Indigenous Carolinians - by Webb (Paperback)

About the Book

"Utilizing traditional academic and Indigenous research methodologies, this comprehensive work decolonizes our understanding of Carolina's Indigenous People of yesterday and today and presents the complete histories and cultures of the region's First Peoples. The author, enrolled Tuscarora citizen David Rahahetih Webb, shares the unique insights and perspective of an Indigenous author, historian, scientist, educator, artist, and community culture keeper as he examines the oral histories, languages, and cultures of four diverse ethnolinguistic groups. [The ancestors of today's tribal communities belonged to the pre-contact nations between the Rappahannock River of present- day Virginia and the Edisto River of South Carolina.] Although among the first to be colonized on this continent, rather than disappearing, these groups underwent ethnogenesis and adapted. They joined the newcomers in commerce, love, and war. They partnered with politicians, married traders, and other free people. They fought in wars beside and against the colonists and formed alliances that would divide ancient kinships. Throughout this time, they were disenfranchised, persecuted, and all but erased by the newcomers. Powerful and sophisticated societies found themselves as stateless diasporic refugees, coalesced into small bands where they spoke English. Except for the Catawba, Tuscarora, and remnants on a few reservations, their tribal identities faded, and they collectively referred to themselves as their race - Indian. After reorganizing their tribal governments in the twentieth century, they reawakened their identities and reclaimed their heritage. This is their complete journey"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

This comprehensive work decolonizes our understanding of Carolina's Indigenous People and presents the complete histories and cultures of the region's First Peoples. Applying traditional academic and Indigenous research methodologies, the author examines the oral histories, languages, and cultures of four diverse ethnolinguistic groups. These groups, although among the first to be colonized on this continent, underwent ethnogenesis and adapted. They partnered with politicians, married traders, and other free people. They fought in wars beside and against the colonists and formed alliances that would divide ancient kinships. They were disenfranchised, persecuted, and all but erased by the newcomers.

Powerful and sophisticated societies became stateless diasporic refugees, coalesced into small bands where they spoke English. Except for the Catawba, Tuscarora, and remnants on a few reservations, their tribal identities faded, and they collectively referred to themselves as their race--Indian. After reorganizing their tribal governments in the twentieth century, they reclaimed their identities and heritage. This is their complete journey.

Review Quotes

"David Rahahę́-tih Webb's Indigenous Carolinians offers a deeply respectful and well-researched account of the Ękwehę̀-we (Indigenous or real people) of the Carolinas and Virginia, tracing our histories from ancient times to the present. I found this work both grounding and affirming. Rahahę́-tih weaves oral tradition, language, archaeology, and ethnography into a narrative that uplifts our voices and challenges long-held colonial assumptions. For those seeking clarity, validation, or a deeper connection to our past, this book is more than history, it is medicine. It reminds us that our stories are not lost, but have simply been waiting to be retold in our own voices, on our own terms."--Thrarę́anęh (Greg Holman), Meherrin Historian and Language Revitalization Administrator

"Indigenous Carolinians adds to a growing number of community voices about the Native history and culture of the southern Mid-Atlantic. Using primary sources, oral traditions, and works in history and anthropology, David Rahahęì-tih Webb provides readers valuable insights and an insider's perspective into the Indigenous past and contemporary descendant communities of the eastern Carolinas."--Buck Woodard, assistant professor of Anthropology and Native Studies, William & Mary

About the Author

David Rahahę-tih Webb is an award-winning author, artist, conservationist, scientist, and historian. He is a citizen of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina and resides on his traditional territory.