Native American Heritage

The Native American population in the United States is estimated to be around 9.7 million people according to the 2020 census, representing 2.9 percent of the total US population. There are 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States, with many tribes recognized on the state level. 

North Carolina is home to over 130,000 Native Americans and eight state and federally recognized tribes. They include the Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Haliwa Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of Saponi, Sappony, and the Waccamaw Siouan. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are the only federally recognized tribe in the state. There are four Urban Indian Organizations, the Cumberland County Association for Indian People, Guilford Native American Association, Metrolina Native American Association, and Triangle Native American Association.  Visit the NC Commission of Indian Affairs for more information on North Carolina's tribal communities, including a calendar of North Carolina American Indian events.

Why are Powwows Important?

Throughout the history of the United States, several policies have been put in place to prohibit Native people from gathering. In 1833, the U.S. government deemed Native gatherings as direct threats to Christianity and passed the Religious Crimes Act. The law limited Native ceremonies and gatherings and banned cultural acts such as dancing. Amended in 1933, the law removed Native dance from the Act’s limitations. Legislation such as the Indian New Deal/Indian Reorganization Act in 1937 continued placing federal limitations on how often Native communities could gather, who could participate, and what traditions could be shared. It was not until 1978, when the U.S. government passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, that Native communities were openly allowed to practice and teach their culture. This act along with the Indian Civil Rights Act (1968), the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975), Indian Child Welfare Act (1978) and the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, a slow reversal of policies intended to methodically erase Native culture and communities began. 

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Native people being granted U.S. citizenship. Native people were not citizens when they helped the U.S. government win World War I with the skills and expertise of Native Code Talkers, who came from the Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, and other tribes. The Code Talkers were also instrumental in World War II, especially in the Pacific theater, improving the speed and safety of secret war messages. 

Health Disparities

The Indian Health Service (IHS) provides services for members of the 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and their descendants.  The IHS is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS strives for maximum tribal involvement in meeting the health needs of its service population, who live mainly on or near reservations and in rural communities.

The American Indian and Alaska Native people have long experienced lower health status when compared with other Americans. Lower life expectancy and the disproportionate disease burden have been correlated to social determinants of health, including lack of access to adequate education, disproportionate poverty, discrimination in delivery of health care and related services, cultural differences and historical trauma. 

In 2021, the leading causes of death in American Indians and Alaska Natives were COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and chronic liver disease. Additionally, high-priority Healthy People 2030 objectives with the greatest disparities impacting American Indians and Alaska Natives include death by suicide, drug overdose deaths, and food insecurity.

American Indians and Alaska Natives have the lowest life expectancy among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2022 the average estimated life expectancy at birth for American Indians and Alaska Natives is 67.9 years, almost 10 years less than non-Hispanic whites.

Given the higher health status enjoyed by most Americans, the lingering health disparities of American Indians and Alaska Natives are troubling.  In trying to account for the disparities, IHS is working with health care experts, policymakers, and tribal leaders to look at many factors that impact the health of Indian people. Additional information on the IHS is available at ihs.gov.

Join Virtually or In Person for the 29th Annual NC American Indian Heritage Celebration! 

The AIHC—with support from its community partners, the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs and the North Carolina American Indian Commission—has been the culminating event in honor of American Indian Heritage Month in North Carolina for more than 25 years.

The AIHC consists of a virtual education day on Friday and an in-person festival on Saturday. The celebration highlights traditional and contemporary artistic, historical, and cultural contributions of American Indian communities in North Carolina. The consistent theme and message of AIHC, as expressed by its advisory board, is visibility: Indigenous people are still here!