Local historian discusses history of indigenous peoples in southern West Virginia

FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WVNS) — A local historian said the New River Gorge and surrounding region was once shared by various Native American tribes.

Karen Vuranch, a celebrated historical actor who also taught Appalachian studies at Concord University, said on Monday, October 14, 2024, northern tribes such as the Shawnee, Iroquois, Delaware and the southern Cherokee tribe spent summers hunting and fishing in southern West Virginia but spent time away during other seasons.

Ms. Vuranch said the tribes were often at war, but they found a way to keep peace as they travelled to and from the region that would later become West Virginia.

“The North-South Pass, the Seneca Trail, which is now Route 219, was a path of peace and the East-West were paths of war,” Ms. Vuranch explained. “So, if they would meet each other on an East-West path, they would have full ability to fight, but if they would pass each other going North-South, they wouldn’t fight.”

She added, white settlers likely misinterpreted the absence of the tribes from the land during some of the months to mean the Native Americans did not want the land, but she said the tribes recognized themselves as the owners.

The common cold and influenza strains brought by white settlers to Appalachia led to the deaths of 90 percent of the indigenous peoples, she added.

Vuranch said the tribes recognized themselves as owners of the land, but white settlers likely misinterpreted their absence throughout the winter months to mean the tribes did not claim the land.

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