Cape Fear Indians facts for kids

The Cape Fear Indians were a small group of Native Americans. They lived along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. This area is now known as Carolina Beach State Park.

Who Were the Cape Fear Indians?

The Cape Fear Indians were a coastal tribe. They lived near the ocean and the river. Their own name for themselves might have been Daw-hee. They called their home area Chicora.

We only know the name of one of their villages. It was called Necoes. This village was about 20 miles from the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Today, this area is in Brunswick County.

Their language is not known for sure. It might have been a Siouan language.

A Look at Their History

The Cape Fear Indians faced many challenges. One big challenge was disease.

Early Population Changes

In the 1500s, a disease called smallpox spread. It came from Spanish colonies in Florida. This disease reached the Carolinas.

In 1600, there were about 1,000 Cape Fear Indians. By 1715, a count showed only 206 people. This shows how much the population dropped.

First Meetings with Europeans

In 1662, a British colonist named William Hilton visited the Cape Fear area. He saw about 100 Native Americans there. One person from the tribe sold land to Hilton. This land included the Cape Fear River and nearby areas.

In 1664, a settlement called Charles Towne was started. But it was left empty in 1667. This happened after a war broke out. The war was between the Cape Fear Indians and the settlers. It was caused by the British taking Native Americans as slaves.

A second Charles Towne was founded in 1670. It was built near the lands of the Cape Fear Indians.

Joining Other Tribes in War

The Cape Fear Indians sometimes fought alongside other tribes. In 1712, some Cape Fear warriors joined their Catawba friends. They fought with a British leader named Colonel John Barnwell. They fought against the Tuscarora tribe.

The Tuscarora War began in North Carolina in 1711. Many tribes from South Carolina joined the fight. In 1712, Cape Fear warriors helped the British. They fought alongside the Saraw, Saxapahaw, Winyaw, and Pedee tribes. They helped defeat the Tuscarora.

After this war, most Tuscarora people moved north. They went to what is now New York and Ontario. There, they joined the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This was a group of related Iroquois tribes.

Moving and Protecting Their Rights

The Cape Fear Indians and the Winyaw tribe moved. They left their homes near the coast. They went up the Pee Dee River. A British trading post was set up there in 1716.

They eventually settled inland from Charleston. This area is now Williamsburg County, South Carolina. In 1749, the Governor and his council helped them. They gave them bullets and powder. This was to protect them.

The Cape Fear Indians had complained that Europeans were treating them badly. They were being pushed off their hunting lands. The government decided they were a peaceful people. Their right to hunt was protected by the government.

By 1808, only a few Cape Fear and Pedee Indians remained. A historian named John R. Swanton wrote about this. He said that white neighbors remembered when 30 Pedee and Cape Fear Indians lived in their old lands. But by then, only one woman, who was part Native American, represented the tribes.

See also

• In Spanish: Indios de Cape Fear para niños