Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation
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The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation claim to be descendants of the Saponi and other Siouan-speaking Indians who occupied the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia. The community is located primarily in Pleasant Grove Township, Alamance County, North Carolina. The tribe currently maintains an office in Mebane, where it carries out programs to benefit the roughly 700 tribal members.

No documentation exists linking members of the tribe to the historical Saponi tribe. After warfare in the Southeast in the 18th century, most of the remaining Saponi tribe members went north in 1740 for protection with the Iroquois. After the American Revolution, they relocated with the Iroquois in Canada, as they had been allies of the British. The Saponi disappeared from the historical record in the Southeast.

The tribe owns 25 acres of land in the old "Texas" community of Pleasant Grove Township, where it is developing a tribal center facility. This will include a reconstructed 1700 Occaneechi village, museum, log farm from the 1880s, community meeting space, and classroom areas.

Recognition

The Occaneechi-Saponi are recognized by the state of North Carolina.

Although the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs (NCCIA) originally opposed granting recognition, an administrative law judge found that the Occaneechi-Saponi met the established guidelines and recommended that the commission grant tribal recognition to the petitioners. This recommendation became the final decision of the case when the commission failed to issue a final decision within the time limits set forth in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 150B-44 (1991).

The Commission did appeal this decision, but the Supreme Court of North Carolina denied review and dissolved a temporary stay in 2001. (see 354 N.C. 365, 556 S.E.2d 575 (2001). This meant that the recommendation of the administrative judge held.

Activities

The tribe holds an annual Pow-wow on the second weekend in June on its tribal property on Daily Store Road, ten miles north of Mebane. The number for the tribal office is 919-304-3723.

See also

• Occaneechi

External links

• The Voice of the Occaneechi Nation, Official website

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