The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-04

tans and the latter have no language
of their own while the Cherokee
have a really musical language. the !
alphabet for which was invented ~ :
one of their most famous chiefs
Seauoiah, and was promptly used n
placing the Bible, hymns. n various
books before these people, who own !
their and altogether. are not citizens :
of North Carolina, n are educated
by the United States IN their own
schools. having a central school and
a number of what nay be termed
grammar schools, that is preparatory
this being also the case among tho
CroatanS.
Have Few Traditions.
There are something like 1000 al,
the Croatans. These have few Indian
habits except the love for hunting ami
fishing, habits which among tina
Cherokees have literally swept away
all the game and most of the fish.
The Croatans have relatively few ira
ditionS and these are misty Some
years ago one Of their number went
to Washington and gave President
Roosevelt IN invitation to visit Roa-
noke Island as the place where they
originated.
1t does not seem from what can hs
gathered that the Indians lived on
Roanoke Island, but went there on
boats in fayOrab bic weather. They had
only dugoutS and Were afraid OF larg,
bodies Of water. very naturally. or
account Of storms. On the island
the whites is the really quite clear
outline Of the little star-shaped fort.
Some Of the ablest men in the
State, who have looked from every
point of view at the case, hold to the
| opinion that the whites left on Roa.
| nnkn Island h ar6-n~pSSai hu tHa
hatred of the Indians, among whom
they had but few friends, tried to get
now the only trace Of Tx
away and so went very probably
northWard: that the men among them
were killed, the women carried off.
and possibly some Of the children.
Anyway they faded away and their
fate is one Of the profound mystic
ries. This s~upposition is much more
probable than one that they went or
were taken SO far ~up-Country, for
the Indians lived in belts or sections
very we'll marked.
The Indians seem to have kept
quite closely to these belts or sec
tions as to residence, though they
tramped here and there upon occa-
sion, some Of the more war-like tribes
on plundering or killing trips, which
may be called wars, and at certain
seasons a good many Of the tribes
went on long trips, as they were then
no doubt thought to be, to the coast.
to get fish and the oysters. These up
country Indians in other words went
to the seaside resorts very much like
people do today, and there are plenty
Of signs in the shape Of the long
mounds here and there, Of the guam
titles OF oysters and other shell-hsh
which the Indians d%evoured.
1t has been remarked that it has
not been many years since this mat.
ter Of attempted Identification of the
C%roatans, h people now officially
"tpe Indians of Robson County" was
movement is Mr.. Mcmillan, who has
published two or three pamphlets
about it. very ingeniously thought GU
and prepared.
Ask For Recognition.
The Croatans are now trying to ge'
the United States to give them recog
milton as wards of the nation, in som
form or other. They live in a verI
fertile country and many if not mos
Of them w the places in which they
live. Mr.. Mcmillan says that wher
the first white settlers found then
some Of them owned slaves. II thi:
were true the slaves must have beer
other Indians, taken captives, 70
some Of the Indian tribes had thi
habit. When in 1912 the Yemasse'
) Indians. over 1000 strong. came VI
from the coast country of South Caro-
lima to help the governor Of this col
ony, Thomas Pollock, exterminat
) the Tuscarora Indians who a mas
sacred hundreds Of the white settler
} the year before, they promptly cam
I on condition hat they could TAX,
; plenty OF Tuscorora captives HON,
! with them as slaves and could also d
a lot Of plundering, quite in the Mex
: can fashion.
The United States Government i
evidently digging after authentic in
formation, cold facts. about the Croa
tans. What Uncle Sam goes after II
7 generally gets, and his decision O.
! this interesting subject, after dull
weighing all the evidence submitted
I will get not a little attention TIL
: fate of the so-called Lost Colony
5 has attracted attention in both Eng
land and the United States. Elber