Native American Nations in Southeastern USA (Part XI)

The Southeastern United States has been the location of substantial contact of the Native American groups with the Europeans and other immigrants into America over the centuries.

As Native Peoples moved Eastward from the Pacific Northwest and California, they began to encounter these other groups about 200 years later.and were driven back across the Mississippi River in many instances, especially by the Indian Removal Act of 1890 that operated for over a century. In other instances, they were killed by illnesses brought in by the other immigrants. The national population of Native Americans began growing in the 1990s and is over 2,000,000 today. This is less than 1% of the American population.

The states listed below are home to more state recognized nations than federally recognized tribes and this type of state support came only as recently as 2005 - 2006 for several of them. This would seem to be a holdover attitude stemming back to the Indian Removal Act. Whatever the nature of this circumstance, it has resulted in a long struggle for Naive Americans' rights and dignity. Once believed to be non-human by the other immigrants, they have persevered to overcome that stigma.

What happened to the Native Americans in West Virginia. Are they all unrecognized, or have they died or moved on? The answer is uncertain.

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Other Pages in the Series

• Native Americans Part I
• Native Americans Part II
• Native Americans Part III
• Native Americans Part IV
• Native Americans Part V
• Native Americans Part VI
• Native Americans Part VII
• Native Americans Part VIII
• Native Americans Part IX
• Native Americans Part X
• Native Americans Part XI
• National Pow Wow of the United States
• Native Americans in Western Novels

Kentucky

• Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky State Recognized twice in history: 1) by proclamation in 1893 and 2) by Governor Fletcher on 20 November 20, 2006.

Others:

• Cherokee. Claimed land in SE Kentucky. Cherokee culture found in archeological remains along the Cumberland. May have been just "passing through" or on a forced march.
• Chickasa. West end of Kentucky, primarily at the Tennessee River.
• Mosopelea. Passing through on ther way from Ohio to the lower Mississippi.
• Shawnee. Nasheville, KY and Lexington, KY.where Shawnee Chief, Blackhoof, was born..
• Yuchi. On the Green River.

Tennesee

• American Indian Association of Millington TN http://www.americanindianassoc.com/
• Elk Valley Band / Council of Chickamauga Cherokee
• Chickamauga Circle Free Cherokee
• Chikamaka-Cherokees
• Free Cherokee Tennessee River Band Chickamauga
• Kwatani Mission of Chickamuga Cherokee
• Tennessee River Band of Chickamuga Cherokee
• Tennessee River Band of Chickamuga

West Virginia

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Virginia

• Ani-Stohini/Unami Nation
• Chickahominy Tribe
• Eastern Chickahominy Tribe
• Monacan Indian Tribe
• Nansemond Indian Tribe
• Pamunkey Indian Tribe

Rappahannock Tribe

North Carolina [all State Recognized]

• Coharie Intra-Tribal Council
• Cumberland County Association for Indian People
• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• Guilford Native American Association
• Haliwa-Saponi Tribe
• Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
• Meherrin Indian Tribe

• Metrolina Native American Association
• Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation
• Sappony
• Waccamaw-Siouan Tribe

South Carolina

• American Indian Center of South Carolina
• Beaver Creek Indians. State Recognized 2006
• Catawba Indian Nation. Federally Recognized Tribe
• Catawba Tribal Historic Preservation Office.
• Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People. State Recognized 2005
• Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma
• Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
• Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma (migrated West)
• Chicora Indian Tribe of South Carolina
• Chicora Siouan (Shakori) Indian People
• Cherokee Tribes of South Carolina aka The Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes of S.C. Inc. State Recognized 2005
• Croatan Indian Tribe of Oangeburg
• Edisto Indian Organization
• Free Cherokee/Chickamauga
• Midlands Intertribal Empowerment Group of Columbia, Richland County
• Pee Dee Indian Tribe. State Recognized 2005
• Pee Dee Indian Nation of Upper South Carolina. State Recognized 2005
• Piedmont American Indian Association
• Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation of South Carolina. State Recognized 2006
• Santee Indian Organization. State Recognized 2006
• Santee Indian Nation
• United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma (migrated West)
• Waccamaw Indian People. State Recognized 2005
• Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians. State Recognized 2005
• Midlands Intertribal Empowerment Group/Midlands Intertribal Indian Center www.powwows.com/mieg/

Delaware

• The Nanaticoke Association petitioned for recognition on 8/8/78. Not yet federally recognized.

Maryland

• Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians
• Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes
• Pocomoke Indian Nation

Moneton Nation

In West Virginia, the Moneton people likely lived along the Kanawha River for a time before moving onward. They are related to the Sioux nations and the Sioux language group. They probably were driven out of what is ow West Virgina to Virginia by a lack of resources and the oncoming of other immigrant settlers. While they were there, however, they likely enjoyed the scenic areas of the landscape, notably sites such as Goley Bridge and what is now Hawk's Nest State Park as they moved along.

Words and Music by John D. Loudermilk

performed by Paul Revere and the Raiders

They took the whole Cherokee nation

Put us on this reservation

Took away our ways of life

The tomahawk and the bow and knife

Took away our native tongue

And taught their English to our young

And all the beads we made by hand

Are nowadays made in Japan

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe

So proud to live, so proud to die

They took the whole Indian nation

Locked us on this reservation

Though I wear a shirt and tie

I'm still part redman deep inside

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe

So proud to live, so proud to die

But maybe someday when they learn

Cherokee nation will return, will return, will return, will return,

will return