The Meherrin Indian Tribe is a

state-recognized tribe State-recognized tribes in the United States are Native American tribes or heritage groups that do not meet the criteria for federally recognized Indian tribes but have been recognized by state government through laws, governor's executive orders ...

and nonprofit organization in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Its members identify as descendants of the

Meherrin people The Meherrin people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who spoke an Iroquian language. They lived between the Piedmont and coastal plains at the border of Virginia and North Carolina. The Meherrin Indian Tribe is a state- ...

. This group is not

federally recognized This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes are legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States.

as a

Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, Indigenous tribe, or Tribal nation may be any current or historical Tribe (Native American)#Other uses, tribe, band, or nation of Native Americans in ...

. The Meherrin Indian Tribe says their

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

is Kauwets'a:ka, which translates to "People of the Water."

Organization

The Meherrin Indian Tribe was founded in 1976 and incorporated a

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 5 ...

on February 15, 1977. George E. Pierce of Winton, North Carolina, is the registered agent. The officers as of 2021 were: * Acting Chief: Jonathan Caudill * Secretary: Dorthy McAuly * Treasurer: Tomika Brown * Counncilman: Jerome James. They have more than 900 members.

Identity

In the 1990s, the member claimed descent from Sallie M. Smith Lewis (ca. 1844–1904), who they described as "the last full-blooded Meherrin Indian." In 2011, they identified as descendants of Meherrin people who they said lived on

Potecasi Creek Potecasi Creek is a long 4th order tributary to the Meherrin River in Hertford County, North Carolina. This is the only stream of this name in the United States. Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also ...

in North Carolina. The historical

were last described as living in North Carolina in 1763. The proposed finding by the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

Office of Acknowledgment found that "evidence does not demonstrate that Sallie M. (Smith) Lewis or the historical landowners allegedly near Potecasi Creek were Indian, Meherrin Indian, or members of a Meherrin Indian or other Indian tribe."

State-recognition

The State of North Carolina designated the Meherrin Indian Tribe as

in 1986.

Petition for recognition

In 1995, the Meherrin Indian Tribe filed a petition with the

for federal acknowledgment of existence as an Indian tribe. The proposed finding by the Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) declined their petition and ruled that "The petitioner has not documented, nor has the OFA identified a historical Indian tribe, or tribes that combined, from which its members descend."

Activity

The Meherrin Indian Tribe hosts an annual

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...

held on their dance grounds between Ahoskie and

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

. They also maintain a garden. The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation have given grants to the Meherrin Indian Tribe.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meherrin Indian Tribe Cultural organizations based in North Carolina Non-profit organizations based in North Carolina State-recognized tribes in the United States 1976 establishments in North Carolina 1977 establishments in North Carolina Meherrin