 Official logo of the Sappony | |
| Named after | Saponi people |
|---|---|
| Type | state-recognized tribe,2 nonprofit organization1 |
| EIN 56-19663381 | |
| Legal status | Trade associations; business and community development organization; arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit, chariy1 |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness1 |
| Location | |
| Members | 850 |
Official language | English |
Executive Director | Dante Desiderio1 |
Treasurer | Charlene Martin1 |
| Revenue | $542,4613 (2024) |
| Expenses | $489,5193 (2024) |
| Funding | grants, contributions, investment income and dividends1 |
| Website | sappony |
Formerly called | Indians of Person County4 and Cherokee-Powhatan Indian Association5 |
The Sappony are a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina.2 They claim descent from the historic Saponi people, an eastern Siouan language-speaking tribe who occupied the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia. They share kin relationships with free people of color, such as the Melungeons.6
They were historically called "old issue negroes" in 1887, when granted a separate school, after which their name changed from "Mongolians", to "Cubans", to the Indians of Person County.74 They are based in Roxboro, the seat of Person County, North Carolina.1
The Sappony are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe, having twice petitioned: in 1984 as Cherokee5 and in 2001 as Saponi.82910
Nonprofit organization
In 1996, the Sappony formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named the High Plains Indians.1
In 2024, Dante Desiderio served as the High Plains Indians' Executive Director and Charlene Martin served as the treasurer.3
Administration
In 2024, the administration of the Sappony were as follows.311
- Otis K. Martin, tribal chief
- Dorothy Stewart Crowe, board chairperson
- Charlene Y. Martin, treasurer
- Teryn Brewington, secretary
- Dante Desiderio, executive director.311
See also
See also
Notes
Notes
- "High Plains Indians". Cause IQ. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- "990 Form for High Plains Indians Inc". Candid. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- Mark Edwin Miller, Claiming Tribal Identity, page 382.
- "List of Petitioners by State" (PDF). BIA. p. 37. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- 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.
- Heinegg, Paul (2021). Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820. Sixth Edition. Vol. I - Families Abel to Drew. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 27. ISBN 9780806359298. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- Linton, Brenda; Stewart, Leslie. "Economic Development Assessment for the High Plains Sappony Tribe". Web Archive. pp. 7, 17. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- "Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA)". Indian Affairs. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- "Sappony search". US Department of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- "High Plains Indians Inc". open990. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
References
References
- Miller, Mark Edwin (2013). Claiming Tribal Identity: The Five Tribes and the Politics of Federal Acknowledgment. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806143781.