History of the Meherrin Indians

The Meherrin Indian Tribe is of the same linguistic stock as the Cherokee, Tuscarora, and other tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy of New York and Canada. The Meherrin Indians spoke a language that was very similar to the Tuscarora dialect. In their dialect, the tribal name "Meherrin" means "People of the Muddy Water" or the "Muddy Water People". The Europeans used various spellings of the Meherin Tribal name in documents and historical writings. These spellings include: Maherineck, Maherrins, Menheyricks, Maherine, Meherin, Meahearin, Meheren, Macherine, Maherring, Meherron, Maherin and Meharins.

Written history of the Meherrin Indians began on August 29th, 1650, when an English merchant named Edward Bland, along with five other Englishmen, one Nottoway Indian and one Appomattox Indian arrived in the Meherrin village of Cowonchahawkon on the north bank of the Meherrin River, two miles west of the present day city of Emporia, Virginia. There were two other Meherrin villages in the same vicinity; T aurara, near present day Boykins, Virginia and the village of Unote, which was on the Meherrin River between Emporia and Boykins.

The land, river, streams and creeks of the Emporia area provided basically all the materials that the Meherrin needed. Wild game and natural resources met and exceeded the needs of the Tribe. The total population of the Meherrin Tribe never exceeded 600 members at any given time.

Although our written history began in Virginia, it did not take long before the pressures of the colonists and traditional Indian enemies forced the Meherrin Indians further down the Meherrin River into Hertford County, North Carolina. They then settled at the mouth of the Meherrin River around 1706.

Because of the steady encroachment of colonists onto the reservation and European introŽduced diseases, the Meherrin Indians left the reservation and migrated into the surrounding swamps and less desirable areas of Hertford County. After becoming individual land owners, the Meherrin Indians had to conceal their identity in order to survive in the racial climate of the era. Racial prejudice prevented the Meherrin Indians from reorganizing in the late 1800' s and early 1900's, however, the events of the time (prejudices, factions in the community, governmental interference, etc.) prevented the Tribe from openly acknowledging its continued existence and Indian heritage. In 1977, the Tribe charted itself as a nonprofit organization under the leadership of the late Chief Rueben R Lewis. Since that time, the Meherrin Indians have directed most of their energies toward cultural awareness, state recognition and eventual Federal Recognition as a Tribe.

The North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs granted state recognition to the Meherrin Indian Tribe in 1986. After satisfactory compliance with state criteria for such action, the Meherrin Indians joined the Lumbee, Coharie, Waccamaw-Siouan, Cherokee and Haliwa-Saponi, all of whom are state recognized tribes. With this recognition behind us, we are now tackling the future, which will include economic development, social and cultural retention and Federal Recognition.

The present day Meherrin Indians reside in rural northeastern North Carolina with a majority of Tribal members living in Hertford County, in and around the county seat of Winton, North Carolina and others living near the Meherrin and Chowan Rivers. Many of the Tribal members travel to the neighboring state of Virginia to work in the naval shipyards. Others are employed in the area in various careers such as teachers, administrators, physicians, building contractors and agricultural workers. Many Tribal members also own businesses. The tribe has a very low unemployment rate.

Very little of the Meherrin's traditional arts and crafts have survived to the present. The present day Meherrin Indians have no knowledge of their language which has been extinct for years. In certain families, the art of brain tanning of deer hides has survived. Some knowledge of herbal use for medicinal purposes has survived as well. There has been a resurgence of interest in the traditional arts and crafts, the culture of the Meherrin and closely related tribes of Virginia and North Carolina by the present membership of the Meherrin Indian Tribe and attendance at the annual Pow-wow held the fourth weekend in October.