American Indians in North Carolina
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the history and ongoing presence of American Indians in North Carolina. Through a museum tour, students learn about the state's 28 tribes, artifacts, and the impact of colonization on Native populations. The video highlights how archaeological evidence, primary sources, and artifacts shed light on past indigenous cultures. It emphasizes that American Indians, with eight recognized tribes, continue to live in North Carolina today, preserving their heritage through education, cultural traditions, and modern contributions to the state’s history.
Takeaways
- 🌍 American Indians have a long history in North Carolina, with at least 28 tribes living there in 1585.
- 🗣️ These tribes belonged to three language groups: Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan.
- 🛠️ Archeology, primary sources like John White's watercolors, and artifacts help historians learn about early American Indian life.
- 🛶 A 2,700-year-old Algonquin canoe found in Lake Phelps is one of the significant artifacts in the museum.
- 🏹 American Indians made use of materials like clay, shells, and skins for daily items and ceremonial purposes.
- ⚔️ Diseases like smallpox, brought by Europeans, greatly reduced the American Indian population in North Carolina.
- 🪶 Despite population decline, American Indian traditions continue through art, education, and cultural events.
- 🎓 Today, over 100,000 people in North Carolina identify as American Indians, living modern lives while preserving their heritage.
- 💼 The museum hosts exhibits and events, including the American Indian Festival, to highlight the contributions of these communities.
- 🗿 Statues and artifacts in the museum honor the rich cultural heritage of tribes like the Cherokee and Sara women.
Q & A
What are the three main language groups of American Indian tribes in North Carolina?
-The three main language groups of American Indian tribes in North Carolina are Algonquin, Iroquoian, and Siouan.
How do we know that American Indians lived in North Carolina?
-We know American Indians lived in North Carolina through archaeology, artifacts, and primary sources such as drawings by John White and writings by Thomas Harriet from early European expeditions.
What is an artifact and how does it help us understand American Indian history?
-An artifact is an object used by people in the past. Studying artifacts helps archaeologists and historians understand early American Indian societies and their cultural practices.
What was the impact of European diseases on American Indians in North Carolina?
-European diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza had a devastating impact, causing the American Indian population in North Carolina to decline from about 100,000 in 1550 to 20,000 by 1800 due to lack of immunity.
Who was John White, and what did he contribute to the understanding of American Indian life?
-John White was the official artist of the 1585 Roanoke expedition, responsible for drawing scenes of American Indian daily life, plants, and animals. His watercolors serve as primary sources for historians.
What are some of the artifacts found in North Carolina related to American Indian life?
-Artifacts include a shell necklace made from a welk, a ceremonial turtle shell instrument, and clay pots formed using coils and paddles for design.
What happened to the American Indian tribes that lived in North Carolina during the colonial period?
-Many tribes disappeared due to warfare, dislocation, disease, and absorption by other tribes. However, several tribes remain, and their descendants continue to live in North Carolina.
What is the significance of the 2,700-year-old dugout canoe found in Lake Phelps?
-The 2,700-year-old dugout canoe found in Lake Phelps is an important artifact, showing how American Indians used fire and shells to hollow out logs for transportation.
How do modern American Indians in North Carolina continue their cultural traditions?
-Modern American Indians in North Carolina continue their traditions through education, events like powwows, and by preserving crafts such as pottery, as seen in the museum exhibits.
How many American Indian tribes are recognized by the state of North Carolina today?
-There are eight state-recognized American Indian tribes in North Carolina today, including the Coharie, Meherrin, Waccamaw-Siouan, Haliwa-Saponi, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Sappony, Lumbee, and Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation.
Outlines
🎤 Introduction to American Indians in North Carolina
The video opens with indigenous chanting and introduces the North Carolina Museum of History. The focus is on American Indians in the state, as students offer their basic knowledge. The narrator introduces the Algonquin, Iroquoian, and Siouan tribes that lived in North Carolina in 1585, divided by regions. These tribes are explored in detail, including where they lived and how they communicated.
