The Robesonian., 1910-02-14
A PROTEST.

Want Their Original Name .
and are not Pursuing a
Shadow.
T, the Editor of The Robesonian:
Isend a prot est in regard to the
Indian people Of Rooenson coun-
ty pursuing shadow. i
have nouced several comments
in The Ropesonian and also clip
pings from other papers in the
State relative to the Indians,
the desire to change their name
to Cherokee. Now the ql e ;tion
that seems to be the issue is,
Why do they want their name1
Changed? The name "Croatan"
does not me an anything, in the
1irst place, only oesignates the
place where Gov. Whlle's colony
had gone TO. All who are famil-
lar with the early history OF
North Carolina know that Gov.
White lett this instruction with
lis people, that if lhey were car
l..l away ty violence to mark
the Christian cross on the tt ees,
but if they left Of their own ac-
cord to designst, the place on
the trees. On mis- return he found
tne word "Croatan" carved on
me trees. Of course that showed
him where they had gone. 1t any
one can prove to me by the his
tory Of our otate that there ever
was tribe of Indians known as
Crotans [ will consider it a great
favor. The Indians OF Robson
known az Croatans have been
christened py word carved or
tree, and it does not mean any
tribe or blood.
| hope it will be distinctly un-
derstood that we are not enthus-
ed nor do we entertain any hope
of getting any of the millions
spoken of by The News and OBJ
server. That is only a myth. We
are only trying to fix our pres
tige among the Indian tribes OF
the United States. There were
several great tribes of Indians
in North Carolina and we have
gotten together all the data ano
early history Of North Carolina,
coupled with tradition, and by
careful study we are sure tina,
we are a branch Of the Chero
hees. Mr.. Ii. Mcmillan, in his
History of Sir Walter Raleigh's
Lost Colony" admits, chapter 4
Page rs, that the Croatans Were
branch of the Cherokees
Upon full ther investigation
we find in the Bureau of Ameri
can Ethnology, volume l of Ear
ly Colonial Statutes, that MIR
Mcmillan and the greatest au
thority we have on record agree
Now the service these India
peoples rendered the early whit
settlers ought to be evidenc
enough to slow the nigh regar
they Rave ever had for the whit
man. In 1713 they fought side b
side with the white soldiers an
put down the warlike tribe of tn
Tuscaroi as. OF the 600 men er
gagged, 2l8 were Cherokees. W
have proved that Col. John Low
ry, of the Qullough Reservation
who was a great Cherokee chic
was OF the same Lowry famil
that live in Robson today.
We are vely grateful to tt
people of North Carolina and e
peclally OF Robson county f,
what they have done tor us, ar
we, as the vanishing race, star
with bowed heads and quiet
submit to the inevitable, b
can't see why it would call for
much comment because we wa
our original name. When the w
was on in North Carolina f
white supremacy we stood wi
the white people. and MIR. S. NJ
Intyre and Mr.. Oliver were ele,
ed; and there was commit
OF Indians. | among the numb,
that met in Lumberton and as
ed for some special legislati
for us; and it was granted, than
to them But the law providi
for an asylum for our insa
=. seems to be Of no effect. A i
was passed and provision ma
in the Central Hospital at R
eigh for our insane and inet
ates, yet when Mrs. MolIie Ha
lnond Locklea,, wife of MIR.
LOcklear, of + tairmont, beca
insane she was taken by WI
officers of Robson county t.
negro insane asylum. There '
no place for her, it seemed, /;