The Tuscarora are comprised of seven clans – the Deer, Bear, Wolf, Turtle, Snipe, Beaver and Eel. These clans have been historically documented back to the 1700s, and are the basis of authority among all Iroquois tribes, including the Tuscarora.

Well before the arrival of Europeans in North America, the Tuscarora had migrated south and settled in the region now known as Eastern Carolina. The most numerous indigenous people in the area, they lived along the Roanoke, Neuse, Tar (Torhunta or Narhontes), and Pamlico rivers.

The tribe was known as “hemp gatherers,” using the wild plant to insulate their houses. The tribe ate a variety of foods including fish, large game such as deer and bears, as well as crops from their plantations. Corn proved to be the most vital crop of the Tuscarora, and tribe members specifically enjoyed crayfish.

Many Tuscarora children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have cornhusk dolls, toys, and games, such as one game where kids tried to throw a dart through a moving hoop.

Catawba. In the Piedmont Region, the Siouan-speaking Catawba Indians were friendly to the settlers.

The Cape Fear Indians were considered natives of South Carolina because of Carolina colonial land disputes, which made the land south of the Cape Fear River part of South Carolina. William Hilton made the first attempt at English settlement in the Cape Fear in 1662, at the behest of a group from New England.

He became interested in settling in the Cape Fear area and encouraged others in South Carolina to settle there as well. Most settlers were attracted to this region by vast amounts of unclaimed land that were available and by commercial opportunities offered by the Cape Fear River.