The Sappony are a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina, United States.[2] They claim descent from the historic Saponi people, an eastern Siouan language-speaking tribe who occupied the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia. They share kin relationships with free people of color, such as the Melungeons.[7]
 Official seal of the Sappony | |
| Named after | Saponi people |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1997 (nonprofit) |
| Type | state-recognized tribe,[2] nonprofit organization[1] |
| EIN 56-1966338[1][3] | |
| Legal status | Trade associations; business and community development organization; arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit, chariy[1] |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness;[1] P20: Human Services[3] |
| Headquarters | Virgilina, Virginia[3] |
| Location |
|
| Members | 850 |
Official language | English |
Executive Director | Dante Desiderio[1] |
Treasurer | Charlene Martin[1] |
| Revenue | $542,461[4] (2024) |
| Expenses | $489,519[4] (2024) |
| Funding | grants, contributions, investment income and dividends[1] |
| Website | sappony |
Formerly called | Indians of Person County[5] and Cherokee-Powhatan Indian Association[6] |
They were historically called the Indians of Person County.[5] They are based in Roxboro, the seat of Person County, North Carolina.[1]
The Sappony are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe. They petitioned for recognition twice: in 1984 as Cherokee[6] and in 2001 as Saponi.[8][2][9][10]
Nonprofit organization
editIn 1996, the Sappony formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named the High Plains Indians.[1]
In 2024, Dante Desiderio served as the High Plains Indians' executive director, and Charlene Martin served as the treasurer.[4]
Their 2024 revenue was approximately $542,461, and expenses were $489,519.[11] Their 2024 assets were approximately $2.15 million.[3] Contributions comprised 98.6% of their revenue, while investment income made up 1.4%.[3]
Administration
editIn 2024, the administration of the Sappony was as follows.[4]
- Otis K. Martin, Tribal Chief
- Dorothy Stewart Yates, Chairperson[3]
- Charlene Y. Martin, Treasurer
- Teryn Emily Brewington, Secretary
- Dante Desiderio, Executive Director[4]
- Seven Elected Family Representatives[citation needed]
Board members include Jennifer Talley Ash, Angela Martin Caudle, Krystal Stewart Glasscock, Tonda Coleman Huddleston , William T. Paul, Curtis Shepherd, and Kara Stewart.[3][4]
History
editThe ancestors of the Sappony were initially classed as free Black people, before being designated as Indians.[12] Following the precedent of the Lumbee, the group initially referred to themselves as Croatan Indians in order to acquire funding for separate Indian schools.[13] In a 1911 revision of a 1905 law, North Carolina described them as "Indians", and stated "the persons residing in Person County supposed to be descendants of a friendly tribes of Indians and White's Lost Colony, once residing in the eastern portion of this State, and known as 'Cubans,' and their descendants, shall be known and designated as the Indians of Person County."[14]
Activities
editThe Sappony have three active programs: the Sappony Sovereign Continuity Project, Cultural Heritage Youth Outreach Programs, and Economic and Community Development Programs.[4]
See also
editNotes
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "High Plains Indians". Cause IQ. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- 1 2 3 "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "High Plains Indians Inc". Nonprofit Explorer. Propublica. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "High Plains Indians Inc". Candid. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- 1 2 Mark Edwin Miller, Claiming Tribal Identity, page 382.
- 1 2 "List of Petitioners by State" (PDF). BIA. p. 37. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ Hashaw, Tim (2006). Children of Perdition. Melungeons and the Struggle of Mixed America. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. p. 38. ISBN 9780881460742. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ Linton, Brenda; Stewart, Leslie. "Economic Development Assessment for the High Plains Sappony Tribe". Web Archive. pp. 7, 17. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ "Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA)". Indian Affairs. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ↑ "Sappony search". US Department of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ↑ "990 Form for High Plains Indians Inc". Candid. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ Ashe, Samuel A'Court (1925). History of North Carolina: From 1783 to 1925. C.L. Van Noppen. p. 416. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Dial, Heather Kimberly (2007). "Struggling for Voice in a Black and White World". In Kim Tolley (ed.). Transformations in Schooling Historical and Comparative Perspectives. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-230-60346-2. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Public Laws and Private Laws of the State of North Carolina (other Slight Variations). Raleigh, NC: State of North Carolina. 1913. p. 24.
References
edit- Miller, Mark Edwin (2013). Claiming Tribal Identity: The Five Tribes and the Politics of Federal Acknowledgment. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806143781.
- Woodard, Buck; Moretti-Langholtz; Hasselbacher (July 2017). The High Plains Sappony of Person County, North Carolina and Halifax County, Virginia (PDF). Williamsburg, VA: College of William & Mary, Department of Anthropology, Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Historic Resources.
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