Sampson County residents have many things they can share pride in throughout our communities. All one has to do is step back, take a beat and look around to see the rich traditions that make us strong and — from our agricultural heritage to our neighborly ways to the deep-rooted cultures that exist — define us as people.
Among those things we should hold tremendous pride for is the Coharie Tribe and it’s annual Pow Wow.
Held every year since 1969 on the second weekend in September, the Pow Wow is steeped in tradition. Formed 54 years ago to raise funds for the organizations’ cultural and educational activities, the Pow Wow also serves to strengthen the cultural identity of Coharie Indians.
It is, by definition, a celebration of American Indian culture in which people from diverse indigenous nations gather for the purpose of dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of their ancestors. The term Pow Wow, which derives from a curing ritual, originated in one of the Algonquian nations of the Northeast Indians.
The Coharie have always taken great pride in their heritage and put it on diplay through their annual Pow Wow year after year. They invite all of us in to take a glimpse into their culture and their heritage.
It is our hope many Sampsonians took time to participate in this year’s celebration, opening our eyes and our minds to some of the very unique and truly special things we have right here in Sampson County.
The Coharie are a special part of our citizenry — deeply faithful, intent on helping their neighbor and filled with a desire both to keep their heritage alive and to share it with others.
We are honored to call them our friends and our neighbors.
For those who don’t know much, if anything, about the Coharie people, it would be worth your time to research their history.
Briefly, the Coharie, according to information on their website, located in the southeastern region of Sampson and Harnett countie, descend from the aboriginal tribe of the Neusiok Indians. The current tribal roll has 3,032 members, with approximately 20 percent of these members residing outside the tribal communities. Historical movements, initiated by Inter-Tribal as well as White/Indian colonial hostilities, caused the Coharies to move to their present location between 1729 and 1746. Since this date, they have lived continuously as an Indian Tribe at or around the Little Coharie River.
Throughout the 1800’s, the Coharies built a political base in Sampson County. This allowed the Tribe to establish their own small subscription school for Coharie children since 1859. This was accomplished with the Tribe’s own funds and teachers. In 1911, the North Carolina General Assembly gave the Coharies their own school system. While the state legislature rescinded its permission for the school system in 1913, it reinstated the separate Coharie school system four years later as a result of tribal activity, which included a published book on the Tribes’ history. The Coharies were given the East Carolina Indian School (ECI) in 1943. This was a high school for tribal members that also serviced Native American students from several surrounding counties. Governor Melville Broughton gave the main address during the dedication services. The original ECI building now serves as the current Coharie Tribal Administrative Offices.
The contemporary Coharie community consists of four main settlements: Holly Grove, New Bethel, Shiloh, and Antioch. Within these Coharie settlements are a number of Indian churches. The churches are the center of Coharie activities. It is through the churches that families interact, the elders are honored, and the social rules enforced. The Coharies’ sense of themselves is manifested most clearly through their religious activities.
And, the Coharie Tribe continues to facilitate and provide services to the enrolled members of the Tribe in the areas of housing, economic development, employment, educational opportunities, tribal enrollment, cultural arts, health and community services.
We thank the Coharie for their example and for helping make Sampson a wonderful community in which to live and raise a family.
Local News
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