The reservation lands currently held in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Historic Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Bertie County are examples of formal relationships between Indians and the federal government. The creation of institutions such as Pembroke Normal School and East Carolina Indian School offers an example of the historic relationship that Indians have had with this state. Criteria that then may be used to support an application for recognition include traditional North Carolina Indian names kinship relationships with other recognized tribes official records that recognize the people as Indian anthropological or historical accounts tied to the group’s Indian ancestry documented traditions, customs, legends, and so forth that signify the group’s Indian heritage and others. Tribes and groups must meet certain organizational requirements. A committee of members from recognized tribes and groups reviews applications. Since 1979 the commission has coordinated procedures for recognition. The benefits of state recognition range from being eligible for membership on the Commission of Indian Affairs and for program funding, to securing a rightful place in history. The modern federal government has likewise recognized North Carolina’s rich American Indian heritage and history. The relationship between North Carolina and its tribes is well documented in statutes in rules and regulations that govern statefunded programs and in rules associated with historic Indian schools, court rulings, and faith organizations. Commission of Indian Affairs in 1971 offers strong evidence that the state has a positive relationship today with its American Indian citizens, tribes, and groups. But the General Assembly’s creation of the N.C. Some may think of treaties involving land as the only example of government relationships with Indians over the years. The federal Lumbee Act of 1956 recognized that tribe in name only. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is the only North Carolina tribe officially recognized by the federal government. North Carolina also has granted legal status to four organizations representing and providing services for American Indians living in urban areas: Guilford Native American Association (Guilford and surrounding counties), Cumberland County Association for Indian People (Cumberland County), Metrolina Native American Association (Mecklenburg and surrounding counties), and Triangle Native American Society (Wake and surrounding counties). Waccamaw-Siouan (Columbus and Bladen counties).Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation (Alamance and surrounding counties).Meherrin (Hertford and surrounding counties).Haliwa-Saponi (Halifax and Warren counties).Lumbee (Robeson and surrounding counties).Eastern Band of Cherokee (tribal reservation in the Mountains).The State of North Carolina recognizes eight tribes: The number is more than 130,000 when including American Indian in combination with other races. This total is for people identifying themselves as American Indian alone. Census, 99,551 American Indians lived in North Carolina, making up 1.24 percent of the population. North Carolina has the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi River and the eighth-largest Indian population in the United States. See also: Native American Settlement North Carolina's Native Americans (collection page) Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, Fall 2005. American Indian Tribes in North Carolina Originally published as "The State and Its Tribes"
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