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Please plan to be a part of the Inaugural launch of the Canoe called "Wisdom" on Saturday, June 24 at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center. The celebration kicks off at 10 am and there will lots of fun for the family till 3 pm. The Launch will be at 1 pm. There will be kids crafts, games, food trucks, and kayaking. Celebrate this wonderful occasion with UNC Pembroke's Museum of the Southeast American Indian and the Lumbee Tribe. The event is FREE. Our very own Kevin Melvin (Lumbee Tribal Historic Preservation Officer) and the “Life by the River” Project team sank the canoe “called Wisdom” at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center in January. The 18 feet long dugout canoe took 8 months to finish and was created using the burnout method our ancestors would have used hundreds of years ago. "Life by the River" is a program by the Museum of the Southeast American Indian that focuses on North Carolina's Native People's connection in relationship with their ancestral waters. The canoe project was one of the components of the project led by Kevin Melvin. The project was a community collaborative as people were invited to help build the canoe. Eventually the canoe will travel across the state. The goal is to put the canoe in each NC tribes' ancestral waters, whether that is a river, stream, lake or Carolina bay. The tree was cut, moved to the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center, where it was burned and dug out by teams of volunteers each week since last May. After some final sanding, they set it on fire one more time. The fire helps with the sanding and seals up the inside of the canoe. The vessel was then sunk into the lake where it has remained since January. Since the canoe had been sitting out in the elements for months, it had begun to crack. The water submersion will help preserve it. Lumbee ancestors would have used this type of canoe for fishing, transportation and maneuvering the river systems.

Congratulations to Ms. Gwen Locklear on her retirement from Indian Education. She was recently recognized with an Eagle feather for her years of dedication to Native children across the state and her tribal community. Mrs. Gwen has served as a distinguished member of our Lumbee Tribe. After nearly two decades as an Indian Education Coordinator in Wake County and serving on the State Advisory Council on Indian Education, she has impacted the lives of countless children across our state. Johnston County students also continue to benefit from her work to develop the first Johnston County Indian Education Title VI Grant Program. Thank you and congratulations!

The pool at the Lumbee Tribe Aquatic Center be closed on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 for maintenance.

The Lumbee Tribe of NC Housing Complex and all tribal offices will be closed Monday, June 19th, 2023 for the Juneteenth holiday. Our offices will re-open Tuesday, June 20th, 2023.

For Immediate Release Dr. Ruth Dial Woods’ Vision for the Lumbee People Will Carry Forward for Generations Pembroke, NC (June 16, 2023) - Dr. Ruth Dial Woods was laid to rest on Thursday. Dr. Woods lived her life in the belief of the importance of service to community and her Lumbee People. As a lifelong educator and activist, Dr. Woods wore many hats, but her most impactful role may have been improving the future for our next generation. Her time served as the Indian Education Director for the Public Schools of Robeson County was tremendous. It was under her leadership that the Indian Education Program began to flourish across the entire county and it is still impacting the lives of our Native students today. She is seen as the architect of Indian Education. Ruth Locklear, former Tribal Enrollment Director, said Dr. Woods put a great emphasis on the importance of culture and she hosted one of the first Powwows in Robeson County in the 1970’s. Locklear first began working with Dr. Woods in 1971. “Under her administration, she developed an Indian Education Curriculum for the public schools,” said Locklear. “Her Indian Education Program became a model for other tribes throughout the nation. She balanced education and culture.” Locklear said one of Dr. Woods' favorite expressions encompassed her view. That saying was, "You have to know where you came from, to know where you are going.” Dr. Woods also helped create the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs. She worked with all the tribes across the state of N.C. During a Southern Oral History Program interview , Dr. Woods stated she hoped someone would pick up her message and be inspired to make life better for the children and the grandchildren that follow all of us. "I used to wonder when my grandmother kept saying that the Bible said that you were promised only four score or three score and ten and I got real upset when she was talking about how she didn't have much time left,” said Woods. “And now I realize that sixty or seventy years is a short span of time to see change if you're really interested in seeing change." Dr. Woods didn’t let the days waste away, but worked to make them count. During her early years as an educator, Dr. Woods must have driven by the property that would become the Lumbee Tribal Housing Complex hundreds of times. No one could know that she would be the catalyst to build the foundation for so many dreams. Dr. Woods became the first Lumbee Tribal Administrator in 2001. She wasted no time to set the wheels in motion. With NAHASDA funds, she negotiated the sale of the land where the Lumbee Tribal Housing Complex would be built and also the property for Arrow Point and Cheraw Acres Subdivisions. Tammy Maynor, Lumbee Tribe Director of Governmental Affairs, had just joined the Lumbee Tribe staff. In 2002, Dr. Woods and Maynor negotiated the first tracts of land for the first subdivision and where the first homes would be built. Maynor said the process was slow and the purchases of the first land were scattered on various tracts of land. “The purpose was to provide families with affordable homes and she was instrumental in making that happen,” said Maynor. “Here we are in 2023 and these subdivisions are full of families and that was her dream.” The tract for the Tribal Housing Complex was originally farmland. Today, many people refer to the building as the “Turtle Building.” Families come from around the globe to reconnect with their Lumbee Tribal family. For some, that “Turtle Building” has become a beacon of hope. We see the look on the faces of grandparents and parents as they come in with children who have moved away and return home to enroll and update. It is a place where families take photos and beam with pride when they receive their Lumbee Enrollment Citizenship Cards. Families come daily to enroll their children, which connects them to their Lumbee Ancestors. Those same children will come back to the “Turtle Building” to begin the first steps toward their future by applying for college scholarships, college housing vouchers and often many will apply for down payments or construction loans to build their first homes. Dr. Woods stated that she liked to think of herself as the turtle, as turtles are hard-shelled and stick their necks out and take risk. “I collect turtles and I sort of keep them around me to remind me that you have to continue being hard-shelled and you have to continue taking risk if you are, indeed, committed to making a difference.” After leaving as the Lumbee Tribe Administrator, Dr. Woods continued her charge to help those less fortunate in the community. It is said that she knew the name of every homeless person in her community. Her mission was that no one would go hungry. Through founding “Sacred Pathways,” a non-profit organization, she worked to make sure people always had something to eat and clothes to stay warm. Dr. Woods' colleagues, staff from the school system and the tribal organizations continue to describe her as a great leader, role model and someone who inspired her people. The Lumbee Tribe is a grateful nation for a leader who could have served in any office in the United States but chose to stand and fight in her Lumbee Tribal Territory. Dr. Woods legacy lives on for every citizen who walks through the "Turtle building", for those families living in our Lumbee Tribal Community and for every child impacted by Indian Education nationwide. Oral History Interview with Ruth Dial Woods, June 12, 1992. Interview L-0078. Southern Oral History Program Collection, UNC. To read more about Dr. Ruth Dial Woods or see the full interview from 1992 visit https://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/L-0078/menu.html

For Immediate Release Legislation Signed into Law by N.C. Governor Roy Cooper Will Give Protections for American Indian Graduates Raleigh, NC (June 15, 2023) - Following unanimous support, Governor Roy Cooper signed H.B. 166, the American Indians Graduating with Honors Act, into law on Wednesday. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Jarrod Lowery, an enrolled Lumbee Citizen, (R-Robeson). The law allows for “a student that is, or is eligible to be, enrolled as a member of a state or federally recognized Indian Tribe shall be allowed to wear objects of cultural significance as part of the student's regalia at any graduation ceremony,” at any public school in North Carolina. The objects of cultural significance are defined as bird feathers or plums. Rep. Lowery stated, "With this new law, American Indian students will be able to have the honor of wearing a feather at the very important life event that is high school graduation. This law now brings clarity to all school boards across the state that they can no longer deny American Indian students the ability to wear a bird feather at graduations.” Lumbee Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery stated the legislation will have a significant impact for Lumbee families and the community. "This is monumental legislation that will allow our Lumbee students to walk across the stage with dignity and not in fear of a school administrator or a school system discriminating against them for their culture,” said Lowery. “Many states with high Native populations have passed similar legislation and I’m happy to see North Carolina doing the same.” Feathers are culturally significant to American Indian communities. With 1,000 American Indian students graduating from North Carolina schools each year, the state has one of the largest student populations in the country. Senator Danny Earl Britt, Jr. (R-Robeson) authored the Senate version of the bill. Senator Britt stated, "Being gifted a feather, whether it is an Eagle or Hawk feather, is a huge honor in American Indian communities and our students look forward to being gifted a feather for graduation," stated Britt. "With this law they can wear their feather with pride as they cross the stage.” The American Indians Graduating with Honors Act is Rep. Lowery’s first piece of legislation to become law. He has had several other bills pass the House that he hopes to become law before session ends in 2024. “As a new member, there is a learning curve to understanding the process to get bills through the General Assembly and for me to have my first bill signed into law within my first 141 days is an achievement. I credit our Robeson County delegation of Rep. Brenden Jones and Sen. Danny Britt and the entire leadership team for helping me be a successful representative for the people of Robeson County,” Lowery said.

Hundreds of Veterans came out today from across the region to the Lumbee Tribe Veterans Stand Down. The event offered Veterans a variety of resources including health screenings, free hair cuts, mental health services, food, gear distribution, blankets, the opportunity to apply for services and much more. The event is in collaboration with Veterans Services of the Carolinas, NC Works and the US Department of Veteran Affairs. Thank you to all of our partners who came out this weekend to support the Veterans and provide services. Thank you to the Robeson Community College Barber Class for offering haircuts to the Veterans. They provided around 40 haircuts. Thank you to our Veterans for coming out, but more importantly thank you for your service to our nation.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the District 5 Community meeting on Thursday evening. The meeting spotlighted community health initiatives, tribal services and much more. The meeting was hosted by District 5 Tribal Council members Wendy Moore and Carrington Locklear. Participants received information about Lumbee Tribal services, but also about the proposed park area for the Prospect community, Robeson County updates from County Commissioner Faline Dial and information about the new Lumbee Tribal health assessment from Dr. Cherry Beasley.