KNIC001. Knick, Stanley. “Because it is right: an essay about Lumbees and federal recognition.” Updated 10 July 1998.  Key source

19 references

Publication type: Web site/page
http://www.uncp.edu/nativemuseum/publications/right.htm

Presents strong and convincing arguments, from anthropological and archaeological perspectives, that the Lumbee should receive federal recognition. First, the archaeological record shows Native American presence from the early Archaic period into the Historic period, with no apparent gaps. The Phase I archaeological reconnaissance of Robeson County, which examined 314 previously unrecorded sites, showed a very dense distribution of Native Americans in pre-Columbian times. This information, which was not available until 1988, points out a serious shortcoming in the “Indians-moved-in-and-settled” theory of Lumbee origins, which implies that there was no Native American presence until the Cheraws, Hatteras, Tuscaroras, and perhaps others moved in. 

Artifacts found at archaeological sites suggest that NativeAmericans were in Robeson County between 1200 and 1750 A.D.; their descendants, who joined with remnants of other tribes, became the Lumbee. Knick explains the probable origins of the tribal name Lumbee. He talks about the historical conditions for Indians in the Carolinas in the 16th and 17th centuries which caused the Lumbee to quickly adopt European ways and lose visible elements of Indian culture, such as dance, language, clothing, and architecture. Knick discusses elements of culture which are strong among the Lumbee, such as sense of Indian identity, importance of kinship, spirituality and church, and use of herbal remedies such as sassafras.

This annotation was edited on: March 7, 2007

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