🏺 Discovering American Indian History Through Archeology
The narrator discusses how archeology helps uncover American Indian life, with ceramic artifacts and soil stains providing insight. John White’s art and Thomas Harriet’s written records are noted as primary sources that offer visual and textual evidence from the Roanoke expedition in 1585. These records help historians understand the lives of coastal tribes.
🎨 Exploring Artifacts of American Indian Life
The narrator introduces several artifacts, including a shell necklace, ceremonial instruments, clay pots, and animal skins, showcasing the materials and craftsmanship of American Indians. These artifacts are preserved and displayed at the museum to tell the story of early American Indian life. The focus is on how these objects reflect the daily lives and cultural practices of the tribes.
🚤 The Ancient Dugout Canoe Discovery
The video highlights a 2,700-year-old Algonquin dugout canoe found in 1985 in Lake Phelps, North Carolina. The canoe, despite appearing strong, is extremely fragile. The narrator explains how American Indians crafted canoes using fire to hollow out logs, providing a tangible connection to their transportation methods.
🌍 The Decline of American Indian Tribes
This section explains the decline of American Indian tribes in North Carolina, citing warfare, displacement, and disease as major factors. European diseases, such as smallpox and influenza, devastated the population, reducing it from 100,000 in 1550 to just 20,000 by 1800. The narrator emphasizes the loss of tribes due to external pressures and epidemics.
🪶 The Legacy of American Indians Today
The narrator explains that American Indians still live in North Carolina today, carrying on their traditions while participating in modern society. Cherokee elder Frieman Al's 2004 sculpture represents the blend of past traditions and present culture. The video mentions eight state-recognized tribes, including the Coharie, Lumbee, and Eastern Band of the Cherokee.
🏺 Modern and Traditional Pottery Exhibit
A visit to the museum’s Cherokee pottery exhibit showcases both ancient and modern pottery, linking American Indian craftspeople to their ancestors. The video discusses the continuity of traditions, with artisans today maintaining techniques used centuries ago. This exhibit illustrates the enduring influence of American Indian culture on North Carolina’s heritage.
👩🦰 The Saratow Woman Statue
The Saratow Woman is introduced as a bronze statue of a 17th-century American Indian woman from the Sara tribe. Her likeness was reconstructed using archeological remains and primary sources. This statue, welcoming visitors to the museum, serves as a reminder of the region’s deep American Indian history and the significance of preserving their culture.
📚 Reflecting on American Indian Heritage
The video concludes by revisiting the initial questions, emphasizing that American Indians are still present today. They live in North Carolina, participate in modern life, and continue their traditions through events like powwows and festivals. The narrator encourages viewers to explore more about American Indians through virtual field trips and educational resources available on the museum’s website.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡American Indians
💡Tribes
💡Archeology
💡Artifacts
💡John White
💡Primary Sources
💡Diseases
💡Cultural Traditions
💡Powwows
💡Cherokee
Highlights
Introduction to American Indians in North Carolina through student insights and common misconceptions.
In 1585, at least 28 tribes lived in present-day North Carolina, belonging to three major language groups: Algonquin, Iroquoian, and Siouan.
Archeology helps us understand the past through artifacts like ceramics, pottery, and soil stains.
John White's illustrations and Thomas Harriet's written records from the 1585 Roanoke expedition provide key historical insights into early American Indian life.
Artifacts like shell necklaces, musical instruments from turtle shells, and clay pots help illustrate the daily life and practices of early American Indians.
Disease was a significant factor in the decline of the American Indian population in North Carolina, reducing their numbers from 100,000 in 1550 to 20,000 by 1800.
Although many tribes declined, American Indians still exist in North Carolina today, with eight state-recognized tribes.
A 2,700-year-old Algonquin canoe found in 1985 illustrates the craftsmanship of early American Indians in North Carolina.
