Modern Theories. Some may have gone to the Chesapeake. Powhatan showed Captain John Smith English artifacts taken when he killed the Roanoke settlers

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1 Modern Theories Some or all of the Lost Colonists relocated to Elizabeth River area to live with the Chesepioc Indians 20 years later they were slaughtered by Powhatan

2 Modern Theories Some may have gone to the Chesapeake Powhatan apparently eradicated the Chesepioc Tribe They were unwilling to pay him tribute Massacre occurred just before the Jamestown colonists arrived If English were living with Chesepioc, they would also have been killed by Powhatan s men Powhatan showed Captain John Smith English artifacts taken when he killed the Roanoke settlers But no archaeological evidence has ever been found to support this theory

3 Modern Theories The Lost Colonists lived with the Croatoans That s what they said & Manteo was their friend Also they left no sign that they had gone under duress No one ever looked there during the 16 th or 17 th century Eventually, the Croatoan moved to the mainland and blended in with other dwindling Indian tribes This squares with the tale of Indians at Hatteras claiming decent from English settlers at Roanoke And their reported non-indian features

4 Modern Theories English artifacts have been found at the site of the Croatoan villages Signet ring Kendall family crest Gun lock But the Croatoan villages could not have accommodated all of the Lost Colonists for any length of time So they would have probably moved to the mainland with or without the Indians in time

5 Modern Theories The Lost Colonists built ships & were lost at sea while sailing to the Chesapeake or England They were already gone by June, 1588 Gonzalez found evidence of boat building at Roanoke Island area They couldn t all have been lost at sea if Powhatan s story is true Unlikely all 115 of them would have boarded one ship and then been lost

6 Modern Theories They were abducted by space aliens! Just as provable as the lost at sea theory!

7 Most Likely Theory Some went to Croatoan soon after White went to England Others went to Chesapeake Bay to live with Chesepioc Both groups knew each other s planned location Both groups lived with the Indian tribes Eventually the English and Indians produced children of mixed ancestry

8 Support for Most Likely Theory Powhatan s story of killing Roanoke Colonists He would not have done so at Roanoke Island His domain didn t extend that far 18 th century reports of explorer finding Indians with non-indian characteristics and their own oral history Smith s map showing reports of English at two plausible North Carolina locations Lumbee Indians history

9 Who Are the Lumbee? 40,000+ members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina reside primarily in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties of North Carolina

10 Lumbee Portraits Picture from a recent Lumbee Pow Wow

11 Miss Lumbee Jocelyn Hunt Lumbee Portraits

12 Who Are the Lumbee? Lumbee are a mélange of various tribes possibly including the Croatoan and Cheraw Indians as well as English and Africans The Lumbee have unsuccessfully attempted to get recognition as an Indian tribe by the Federal Government since the 19 th century They ve been turned down because they cannot establish Indian heritage as their dominant ancestry they re too hybridized And their ancestral language is an English dialect Distinct from neighboring African-American dialects

13 Lumbee Language Historical evidence shows that the Lumbee have been speaking English for more than two centuries. As early as 1730, European settlers were surprised to encounter a large tribe of English-speaking Indians in the region. Just where and when they learned it is a matter of conjecture NC State University Sociolinguist Tracing Roots of Lumbee Language NCSU News Release

14 Current Lumbee Location

15 Lost Colonist Migrations 1 Some Lost Colonists go to Croatoan 2 Indians and English move to mainland location 3 Under pressure in 17 th & 18 th century, move farther inland

16 Assimilation Indians susceptible to English diseases Harriot reported many Indian deaths in each tribe following exposure to English If a large number of English moved in with a similar number of Indians Soon the English would be the majority In time English physical characteristics would dominate But some of the Indians technology and culture might dominate by necessity

17 Assimilation This would explain 17 th century rumors English living in mainland areas identified on Smith s map People living in the interior of North Carolina in English style, twostory, stone houses Technology that would have been possible for Lost Colonists assimilated by the Indians Other English technology would have been abandoned for practical reasons Example: No source of gunpowder meant no use for guns Indians with grey or blue eyes and blond hair European genetic traits

18 Were the Lost Colonists Lost? They probably didn t think so They relocated as agreed upon with Gov. White Patiently awaited his return, but eventually they left; why? Wanchese led a raid on Roanoke Island? They spotted Spanish ships looking for them? They just decided it was time to go? They left the appropriate message for White He understood it: They left willingly & were at Croatoan In time, they moved with the Indians to the mainland, abandoning the island villages

19 English Expansion in Mid-Atlantic By the 18 th century, 5 or 6 generations after White left the Lost Colonists They had become fully assimilated among the Indians English expansion from Virginia into the new colony of Carolina Forced the Indians (and Lost Colonist descendants) to relocate farther and farther from the coast and from Virginia Their descendants ended up in the more remote counties of North Carolina along the South Carolina border

20 The Lost Colonists at Chesapeake Bay Those Lost Colonists who traveled to the Chesepioc Tribe Were initially assimilated One generation later, massacred by Powhatan along with their Indian hosts Perhaps a few escaped, explaining the sighting of a blond-haired Indian on the James River in 1607

21 How Will the Lost Colonists Be Found? DNA testing of Lumbee or other people whose oral history links their ancestors to Ralegh s colonists Archaeology uncovering English skeletal and cultural remains dating to the late 16 th century in locales such as mainland North Carolina, Virginia Beach, Lynnhaven, Elizabeth River

22 Discovery Channel Digging for the Truth: Lost Colony

23 A Clue Was Found Beechland Peninsula bought by a paper company. Began digging canals in 1950s Unearthed two ancient coffins made like log canoes With carved inscriptions of a Cross and INRI Coffins reburied and now lost

24 Beechland Community Oral history traced ancestry back to English at Roanoke Island and the Croatoan Indians Beechland wascroatoan land according to 17 th century maps The community remained isolated until the mid-19 th century when a plague caused many of them to move away from the area They made their living by cutting timber, selling shingles, and fishing Like the Lumbee, descendants of these people could provide the DNA evidence to substantiate their oral history

25 Other Clues Snaphaunce Gunlock Found 1998 at Buxton (Croatoan Is.) 16 th C design Kendall family signet ring Found at Buxton 1998 A Kendall gentleman explorer with Gov. Lane A Kendall on Sir Francis Drake s Rescue voyage Evidence of English presence at Croatoan village site in the 16 th century

26 British Museum Discovery Paper Patch

27 Analysis Reveals Fort Outline

28 Site X Archaeological Dig Nicholas M. Luccketti principal archaeologist

29 Conclusions The Lost Colonists were never really lost They lived among the Indians of North Carolina and Virginia Some may have been killed in Indian conflicts Others lived long enough to marry Indians and produce offspring The descendants of the Lost Colonists are among us today Unfortunately, they left no written records that have been found

30 Questions & Comments