LEARN NC

11.1 Statistics and general information

By Kathryn Walbert

Provided by The North Carolina Humanities Council.

Commission of Indian Affairs in the North Carolina Department of Administration
Of particular interest are:
The State and Its Tribes
This article by Gregory A. Richardson found in the North Carolina Museum of History’s Tar Heel Junior Historian 45:1 (fall 2005), provides information about the state-recognized tribes and American Indian organizations in North Carolina and the relationships between American Indian tribes and the state. The article, in pdf format, also provides some information about American Indian schools, living situations for American Indians, and stereotypes that American Indians encounter in the popular culture.
U.S. Census Bureau’s QuickFacts for North Carolina
The Census Bureau has made data from the 2000 census available online. By selecting your county or city or clicking on “Browse data sets for North Carolina,” you can find specific information about North Carolina’s American Indian population statistics from the 2000 census.
Fast Facts About American Indians
This source, from the North Carolina Museum of History’s Tar Heel Junior Historian 45:1 (fall 2005), provides brief but interesting data on American Indians in the present day, the impact of European colonization on native communities, American Indian foods, clothing, and technology, and common English words that originated with American Indian languages.
North Carolina Museum of History
The state’s history museum website includes detailed information about the exhibits and events at the museum as well as details about teacher professional development programs (including an online course on American Indians in North Carolina, Past and Present), a North Carolina American Indian History Timeline, an Artifacts area where you can search for images on specific historical topics (including many American Indian artifacts and twentieth century photographs that are viewable online) and a special section of the website “For Kids Only” with online activities, coloring pages, and more. The museum hosts an annual Native American Heritage Festival — check the Events section for information about that event and other events related to American Indian history. The North Carolina Museum of History has also made a large number of articles from the Tar Heel Junior Historian and other sources available in pdf format online. You can find a complete listing — and many of these resources are listed among the secondary sources in this set of curriculum materials.
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
The museum’s website features detailed information for potential visitors, an Education Department section that includes courses for teachers and a lesson plan on the story “How the Possum Lost Its Tail.” The plan is written for grades K-1 but includes creative ideas for using the same story with older students up through high school. There is also a helpful section offering advice for avoiding stereotypes while teaching this lesson. There is also a map of the Trail of Tears and additional information under the Exhibits & Collections heading of the website.
Museum of the Native American Resource Center
The Museum of the Native American Resource Center at UNC Pembroke provides information about current exhibits and online features about art, crafts, memories, literature, music, history, and specific events in North Carolina’s past.
National Museum of the American Indian
This website for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. offers information for visitors, details about teacher programs, and educational resources that you can use in the classroom. The site frequently adds new exhibits and online resources — for example, it currently features Native Words: Native Warriors about Navajo Code Talkers in World War II The site includes photographs, artwork, and recordings from American Indians throughout the nation, including North Carolina.
The Lumbee Indians: An Annotated Bibliography
This is a very comprehensive and up-to-date bibliography of both print and web-based resources for the study of Lumbee history and culture. It is written by Glenn Ellen Starr Stilling.