Before its European colonization, the Tuscarora were the most powerful and highly developed tribe in what is now eastern North Carolina.
A Coastal Plain tribe, their primary towns were on or near the Pamlico, Neuse, Roanoke, and Tar rivers. Tuscarora villages were organized into confederacies, and the most prominent included Upper Town and Lower Town confederacies.
Although the Tuscarora had lived in peace with the European colonists for more than fifty years, as a result of a quarrel having to do with the fur trade, a Lower Tuscarora tribe attacked North Carolina colonists in 1711, initiating the Tuscarora War, which lasted from September 1711 to February 1715. The war incited further conflicts between the Tuscarora and the colonists.
As a result, most of the Tuscarora migrated north to Pennsylvania and New York, where they joined the Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, thus creating the Six Nations.
Although some Tuscarora bands remained in North Carolina, none of the Tuscarora communities in North Carolina today are recognized. Only the tribes in New York and Ontario have been recognized on a government-to-government basis. Once the migration was completed in the early 18th century, the Tuscarora in New York no longer considered those remaining in North Carolina to be members of the tribal nation. The recognized Tuscarora nations are the Tuscarora Nation at Lewiston, New York, and the Tuscarora who are part of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, Canada.
Several unrecognized groups in North Carolina claim descent from the Tuscarora who remained behind in the 1700s and have organized in various configurations, although none have yet achieved state or federal recognition.
These include the Tuscarora Indian Nation of North Carolina, which was organized in Robeson County; the Southern Band Tuscarora Indian Tribe in Windsor; the Tuscarora Tribe of Indians in Maxton; the Tuscarora Nation One Fire Council at Robeson County; the Tosneoc Tuscarora Community in Wilson County, whose original homeland was in the Stantonsburg and Contentnea Creek area; the Skaroreh Katenuaka Nation; and the Cape Fear Band of Skarure Woccon, located mostly in Brunswick, Bladen, Columbus, and Pender counties, and into South Carolina.
Traditionally, the Tuscarora grew corn, and probably beans and squash as well, which would form the "three sisters" that were grown together by several American Indian tribes. They hunted deer and other game animals for food and clothing. Later, they expanded their economy by trading rum to neighboring American Indian groups.
As the British presence in North Carolina grew, they often kidnapped Tuscarora men, women, and children to be sold into slavery. The British also seized tribal lands for colonization and other purposes. These factors led to the violence that eventually culminated in the Tuscarora Wars and later conflicts that prompted the bulk of the Tuscarora to move northward to join the Iroquois Confederacy.
The Tuscarora divided over the American Revolution, in which some supported the colonists while others favored the British. Those who allied themselves with the British were granted land on the Grand River reserve in Ontario, Canada, following the British defeat.
Contemporary Tuscarora speak English, although there are efforts to revive the Tuscarora language.
Like other Iroquoian tribes, the Tuscarora lived in longhouses that were wood-framed and covered with sheets of elm bark. The longhouses were about a hundred feet long and designed to house multiple families in one. Today, longhouses are used solely for ceremonial purposes.
In this portion of our web guide, we are focusing on the Tuscarora people. Tuscarora tribes, recognized or unrecognized, are appropriate topics for this category, as are Tuscarora reservations or reserves, businesses, industries, health facilities, schools, programs, or services, whether operated by individual Tuscarora people or through the tribe.
Recommended Resources
Cape Fear Band of Skarure and Woccon Indians
Situated in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, and Pender counties in North Carolina, and extending into South Carolina, the Skarure Woccon (Cape Fear Indians) claim ancestry from the original Tuscarora tribe that inhabited the area, and the three separate communities in the Skarure confederacy: the Long Shirt Wearers, the People of the Sunken Pine/Cypress, and the Hemp Gatherers. Its affiliations and sponsorships are highlighted, and press releases and contacts are included.
https://www.skarurewoccon.com/
Skaroreh Katenuaka, Tuscarora Nation of Indians
In 2014, a group of traditionalist Tuscarora in North Carolina repossessed a parcel of land in the center of what had been the Skhawáʔkye reservation. The group contends that the land was never appropriately ceded by the correct parties, citing a 1713 treaty that recognized the Tuscarora remaining in North Carolina under Chief Tom Blount was the only party with the authority to cede the land, and they did not, therefore the reservation was never unestablished, and they are the rightful owners.
https://www.skngov.com/
Tuscarora & Six Nations Websites
Not affiliated with the Tuscarora Nation of New York or any other recognized tribal nation, the website highlights the Tuscarora people and other Haudenosaunee or Six Nations tribes or topics. Included are news items relating to the Tuscarora, video clips, treaty information, links to Six Nations museums or historical places, environmental reports, or other information relating to historical or contemporary information about the tribe or tribes, some powered by RSS.
http://www.tuscaroras.com/
Tuscarora Band of Six Nations Indians
Headquartered in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the tribe claims a membership of direct tribal descendants of the Treaty Signers for Tuscarora Indians of Six Nations who were federally acknowledged by the U.S. government, the BIA, and Congress in government-to-government tribal relations. Currently, while unrecognized, the Band claims to represent Tuscarora in North Carolina, New York, and Canada. Enrollments, tribal partnerships, programs, and contacts are posted.
https://tuscarorabandindians-govtribe.co/
Operated through the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District, the PK/K-6th grade school was originally known as Tuscarora Indian Elementary School, as it is located in the Tuscarora Nation in New York. Located on Mount Hope Road in Lewiston, New York, general information about the school, its library, health office, code of conduct, and school calendar are set forth, along with the "Tuscarora Times," a school newspaper (including archives), and a message from the principal.
https://www.nwcsd.org/tuscarora
Tuscarora Tribe of North Carolina
The Tuscarora Nation (Tribe) began seeking recognition from the State of North Carolina several years ago, claiming status as descendants of the Tuscarora people, who were once one of the most powerful and developed tribes in eastern Carolina. Currently pursuing former land claims made through treaties, their ultimate goal is to receive recognition and legal status as a tribe. Its history, chiefs, enrollment policies, upcoming events, and contacts are posted on the site.
http://www.tuscarora-tribe-nc.com/
