Occaneechi
The Occaneechi , also Occoneechee , were a North American Indian tribe from the Sioux language family . They were linguistically and culturally with the tribes of the Saponi , tutelo , Monacan , Manahoac , Shakori related and other eastern peoples of the Sioux, whose traditional habitat in the Piedmont region of Appalachia in today's states North Carolina and Virginia was. The Occaneechi lived mostly on an approximately 6.4 km long island in the Roanoke River near today's city of Clarksville in Virginia. The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation was officially recognized by North Carolina in 2002 and has around 700 members.
history
Around 1650, the English explorer Edward Bland met the Occaneechi, who lived on a narrow island in the middle of the Roanoke River . They grew corn in the fields on the north bank of the river. Their direct neighbors were relatives of their friends Tutelo and Saponi, with whom they could communicate well because they spoke a similar Sioux dialect. Abraham Wood visited the tribe in 1673 and reported that they played a role in the deer skin trade. Their dwelling was at the Great trade (Great Trading Path). The Indians used the trade route for centuries before the arrival of the Europeans. This led about 800 km from Petersburg in Virginia to the Cherokee , Catawba and other tribes that lived in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia . The Occaneechi's residential area on the trade route gave them the opportunity to act as mediators between the Virginia tribes and various tribes in the south and west. Around 1705, the Occaneechi language was the common commercial language, the lingua franca among the Indians involved.
In 1670 the German doctor and explorer Johann Lederer visited and described the village on the island. In 1676, during the Bacon's Rebellion , the Occaneechi were attacked by colonists under Nathaniel Bacon and suffered heavy losses. They fled south to the Eno River near what is now Hillsborough in Orange County , North Carolina. The English explorer John Lawson visited them there in 1701 and noticed that their huts were decorated with bear skins on the walls and that they could eat roasted or dried game meat. No Indian tribe has more food supplies than this one . Around 1712 they left the Eno River and moved northeast to live under the protection of the colonial government at Fort Christanna on the Meherrin River . Here they merged with the Saponi, Tutelo and other tribes and eventually lost their identity as an independent tribe. William Byrd mentioned in the historical report of 1728 that the Fort Christanna Indians are made up of the remains of several tribes, the most famous of which are the Saponi and Occaneechi. However, they were not numerically able to defend themselves against enemies and they united under the name of Saponi . There is evidence that a minority Occaneechi moved to Pennsylvania and New York with the Tutelo and Saponi . Another group of Occaneechi appeared to have settled in Orange and Alamance Counties , North Carolina.
In 1995, some residents of Pleasant Grove , Alamance County, claimed they were descendants of the Fort Christianna Confederation , made up of Occaneechi, Saponi and Tutelo. They held an annual pow wow under the name Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation and were recognized by the North Carolina state in 2002. The Powwow is held annually on the second weekend in June on the tribal grounds on Daily Store Road, 10 miles north of the city of Mebane, North Carolina.
archeology
Between 1983 and 1986 archaeologists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill excavated an Occaneechi village near what is now the town of Hillsborough. The search revealed a small village with twelve huts, which were arranged around a square square with a sweat lodge . The place was surrounded by palisades to protect against enemy attacks and there was a cemetery with numerous graves nearby. The artifacts found resulted in fragments of self-made clay pots and stone tools. In addition, the archaeologists unearthed numerous pieces that came from trade with Europeans, such as axes, knives, hoes, scissors and glass beads. From found leftovers, such as animal bones and charred parts of plants, conclusions could be drawn about the diet of the Indians. This was mainly based on the cultivation of corn, beans and squash and meat from hunted deer. The year was divided into five seasons, namely planting and germination, ripening, midsummer, harvest and winter . Two chiefs led the tribe, one of whom was responsible for the war and the other for agriculture and hunting. Given the size of the village and the short length of time the residents stayed there, the scientists found a large number of graves. They testified to the devastating consequences of the numerous Iroquois raids and introduced European diseases for the Occaneechi in the early 18th century.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Occaneechi Indians. Retrieved November 15, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d NC History Project. Retrieved November 15, 2016 .