Occaneechi facts for kids
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1160 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States (North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio) | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerly the Occaneechi language | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Saponi, Tutelo, Biloxi, and Ofo peoples |
The Occaneechi (also called Occoneechee or Akenatzy) are Native Americans. In the 1600s, they mostly lived on a large island about 4 miles long. This island was near where the Dan and Roanoke rivers meet, close to what is now Clarksville, Virginia.
They spoke a language from the Siouan languages family. This means they were related to groups like the Saponi, Tutelo, and Eno. These groups also spoke Siouan languages and lived in the Piedmont area of today's North Carolina and Virginia.
In 1676, during a conflict called Bacon's Rebellion, the Occaneechi tribe was attacked. Militias from the Colony of Virginia greatly reduced their numbers. Also, more European settlers arrived, bringing new diseases that harmed the Native American populations. Because of these challenges, the Saponi and Tutelo tribes moved to live near the Occaneechi on nearby islands.
By 1714, the Occaneechi joined the Tutelo, Saponi, and other Siouan people. They moved to a special area, a reservation, in what is now Brunswick County, Virginia. This area included a fort called Fort Christanna. At this time, the Siouan people's total numbers had dropped to about 600. Fort Christanna closed in 1717. After that, there are not many written records about the Occaneechi. Colonists wrote that the Occaneechi left the area in 1740. They moved north to find safety with the Iroquois people.
During the 1800s and 1900s, some remaining Siouan people came together. They worked hard to keep their Native American identity. In the late 1900s, they formed a group called the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. In 2002, the state of North Carolina officially recognized this tribe. Most members of the tribe now live in Alamance and Orange Counties.
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What's in a Name?
The meaning and origin of the name Occaneechi are not known. Over time, they have been called by many different names. Some of these names include Achonechy, Aconechos, Akenatzy, Hockinechy, and Occoneechee.
History of the Occaneechi
The 1600s
The Occaneechi were first mentioned in writing in 1650. This was by an English explorer named Edward Bland. He wrote that they lived along the Trading Path. This path connected Virginia with the lands further west in North America.
Being on the Trading Path gave the Occaneechi a special role. They acted as "middlemen" in trade. This meant they helped trade goods between Virginia and different tribes to the west. In 1673, Abraham Wood, a fur trader from Virginia, tried to bypass the Occaneechi. He sent James Needham and Gabriel Arthur to directly contact the Cherokee in the southern Appalachian Mountains. They did reach the Cherokee. However, the Occaneechi's role as trading middlemen only truly ended later. This happened when South Carolina colonists built strong trade ties with the Cherokee and other tribes.
In May 1676, the Occaneechi joined forces with Nathaniel Bacon and his British soldiers. They were fighting against the Susquehannock tribe. But the British quickly turned on their allies. They attacked three forts within the Occaneechi village. The British killed the Occaneechi leader, Posseclay. They also killed about one hundred men, and many women and children. A Susquehannock war party also attacked Occoneechee Island in the summer of 1678.
The 1700s
In 1701, explorer John Lawson visited an Occaneechi village. It was located on the Eno River near what is now Hillsborough, North Carolina. His written report, along with modern archaeological digs, helps us understand their society. It shows how they were changing quickly but also trying to keep their old crafts and ways of life.
Historian Robert Beverley, Jr. wrote in 1705 that the Occaneechi language was widely used. He said it was "understood by the chief men of many nations, as Latin is in many parts of Europe." This was true even though the Occaneechi were a small group. Beverley also noted that priests and spiritual leaders of other Virginia Indian tribes used this language for their ceremonies. Language experts believe the Occaneechi spoke a dialect of the Tutelo language, which is a Siouan language.
In 1712, Virginia's governor, Alexander Spotswood, listed the Occaneechi as one of nine Native nations in Virginia. In 1713, the Occaneechi, along with the Stuckanok, Tottero, and Saponi, signed a "Treaty of Peace" with the Virginia colony. They then moved to Fort Christanna in southeast Virginia. Occaneechi Town was almost completely empty by 1713.
The Virginia Company ran Fort Christanna from 1714 to 1717. It closed because it was not making enough money as a trading center. Several different Siouan groups lived at Fort Christanna. However, the English often just called them "Saponi" or "Fort Christanna Indians." After the fort closed in 1717, there are few mentions of the Occaneechi in colonial records. The records that do exist show continued trade between Virginia colonists and the Saponi and Occaneechi.
