Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc.

Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc.
Named afterGreat Coharie Creek, Little Coharie Creek
Formation1911,[1] 1978[2]
Typestate-recognized tribe,[3] nonprofit organization[2]
EIN 56-1187928[2]
PurposeS30. Economic Development[2]
Location
Membership2,700[4]
Official language
English
Tribal Administrator
Greg Jacobs[4]
Chairperson
Phillip Strickland[4]
Chief
Ammie Gordon "Gordie" [4]
Revenue$835,656[5] (2019)
Expenses$743,463[5] (2019)
Websitecoharietribe.org
Formerly called
Croatan Indians of Samson County,[1] Coharie Tribe of North Carolina,[6] Coharie Indian People, Inc.[7]

The Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc., is a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina.[3] The headquarters are in Clinton, North Carolina.[5]

Formerly known as the Coharie Indian People, Inc.,[7] and the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina, the group's 2,700 members primarily live in Sampson and Harnett counties.[4] Their chief is Ammie Gordon "Gordie".[4]

The group identifies as descendants of "certain tribes of Indians originally inhabiting the coastal regions of North Carolina."[6] In 1910, residents of Herrings Township along the Coharie creeks identified as being of Croatan descent.[8] Genealogist Paul Heinegg claims the group is of invented origins.[9]

Nonprofit organization

In 1978, Coharie Intra Tribal Inc. formed as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Clinton, North Carolina, and Freddie Carter serves as the organization's principal officer.[2] Its mission is to "provide housing, economic development, health, social services assistance and maintenance of the tribal roll for the members of the Coharie Tribe."[2] They have four employees.[5]

The organization operates a HUD/NAHASDA housing project with $557,380 in revenue and $550,186 in expenses for 20 unites.[2] Another program removed debris from the Coharie River after a hurricane, and another provided COVID-19 relief to members.[2]

Leadership positions, as of January 2026, included:

  • Chairperson: Phillip Strickland[4]
  • Tribal Administrator: Greg Jacobs
  • Vice Chairperson: Sharon Williams
  • Secretary: Magic Gomez
  • Council Member: Daniel Robbins
  • Council Member: Gnaynelle Ammons Faircloth
  • Council Member: Dawn Chumley
  • Council Member: Shelby Autry[citation needed]

State recognition

In 1911, North Carolina first recognized the Croatan Indians of Samson County.[1]

The state of North Carolina formalized its recognition process for Native American tribes and created the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs (NCCIA) in 1971.[10] North Carolina formally recognized the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina as a state-recognized tribe on July 20, 1971.[6]

The state recognized the site of their historic tribal school with a historical marker in 2024. Built in 1901, the children of the tribe attended the school for decades due to segregation. The tribal headquarters is now located at the site.[11]

Petition for federal recognition

Romie G. Simmons sent a letter of intent to petition for federal recognition on behalf of the Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc., on March 13, 1981.[12] The organization never followed through with a petition for federal recognition as a Native American tribe.[13]

Activities

The Coharie Indian Cultural Pow Wow takes place in every September every year.[14]

E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, a member of the Coharie Intra-tribal Council and Navajo descendant, served as a Government Affairs Group Associate with the National Congress of American Indians and became a counsel to the assistant secretary in the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2007.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Butler, George Edwin (1916). The Croatan Indians of Sampson County, North Carolina. Their Origin and Racial Status. Durham, NC: Seeman Printery. p. 31.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Coharie Intra Tribal Inc". GuideStar. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "NC Tribal Communities". NC Department of Adminstration. North Carolina. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d "Coharie Intra-Tribal Council". CauseIQ. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Chapter 71A. Indians". NC General Assembly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  7. ^ a b Cumulative List of Organizations Described in Section 170 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. United States. Internal Revenue Service. 1980. p. 240.
  8. ^ Butler, George Edwin (1916). The Croatan Indians of Sampson County, North Carolina: Their Origin and Racial Status. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library. ISBN 978-1-4696-4181-2. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  9. ^ Heinegg, Paul (2021). Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820. Sixth Edition. Vol. I - Families Abel to Drew. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 27. ISBN 9780806359298. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  10. ^ "Commission of Indian Affairs". North Carolina Department of Administration. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  11. ^ Scofield, Sydnee (August 25, 2024). "Coharie Tribe honored with long-awaited symbol of state recognition: 'A million emotions'". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Federal Acknowledgment Process Reform Act. Washington, DC: US Congress Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. 2004. p. 156. ISBN 9780160733444.
  13. ^ "Coharie". Indian Affairs. US Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  14. ^ "Coharie Pow Wow Festival". Sampson County. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  15. ^ "Artman Names E. Sequoyah Simermeyer as Counsel to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs". Indian Affairs. US Department of the Interior. September 11, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatan_Indians_of_Samson_County