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A Living Land Acknowledgement

A map showing counties in North Carolina, with some counties shaded in with a color across the state. A key lists the color coding for state and federally recognized tribes and urban Indian organizations: Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Sappony, Waccamaw Siouan, Cumberland County Association for Indian People, Guilford Native American Association, Metrolina Native American Association, and Triangle Native American Society.

N.C. Tribal and Urban Communities

A map of South Carolina showing counties and major highways, with stars labeling federally recognized tribes (Catawba Indian Nation), state recognized tribes (Piedmont American Indian Association Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation, Beaver Creek Indians, Pee Dee Indian Tribe of SC, Pee Dee Nation of Upper SC, Waccamaw Indian People, Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians, Santee Indian Organization, Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown indians, Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe), state recognized groups (Pee Dee Indian Nation of Beaver Creek, Natchez Indian Tribe, Easter Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of SC, Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People) and state recognized special interest organizations (Little Horse Creek American Indian Cultural Center and Association, American Indian Chamber of Commerce of SC).

South Carolina American Indian Tribes Map

We Are Here

Over the past 500 years, the U.S. and other colonial powers committed genocide in an attempt to steal Indigenous lands and resources.

However, Indigenous peoples triumphed over this unimaginable violence. Today, 18 Tribal Nations reside in North and South Carolina. North Carolina has the largest percentage of Indigenous people east of the Mississippi River. We honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples who have intimate and deep relationships with the lands on which we gather.

A Living Land Acknowledgement

Indigenous people hold the knowledge that their ancestors have known for millennia. This includes an intimate and respectful understanding of the natural world.

This project exists to make a living land acknowledgement. By clicking through these tour pages, you can listen to Indigenous people tell their own stories.

You can listen to an introduction by Vickie Jeffries (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation), Stands Among Elk (Meherrin Nation) and John Blackfeather (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation) below.

Listen here:

Why is it important to recognize the Indigenous peoples nearest to you?

Indigenous Land Relationships: An Interactive Audio Tour

Quinn Smith Jr. headshotCreated by Quinn Smith, Jr. through Duke Gardens’ Equity Through Stories Program. Quinn is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw and a 2023 graduate from Duke University’s Trinity College.

Visit Quinn’s website.