personal identity. 



"Participation in the powwow 

 demonstrates a high level of commit- 

 ment to Indian heritage and ancestry," 



EASTERN NORTH 

 CAROLINA INDIANS 

 SUCH AS THE 

 HALIWA-SAPONIS, 

 THE COHARIES AND 

 THE LUMBEES 

 HAVE RENEWED 

 THE SEARCH BY 

 RECORDING ORAL 



HISTORIES OF 

 ELDERMEMBERS. 

 MANY HAVE 

 MASTERED 

 TRADITIONS LIKE 

 BEADWORKAND 

 ARROW-MAKING 



TO TEACH 

 TO THE YOUNG. 



she says. "It provides a way for the 

 tribal community to publicly demon- 

 strate its own commitment to its 

 Indian identity." 



The struggle to reclaim the 

 Waccamaws' lost heritage continued 

 when the festival site at the lake was 

 sold. In 1971, the International Paper 

 Co. donated 5 acres to the Waccam- 

 aws for use as tribal grounds. 



Again, Chief Jacobs heard the 

 Wind. "I just knew the Spirit wanted 

 that," she says. 



That same year, the N.C. Commis- 

 sion of Indian Affairs officially 

 recognized the Waccamaw-Siouans, 

 entitling them to political and eco- 

 nomic assistance. And community 

 leaders founded the Waccamaw- 

 Siouan Development Association to 

 act as a conduit for community 

 programs. 



The association, a nonprofit 

 program guided by an elected board, 



took the lead in addressing area 

 problems such as poverty and 

 education. Yet a focus remained on 

 reclaiming the tribe's cultural heri- 

 tage. They began to sponsor the 

 powwow, and in the late 1970s 

 started a successful heritage project. 



With a grant from the N.C. 

 Humanities Council, the association 

 held workshops so tribal members 

 could learn the skills and techniques 

 their ancestors used hundreds of years 

 ago to make baskets, pottery and 

 other items. 



"We went back to nature and dug 

 clay, and with natural tools we 

 molded the clay into pottery," says 

 Jackie Jacobs, WSDA's acting 

 director, as she fingers a small, terra- 

 cotta colored bowl. "Some really nice 

 pieces came out of these workshops." 



No archeological survey has been 

 conducted in the region, but pottery 

 and arrows are two artifacts that have 

 been found. The findings substantiate 

 the stories Chief Jacobs heard her 

 grandparents tell of the Waccamaws 

 burying their wares at the Cape Fear. 

 They buried the pottery so they 

 wouldn't have to carry it when they 

 migrated to Lake Waccamaw, she 

 recounts. They left behind another set 

 at the lake when time came to move 

 east again. 



The lake offered a bounty of 

 resources for Waccamaw ancestors, 

 as well as for tribal members partici- 

 pating in the "cultural rediscovery" 

 workshops. They used shells such as 

 mussels for carving tools or shaping 

 arrows and knives. 



In other workshops, cattail reeds 

 from the county's ditches were 

 woven into beautiful baskets. Locally 

 grown gourds became hand-crafted 

 dippers and bowls. 



Moore, Chief Jacobs and other 

 tribal members continue to teach 



children and others interested in 

 learning the skills as an outreach 

 project. Many of the items made by 

 tribal members are marketed in the 

 Wap-Ka-Hare Trading Post run by the 

 association on the tribal grounds. 



The workshops sparked a rejuve- 

 nation in the ancient crafts. The 

 enthusiasm fostered plans for an 

 interpretive center for archives, 

 artifacts and education. 



Tribal leaders and the WSDA 

 recognized, though, that the 

 Waccamaws needed to dig deeper to 

 find their roots. In 1981, they hired 

 Lerch of UNC-W to research their 

 community and its history. At the 

 time, the Waccamaws were looking at 

 guidelines for petitioning the federal 

 government to become a federally 

 recognized tribe. The recognition, still 

 elusive, would entitle them to services 

 and programs of the U.S. Bureau of 

 Indian Affairs. 



18 SEPTEMBER! OCTOBER 1992 



