities are available.

North Carolina American Indian Fund Scholarship

Established in December of 2001, the North Carolina American Indian Fund is a collaborative effort of North Carolina American Indian tribes and organizations. The program assists American Indian students in obtaining higher education by providing scholarships to students who demonstrate a commitment to the American Indian community, extracurricular and volunteer involvement, financial need, and academic success.

American Indian Women of Proud Nations

AIWPN support American Indian women’s efforts to build healthier lives for themselves, their families, and their communities in a spirit of holistic inquiry and empowerment. AIWPN strives to incorporate Indigenous cultural traditions, language, history, and values to build intergenerational relationships and networks locally, regionally, and globally, and to develop a movement-building framework for collaborative leadership in vital areas.

North Carolina Native American Youth Organization

NCNAYO provides opportunities to support North Carolina’s American Indian youth through an annual leadership conference in June, a youth executive committee, and other leadership opportunities. American Indian youth can network across the state and are afforded the opportunity to work with and serve with the NC Commission of Indian Affairs as well as the United Tribes of North Carolina.

UNCP American Indian Heritage Center

The American Indian Heritage Center was created by a grant from the US Department of Education's Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution Program to centralize programming for American Indian students at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The AIHC provides cultural, social, and academic program for American Indian students as well as educational programming for non-Native faculty, staff, and students.

UNC American Indian Center

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s American Indian Center is a university-wide public service Center designed to advance the University’s mission of research, education, and service with three primary goals: (1) Leadership in American Indian Scholarship and Research; (2) Engagement with and Service to Native Populations; and (3) Enrichment of Campus Diversity and Dialogue.

WCU Cherokee Center

The Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Center was founded in 1975 and has become the headquarters for all outreach and involvement in the Cherokee community. The Center provides many services to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians students and the surrounding region. These services include the application process, transcript request, scholarships, internships placement, high school recruitment, and much more.

Guilford Native American Art Gallery

Opened in 1990, the Guilford Native American Art Gallery is a fine art gallery concerned with promoting, exhibiting, and selling the very best traditional and contemporary American Indian or Native American art. Through annual exhibitions, multi-disciplinary art programs, and education programs, the Gallery sets realistic and meaningful standards and provides interaction for artists and audiences.

Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration Resources

Every November, the North Carolina Museum of History hosts the North Carolina American Indian Heritage Celebration in observance of American Indian Heritage Month. This page compiles resources useful to the planning of this event, such as links to NC tribes and urban organizations, historical resources for educators, museums and other community resources, and American Indian artists and practitioners.

American Indian Town

Explore Coastal Algonquian culture and history in American Indian Town, an exhibit that’s new to Roanoke Island Festival Park. The town represents an American Indian community like what the English explorers investigated and surveyed during their voyages to Roanoke Island and the surrounding area in the late 16th century. Visitors follow paths that wind through the park.

Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center

The museum opened in 1987 as a non-profit educational foundation with 501(c)(3) status. Its exhibits house thousands of artifacts from Native cultures across the country with a gallery dedicated to the local tribes. The museum’s nature trails wind through several acres of beautiful maritime forest. A gift shop is available filled with unique hand-made crafts.

Rankin Museum of American Heritage

The Rankin Museum has three main areas of interest which include Natural History, Local History, and Native American culture spread throughout the 4,900 square foot facility. Its artifacts include Native American pottery and art, taxidermy from various countries, and local finds. The museum also offers a gift shop, a public reference library, an interactive zone tailored for students, and a self-guided scavenger hunt.

Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc.

In 1946 Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. was established by visionary Cherokee craftspeople and leaders who saw that Cherokee crafts – if preserved and promoted – could strengthen tribal values and provide livelihoods while offering unique beauty to the wider world. Today, you will find authentic Cherokee handicrafts using techniques passed down from generation to generation. We welcome you to visit the nation’s oldest and foremost Native American cooperative and bring home one-of-a-kind treasures.

Tutelo-Saponi Monacan Living Dictionary

Tutelo-Saponi is a branch of Siouan once spoken by American Indians in central and eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. As a trade language, Tutelo-Saponi was spoken by many tribes in the region including the Occaneechi around what is now Hillsborough, and the Haliwa-Saponi tribe in Halifax and Warren Counties. Dr. Marvin “Marty” Richardson, project director for the Haliwa-Saponi Historic Legacy Project, said documents show that the Haliwa-Saponi tribe has been in the area since at least the 1720s. It now has about 4,000 enrolled members, mostly living around Hollister, NC. They’re descended from the Nansemond, Saponi, and Tuscarora tribes, which came together for safety from disease and warfare after the beginning of colonization.

National Resources

National Indian Education Association

The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was formed in 1969, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Native educators who were anxious to find solutions to improve the education system for Native children. NIEA advances comprehensive, culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Based in Washington, D.C., NIEA is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors elected annually by membership.

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

AISES is a national nonprofit organization focused on increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers. The organization’s vision is for the next seven generations of Native people to be successful, respected, influential, and contributing members of our vast and ever-changing global community.

National Congress of American Indians

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities. NCAI, a non-profit organization, advocates for a bright future for generations to come by taking the lead to gain consensus on a constructive and promising vision for Indian Country.

National Museum of the American Indian

A diverse and multifaceted cultural and educational enterprise, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is an active and visible component of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex. The NMAI cares for one of the world's most expansive collections of Native artifacts, including objects, photographs, archives, and media covering the entire Western Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego.