Lumbee Indians

The Lumbee, also known as People of the Dark Water, are a mixed-race, state-recognized Native American tribe primarily located in Robeson County, North Carolina, who claim to be descended from numerous Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands who once inhabited the region. The Lumbee have been shown to have connections with other tri-racial isolate groups, such as the Melungeons, using historical documents. The Lumbee take their name from the Lumber River, which winds through Robeson County. Pembroke, North Carolina, in Robeson County, is their economic, cultural, and political center. According to the 2000 United States census report, 89% of the population of the town of Pembroke identified as Lumbee; 40% of Robeson County's population identified as Lumbee. The Lumbee Tribe was recognized by North Carolina in 1885. In 1956, the U.S. Congress passed the Lumbee Act, which recognized the Lumbees as being American Indians but denied them the benefits of a federally recognized tribe. In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to advance the tribe's recognition.