November is Native American Heritage Month, an opportunity for us to be mindful of our county’s rich history, diverse cultures and the important contributions of our nation’s first people.
North Carolina has the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi River and the eighth-largest Indian population in the United States. North Carolina recognizes eight tribes:
- Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation (Alamance Caswell and Orange counties)
- Eastern Band of Cherokee (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, and Swain counties)
- Coharie (Harnett and Sampson counties)
- Lumbee (Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties)
- Haliwa-Saponi (Halifax and Warren counties)
- Sappony (Person County)
- Meherrin (Bertie, Gates, Hertford and Northampton counties)
- Waccamaw-Siouan (Bladen and Columbus counties)
The Occaneechi, Haw and Eno were the first Native Americans, known and or recorded, to live within present-day Orange County. As European surveyors explored the new colony of North Carolina in the early 1700s, a man named John Lawson encountered the Occaneechi tribe while traveling along the Great Trading Path.
37th Annual Occaneechi Saponi Nation Pow-Wow
Saturday, October 22, 2022 • 10 am – 9 pm, Grand Entries at 12 pm & 6 pm
Sunday, October 23, 2022 • 10 am – 6 pm, Grand Entry at 1 pm
4902 Dailey Store Road, Burlington, NC
On Saturday October 22 and Sunday, October 23, 2022, the public is invited to learn more about the tribe through its annual Pow-Wow. https://obsn.org/event/37th-annual-occaneechi-powwow/
Held in neighboring Alamance County, 4902 Dailey Store Road in Burlington, NC, visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket, enjoy food, exhibits and a day of activities. Join John Blackfeather for a day of celebration.
The Pow Wow festivities will be held two days: Saturday and Sunday, and admission is $8 and $4 for seniors and children.