By 1720, after many losses from wars, the remaining Occaneechi, Saponi, and Stukanox groups decided to unite. They were not strong enough alone for defense. William Byrd II wrote that they "agreed to unite in one Body, and all of them now go under the Name of the Sapponeys."
In 1727, a settler wrote to the governor of Virginia about some violence. He said the Meherrin tribe denied attacking the Nottoway. Instead, they blamed the "Occaneechy King and the Saponi Indians." This suggests that English settlers still saw the Occaneechi and Saponi as separate groups.
In 1730, Virginia's House of Burgesses records mentioned an "Interpreter to the Saponi and Occaneechi Indians." This suggests that some Occaneechi people might have only spoken their own language. In 1730, many Saponi moved to live with the Catawba in South Carolina. But most returned to Virginia in 1733, along with some Cheraw Indians. After 1733, the Saponi groups seem to have broken into smaller parts and spread out. Some likely stayed near Fort Christanna, which was known by its Saponi name, Junkatapurse. After 1742, the settlement is no longer mentioned, only a road called Junkatapurse.
In the 1740s, the Saponi moved south to live with the Catawba. Governor Gooch of Virginia reported that the "Saponies and other petty nations associated with them ... are retired out of Virginia to the Cattawbas" between 1743 and 1747.
Most of the remaining Saponi members moved north in 1740. They sought protection with the Iroquois. After this, they mostly disappeared from historical records in the Southeast. After the American Revolution, most of the Iroquois (and Saponi) who had sided with the British moved to Canada. Their descendants mostly live at the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation reserve in Ontario. Old English-American histories usually say that the Saponi left Virginia and North Carolina in the 1700s. They either joined the Catawba or the Iroquois.
However, starting in the mid-1700s, records show Saponi living in North Carolina. Some Saponi moved from Virginia to different places in North Carolina. There is some evidence that isolated Native Americans never left these areas. They later joined with Saponi who came from Virginia.
In 1756, Moravian settlers near what is now Winston-Salem reported an Indian "fort" settlement. It was near the Haw River. The Moravians called these Indians "Cherokees." But it is more likely they were Sissipahau (Saxapahaw) or another group related to the Occaneechi. This, along with stories passed down through generations, shows that Native Americans lived in a traditional way in North Carolina's Piedmont. This was true even after such settlements were thought to have disappeared.
In 1763, Lt. Governor Francis Fauquier of Virginia wrote a letter. He described the Indians of Virginia. He said, "There are some of the Nottoways, Meherrins, Tuscaroras, and Saponys, who tho' they live in peace in the midst of us, lead in great measure the lives of wild Indians." He compared them to the Eastern Shore and Pamunkey Indians. He said these groups were more like the English. So, there were still signs of Saponi in Virginia during this time.
Archaeological Discoveries
For many years, people have found thousands of artifacts from "Occoneechee Town," "Saponi Town," and "Tutelo Town." These sites are on islands in the Roanoke River near Clarksville, Virginia. Before the islands were flooded in 1952, this was one of the richest archaeology sites on the East Coast. Since 1983, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been digging at another "Occaneechi Town." This is a village from the late 1600s and early 1700s on the Eno River. It is near what is now Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Recent History
In 1995, a community near Pleasant Grove, North Carolina started holding an annual powwow. This community includes descendants of the Occaneechi, Saponi, and Tutelo who lived at Fort Christanna. They organized themselves as the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. The state of North Carolina recognizes them, and they mostly live in Alamance County.
Today's Occaneechi and Haliwa-Saponi tribes are mostly descendants of Native American people. These people lived on the border of Virginia and North Carolina starting in the mid to late 1700s. They moved and bought land, just like their European neighbors. They lived in close communities. In the mid to late 1900s, these Native American descendants in the North Carolina and Virginia Piedmont officially took back historical names like Saponi and Occaneechi.
The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation now has 700 members. It is the eighth and smallest tribe officially recognized by the state of North Carolina. They received this official status in 2002. The tribe currently owns 25 acres of land in northeast Alamance County, North Carolina. They are building a tribal center there.
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