Sappony

Sappony
High Plains Indians
Named afterSaponi people
Formation1997 (nonprofit)
Typestate-recognized tribe, nonprofit organization
Tax ID no.EIN 56-1966338
Legal statusTrade associations; business and community development organization; arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit, chariy
HeadquartersVirgilina, Virginia
LocationRoxboro, North Carolina, United States
Members850
Official language
English
Executive Director
Dante Desiderio
Treasurer
Charlene Martin
Revenue$542,461 (2024)
Expenses$489,519 (2024)
Fundinggrants, contributions, investment income and dividends
Websitesappony.org
Formerly called
Indians of Person County and Cherokee-Powhatan Indian Association

The Sappony are a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina, United States. They claim descent from the historic Saponi people, a Tutelo-speaking tribe who occupied the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia. They share kin relationships with free people of color, such as the Melungeons.

In 1911, the North Carolina state legislature first identified the Indians of Person County or Person County Indians. They are based in Roxboro, the seat of Person County, North Carolina.

The Sappony are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe. They petitioned for recognition twice: in 1984 as Cherokee and in 2001 as Saponi.

Nonprofit organization

In 1996, the Sappony formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named the High Plains Indians.

In 2024, Dante Desiderio served as the High Plains Indians' executive director, and Charlene Martin served as the treasurer.

Their 2024 revenue was approximately $542,461, and expenses were $489,519. Their 2024 assets were approximately $2.15 million. Contributions comprised 98.6% of their revenue, while investment income made up 1.4%.

Administration

In 2024, the administration of the Sappony was as follows.

Board members include Jennifer Talley Ash, Angela Martin Caudle, Krystal Stewart Glasscock, Tonda Coleman Huddleston , William T. Paul, Curtis Shepherd, and Kara Stewart.

History

The ancestors of the Sappony were initially classed as free Black people, before being designated as Cubans or Indians. Following the precedent of the Lumbee, the group initially referred to themselves as Croatan Indians in order to acquire funding for separate Indian schools.

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."

Activities

The Sappony have three active programs: the Sappony Sovereign Continuity Project, Cultural Heritage Youth Outreach Programs, and Economic and Community Development Programs.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "High Plains Indians". Cause IQ. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "High Plains Indians Inc". Nonprofit Explorer. Propublica. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "High Plains Indians Inc". Candid. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 Mark Edwin Miller, Claiming Tribal Identity, page 382.
  6. 1 2 "List of Petitioners by State" (PDF). BIA. p. 37. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 Spurlock, Pat (1999). Melungeons: Examining an Appalachian Legend. Blountville, Tennessee: Continuity Press. pp. 320, 325. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 Beale, Calvin L. (December 1957). "American Triracial Isolates: Their Status and Pertinence to Genetic Research". Eugenics Quarterly. 4 (4): 187–196. doi:10.1080/19485565.1957.9987328. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Nunn, Louise V. (May 1937). A Comparison of the Social Situation of Two Isolated Indian Groups in Northern North Carolina (Report). Columbia University. p. 22. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Berry, Brewton (1963). Almost White. London, GB: Macmillan Publishers. pp. 27, 35. Retrieved 9 June 2026 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ "Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA)". Indian Affairs. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "Sappony search". US Department of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  15. ↑ "990 Form for High Plains Indians Inc". Candid. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Thompson, Edgar T. (October 1972). "The Little Races". American Anthropologist. 74 (5): 1295–1306. doi:10.1525/aa.1972.74.5.02a00210. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Pollitzer, William S. (June 1972). "The Physical Anthropology and Genetics of Marginal People of the Southeastern United States". American Anthropologist. 74 (3): 719–734. doi:10.1525/aa.1972.74.3.02a00360. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Ashe, Samuel A'Court (1925). History of North Carolina: From 1783 to 1925. C.L. Van Noppen. p. 416. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ Public Laws and Private Laws of the State of North Carolina (other Slight Variations). Raleigh, NC: State of North Carolina. 1913. p. 24.

References