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Posted on 06/17/2004 12:38:04 PM PDT by Constitution Day
Men seek to establish Tuscarora nation in N.C.
The Associated Press
June 17, 2004 1:43 pm
ELM CITY, N.C. -- Three Tuscarora Indians have settled in tents in eastern North Carolina and decided to seek land, artifacts and self-governance they say are due to them under treaties made with their ancestors.
Timothy Jacobs, Harless E. Smith Jr. and Billy Mac Locklear, bought about 10 acres near Elm City for their self-declared nation.
"This is something we didn't start yesterday," Smith said. "We've been working on this all our lives."
They plan to add permanent buildings, such as a cookhouse and sweat lodge, and would also like to build houses on the land.
More Tuscaroras, maybe up to several hundred, are coming to Wilson County from Robeson County over time, Jacobs said. An estimated 6,000-plus Tuscarora live in Robeson County.
"This land is crying for us to come back and save a little piece of it," Locklear said. "The Tuscarora are moving back to Wilson County because this is where our home is."
The Lumbee Act of 1956 requires all American Indians in Robeson and neighboring counties to be designated Lumbee Indians. Lumbees are still lobbying for full federal recognition and benefits.
These Tuscarora maintain they have a rich history in North Carolina with a language, ancestral lands, religion and government and are not Lumbees.
The Tuscarora plan to set up on native lands under the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, Jacobs said. The act allows the Tuscarora to return to their native lands to survive, he said.
They will seek to recover their lost lands or seek monetary reparations, the rights to govern themselves, and the right to sovereignty, Jacobs said. They also want to reclaim Indian artifacts, remains and graves.
The group would like to eventually open businesses, he said, but not necessarily offer gaming. They threaten a lawsuit if negotiations fail.
The Tuscaroras have already met one roadblock. The Elm City Town Board turned down their request Tuesday to put an office rental trailer and temporary power pole on the land. Board members said they wanted more information and asked Jacobs to attend their July 13 meeting.
In October, representatives of the Tuscarora Nation plan to hold a large Native American spiritual gathering at the Elm City land, Jacobs said.
The main topic will be their status in Wilson County and how other tribes can help the Tuscarora re-establish themselves here.
Jacobs has a history of activism. He was 19 years old when he helped Eddie Hatcher take over the newsroom of The Robesonian newspaper in Lumberton on Feb. 1, 1989.
Using sawed-off shotguns, they held the newsroom hostage until Gov. Jim Martin agreed to investigate alleged local government corruption in Robeson County.
Jacobs was found not guilty after a federal trial, but the state indicted him on kidnapping charges. Jacobs fled to New York, where he was given political asylum on the Onondaga Reservation. He later accepted a plea bargain.
------ URL for this article: http://www.heraldsun.com/state/6-491955.html
I;m teasing. I just pick on the nutty pc view of Indians that is 100% Dances With Wolves.
Lots of strength to respect in Indians....I like the martial talents of some and the respect for ancestry. I hate to brag but I also think the North American Indians were the cream of the crop too....my wife is about 5% or so Creek...not unusual in Middle TN.
The ebb and flow of migrations and civilizations is sort of just how it goes....ask the Saxons or Picts or Celts. Modern civ meets bronze age....bound to be conflict.
What is Yeagley's moniker here?
Before that I'd thought it was just good propaganda ~ "Eaters of Men" and all that.
The Shawnee at the Falls on the Ohio had the same story going about themselves. Undoubtedly it reduced their national defense budget to a remarkably low level (for the times).
The sucker is GONE!
I do partake of the firewater on occasion, though.
Yes, I have a copy. It's really a treasure.
Oh, cool. More Indian-bashing. I can't get enough. < /eye-bleedingsarcasm >
I believe his screen name is Bad Eagle... in honor of his ancestor.
I hate the PC revisionism, too. My ancestors waged war in every state west of the Mississippi long before whites came. We were peaceful, most of the time, within the Iroquoian Nations, but did some serious butt-kicking on others ;0)
However, they also built an amazing society, complete with a "constitution" which, in my opinion was one of many inspirations for the Constitution we all as Americans enjoy today. Of course, that particular line of belief is controversial and really ticks some people off ;0)
I always thought it was a rumour put out by themselves for that purpose also, until my great grandmother filled me in... Personally, I'm glad it's no longer practiced. I don't really care much for the taste ;0)
Oops. I meant east of the mississippi, not west... Need sleep LOL
More "Bull-sitting" I see.
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My direct kin were some of the founding fathers of Robeson.
You know, we do have a casino in western NC:
Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel
I've never been there; I'm not much on gambling.
They plan to add permanent buildings, such as a cookhouse and sweat lodge, and would also like to build houses on the land.
...then we gonna build a big ol casino !
The Oneida were a highly organized nation that was allied with the United States in the American Revolution. "We won".
Your attitude toward treaty obligations suggests that the "uncivilized" people on this continent came from Europe (which isn't all that surprising is it).
LOL!
BTW The Native Americans of this Nation deserve tax-exempt status simply because we did move onto "their" lands. Would you believe that I believe that? I dont think we ought to tax their casinos either.
But if some tribe thinks they deserve their own Nation ala palestine and Israel I dont agree with that, and can not imagine a treaty that says they can have anything more than certain lands (course, I dont know it all) .
Native Americans did not build this country up to what it is today - at least not by themselves. A "Tuscarora Nation is inconsistant with the UNITED STAES of AMERICA and should not be considered.
Chad
Hell, my Iroquoian ancestors were brutish, aggressive, and warlike, but on the flipsde they also created a "constitutional republic" earlier than the United States did...
I misspoke. In the olden days, Native Americans were savages - I was speaking from that perspective, not modern day. Also, it is well known that alcoholism is a great problem on the reservation - one that is certainly understandable. My comment was meant to be funny - guess it wasn't.
But what the hell would I know? I'm an indian so I must constantly be in the bottle, right "Iron Matron"?
No personal insult intended. I am a product of the 1950's. What can be said?
Well, I just dislike the stereotype that indians are drunks - or that it is used as something to hurl at indians who believe something that we don't agree with.
The problem with alcoholism among american indians is nowhere near as bad as is widely believed...
Lighten up, Francis.
I'm white.
LOL! I'll bet, like me, there is a least a little Indian in all of us. As far as firewater is concerned, I dont handle it real well - I turn in to a mean gorilla.
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