Cape Fear
Cape Fear refers to a group of Indigenous people historically residing along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. Known primarily through European contact, the Cape Fear people were matrilineal and relied on agriculture, cultivating crops such as maize, squash, and beans, while also gathering nuts, seeds, and roots, and supplementing their diet with hunting and fishing. Their first documented interactions with English settlers occurred in the 17th century, which led to tensions, including the kidnapping of Native American children by settlers.
Over time, the population of the Cape Fear tribe dwindled due to disease and conflicts, particularly following the Yamasee War. By the early 1800s, only a small number of individuals remained, and the tribe was believed to have largely disappeared or merged with other groups. As of 2024, a group known as the Skarure Woccon Cape Fear Indians claims descent from these historical tribes and continues to inhabit the region, asserting their identity as a “Precolonial Tribal Nation.” However, they lack federal recognition, and their assertions of lineage remain unverified. The archaeological record indicates a long-standing Native American presence in the area, with artifacts tracing back to the Paleo-Indian period.
Cape Fear
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Siouan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Cape Fear River, North Carolina
The proper name of this tribe is unknown and they were designated “Cape Fear” by European Americans. The matrilineal Cape Fear group gained their subsistence primarily from different types of maize, squash, beans, and other plants tended by women, who also gathered numerous types of nuts, seeds, and roots. Hunting, trapping, and fishing supplemented their diet.
English settlers from New England may have been the first to contact the Cape Fear people in 1661. However, they were driven away after the settlers kidnapped several Native American children under the pretense of civilizing them. A small colony of settlers from Barbados arrived in 1663 but soon left. European Americans attempted numerous settlements. In 1695, the Cape Fear asked Governor John Archdale for protection, which was granted after the Cape Fear tribe rescued fifty-two passengers from a wrecked New England ship. After the 1716 Yamasee War, they were moved inland from Charleston, South Carolina. Records indicate that by 1808, only twenty Cape Fear people remained.
As of 2024, a group identifying as the Skarure Woccon Cape Fear Indians continue to inhabit the Brunswick, Bladen, Columbus and Pender Counties of the Cape Fear region. They describe themselves as a "Precolonial Tribal Nation with a long, rich history." This group claims to be descendants of those who stayed in North Carolina, stating, "We are living proof of our continued existence."
However, it is important to note that this group is not federally recognized, and their claims to direct lineage from the historical Cape Fear Indians have not been independently verified by historians or anthropologists. The historical Cape Fear Indians were believed to have largely disappeared or merged with other tribes by the early nineteenth century.
Archaeological evidence of Native American presence in the Cape Fear region dates back thousands of years, with artifacts found from the Paleo-Indian period (around 12000 B.C.E.). However, by the time of permanent European settlement in the 1720s, the Native American population in the area had significantly declined, likely due to disease and conflicts such as the Yamasee War.
Davidson, Jan. "Native Americans in the Cape Fear." New Hanover County, www.nhcgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/4661/Native-Americans. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Milling, Chapman J. Red Carolinians. University of South Carolina Press, 1940.
"New Hanover County Cape Fear Stories." New Hanover County, https://www.nhcgov.com/597/Cape-Fear-Stories. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Skarure Woccon Cape Fear Indians. "Home." Skarure Woccon, www.skarurewoccon.com. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Swanton, John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1984.