Cherokee elder Frieman Al's carving 'Logging and Creation' highlights how American Indians in North Carolina maintain traditions while contributing to modern life.
There are over 100,000 people in North Carolina today who identify as American Indian, continuing their heritage and traditions.
Artifacts are preserved in museums and used to tell the stories of American Indian history and culture.
American Indians in North Carolina continue traditional practices like pottery and crafts, demonstrating their cultural continuity.
The museum offers a virtual field trip about American Indians in North Carolina to educate people on their rich history and culture.
Saratow Woman, a reconstructed 17th-century figure of the Sara tribe, represents the history of American Indian women along the Dan River in North Carolina.
American Indians are still present in North Carolina, contributing to various aspects of society while maintaining cultural traditions like powwows and festivals.
Transcripts
(soft indigenous chanting)
- Welcome to the North Carolina
Museum of History in Raleigh.
Today, we'll be exploring American Indians
in North Carolina, but who are American Indians?
Let's see what students your age have to say.
- They all moved to the West.
- They lived a long time ago.
- There were the Navajos.
- They hunt for their food.
- We'll check on your answers in a bit.
But now I have a different question for you.
What do you know about American Indians?
Anabel?
- They lived in teepees.
- They wear deer skin.
- They use bows and arrows.
- They have feathers.
- Well, again, we'll check your answers in a bit.
So where did American Indians live in North Carolina?
Do you recognize this map? That's right.
It's our state North Carolina, where you live.
In 1585, at least 28 tribes lived
in present day North Carolina.
We don't really know how many American Indians
were here then, but there were a lot.
These tribes belong to three different language groups,
Algonquin, Iroquoian and Siouan.
The Algonquian speaking American Indians
lived in the coastal plain region.
While the Siouan language group tribes
lived in the Piedmont area of the land.
The Iroquois language tribes lived in the mountain region
and the coastal area.
- So how do we know American Indians lived here?
- Great question. Let's go see.
(soft flute music)
Through archeology, the study of the past
through artifacts left buried in the ground,
we can find evidence of early American life.
Some objects like ceramic and pottery
can survive for centuries left buried underground.
(soft flute music)
Other objects decay quickly.
By studying intact objects left at a site
and soil stains left by decayed objects,
archeologists can tell us a lot about early society.
We also have evidence from early explorers.
John White was the official artist
of the 1585 Roanoke expedition.
His job was to visually record plants and animals
unknown to England, and to illustrate the daily lives
of the American Indians that the Europeans encountered.
Thomas Harriet, another expedition member
kept a written record of such discoveries.
White's watercolors and Harriet's records
are primary sources,
materials from people there at the time
that have helped historians learn
about the lives of coastal American Indians
who lived in North Carolina, almost 450 years ago.
White drew scenes from two villages
of Algonquin speaking American Indians.
Romeo was located near Lake Mattamuskeet
in present day Hyde County.
Here's a print of his drawing of Sikhatten
located somewhere on the banks of the Pamlico river estuary.
Two years after he made these watercolors,
John White returned as governor of the Roanoke colony.
This colony was lost while he was in England
getting fresh supplies.
Virginia Dare was his granddaughter.
In addition to archeology and primary sources,
another way we know about early American Indians
in North Carolina is through artifacts.
Artifacts or objects used by people.
The museum collects many artifacts.
Artifacts can be old or new, common or rare.
Let's take a look at some replica artifacts.
(soft flute music)
The shell necklace has made from the central column
of a welk that has been cut, perforated, and ground.
The welk is a Marine animal.
This was a ceremonial musical instrument made from the shell
of a common box turtle with small stones inside
to create the sound.
Clay pots were formed using coils
of clay laid one on top of the other.
A wooden paddle was used to create the design
on the outside of the pot.
The pot was left to dry,
then buried in hot coals to bake hard.
And take a look at this.
American Indians use skins for many purposes.
They could be used for clothing or warmth.
- What happens to artifacts after they're found?
