Sappony
Official logo of the Sappony | |
| Named after | Saponi people |
|---|---|
| Type | state-recognized tribe,[2] nonprofit organization[1] |
| EIN 56-1966338[1] | |
| Legal status | Trade associations; business and community development organization; arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit, chariy[1] |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness[1] |
| Location | |
| Membership | 850 |
Official language | English |
Executive Director | Dante Desiderio[1] |
Treasurer | Charlene Martin[1] |
| Revenue | $542,461[3] (2024) |
| Expenses | $489,519[3] (2024) |
| Funding | grants, contributions, investment income and dividends[1] |
| Website | sappony |
Formerly called | Indians of Person County[4] and Cherokee-Powhatan Indian Association[5] |
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.[7][4] 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 Cherokee[5] and in 2001 as Saponi.[8][2][9][10]
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.[3][11]
- Otis K. Martin, tribal chief
- Dorothy Stewart Crowe, board chairperson
- Charlene Y. Martin, treasurer
- Teryn Brewington, secretary
- Dante Desiderio, executive director.[3][11]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "High Plains Indians". Cause IQ. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "990 Form for High Plains Indians Inc". Candid. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ a b Mark Edwin Miller, Claiming Tribal Identity, page 382.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b "High Plains Indians Inc". open990. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
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.