Purchase information: Purchase online from the Pocosin
American Indian Store <http://www.guilfordnative.org/store/index.html>
or mail payment to Tim Brayboy (dpiretired@aol.com)
at 916 Union Street, Cary, NC 27511-3756 or Bruce Barton at PO Box 362,
Pembroke, NC 28372-0362. Cost is $19.95 plus $1.40 NC sales tax plus
$4.00 shipping for each copy. Make checks payable to either author.
Engagingly written, attractively laid out, and clearly
organized, this book provides a wealth of information on the players,
coaches, schools, tournaments, and the Indian athletic conference that
were all part of Indian basketball in Robeson and adjoining counties
from 1939-1967. There are numerous photographs from a wide range of
sources, including high school yearbooks, newspapers, the players themselves,
and the Robeson County Indian Education Resource Center Archival Collection.
Some information comes from articles and reports from
the Robesonian, Faytteville Observer, and Carolina
Indian Voice. Much, however, comes from the authors’ research,
their extensive knowledge of the topics, and interviews with the individuals
being profiled and/or materials the individuals provided. The profiles
of individuals are brought up to date, describing the person’s
activities and accomplishments after involvement in Indian high school
basketball ended. The sketches are enhanced by quotations from or about
the individuals, and they are rich with details that paint a vivid picture
of both the sport and Indian life during the period.
Helpful background information on the Indian basketball
conference, the history of UNC-Pembroke, and Lumbee Indian history can
be found in these sections: “The way the game was played back then”
(page 5); “A lesson in history” (pages 6-7); “A history
of education and the college gymnasium” (pages 10-16); “Indian
basketball facts” (page 178); and “What’s in a name”
(includes a list of common Lumbee surnames) (page 180). The book concludes
with an Indian Basketball Alumni Directory, a list of Robeson County
Indian high school basketball players from the 1939-1967 period who
were inducted into the UNC-Pembroke, Catawba College, or Elon College
athletic hall of fame, and an index listing the numerous individuals
discussed in the book.
This book is an outstanding tribute to the topic and,
more broadly, to Lumbee life and culture during the period.
Key source