- Great question.
Artifacts are carefully preserved
and researched here at the museum.
Then we use them in exhibits to tell stories,
this one about American Indians.
Let's go up to the third floor where we have our community
and culture exhibit and see some artifacts
that relate to American Indians in North Carolina.
Here's an artifact I want to share with you.
Take a look at this.
This Algonquin canoe is over 2,700 years old.
It was found in 1985,
along with 30 others in lake Phelps located in Tarell
and Washington counties.
While the would appear strong,
it's actually very, very fragile and paper thin.
This is a dugout canoe.
American Indians frequently made dug out canoes
using fire and shelves to scrape out the charred bits
of wood after a fire was burned inside the tree log.
- So what happened to all those American Indians?
Where are they today?
- Another very good question.
There are several reasons why American Indian tribes
who were here in the colonial period disappeared.
Warfare, dislocation, disease and absorption
by other tribes all contributed to the huge decline
in the American Indian population of North Carolina.
Disease was an especially extreme killer.
No American Indian had ever been exposed
to these diseases or developed immunity.
Smallpox, measles, influenza, typhus,
whooping cough, chickenpox and Scarlet fever
were brought to North America
by European explorers and colonists.
Historians estimate that there were about 100,000
American Indians in North Carolina in 1550
and that by 1800, only 20,000 remained.
- So there are no American Indians left in North Carolina?
- Let me answer that in a different way.
Take a look at this sculpture over here.
So what do you think?
- It looks pretty old with all the carvings on it.
- I see a feather and a turtle.
- But it says on the label it was carved
by Frieman Al in 2004.
- You're right.
This carving was made by Cherokee Elder Frieman Al in 2004.
It's called Logging and Creation.
This is an excellent example of how American Indians
in North Carolina today carry on the traditions of the past,
yet they live throughout our state.
In fact, there are eight tribes recognized
by the state of North Carolina.
- [Student] They're the Coharie,
the Meherrin, the Waccamaw-Siouan,
the Haliwa-Saponi, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee,
the Sappony, the Lumbee, and the Occaneechi Band
of the Saponi Nation.
- Over 100,000 people in North Carolina today
identify themselves as American Indians,
living a lot like most North Carolinians do
going to school and working in all kinds of jobs.
Yet the tribes respect their heritage
and maintain their cultural traditions through education
and events like the American Indian Festival
held at the museum every November and powwows too.
There's another place in the museum I want to show you.
It has an exhibit of Cherokee pottery.
It shows how American Indians still contribute
so much to our state's heritage today.
Let's go take a look.
- Are these pots old or new ones?
- These are mostly recent pots
with a few older ones as well.
These pots date back to the 13, 14 and 15 hundreds.
Do you see any similarities between these older pots
and the newer ones?
American Indian craftspeople across the state
continue the traditions of their ancestors
in many different art forms.
Now come on. I want you to meet the Saratow women.
Let's go.
(soft flute music)
- Who?
- This is a bronze statue of a 17th century
American Indian woman who lived along the Dan River
in Piedmont, North Carolina.
She belonged to the Sara tribe.
She was forensically reconstructed.
That means her image was determined
by archeological remains.
Research, primary sources as well as artifacts found
with remains help determine her dress and jewelry.
Today she welcomes visitors like you to the museum.
(soft flute music)
Well, I think we've learned a lot today.
So let's see what you think of your answers
to our beginning questions.
Who are American Indians?
- American Indians are still here.
- They're neighbors in our state.
- There are eight tribes.
- They have different jobs.
- They are students.
- They have powwows.
- They carry on their traditions.
- There are eight culturally diverse tribes.
- American Indians lived throughout North Carolina
and carry on their cultural traditions in many ways.
If you would like to learn more about American Indians
in North Carolina, consider taking our virtual field trip,
American Indians in North Carolina.
To find out how, just check out our website
and click on education.
Thanks for joining us today.
(soft indigenous chanting)
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