"It is my hope that, with this release, renewed vigor and effort will be exerted particularly by the Lumbee community to understand not just the journey to this point, but in evaluating where we go next, both in our relationships with other tribal nations and internally as we seek to repair and heal wounds from colonial processes thus far unaddressed."—Cedric Woods, enrolled citizen of Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Director of the Institute for New England native American Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston
Description
The Only Land I Know is a field-defining volume that follows the history of the largest Native American community east of the Mississippi River. In this essential work, Adolph L. Dial and David K. Eliades create a comprehensive and well-rounded history of the Lumbee people through 1974 by discussing the colonial period, the Revolutionary War, the Lowrie War, the Lumbee educational system, folklore, and more.
With a new foreword by David Shane Lowry, the expanded edition encourages discussion about what it means to be a part of the Lumbee community. Lowry questions the truth of the book’s title as he traces the extensive history of travel and relocation of the Lumbee people, now primarily settled in southeastern North Carolina. Following the Lumbees’ success after a century-long push for federal recognition, The Only Land I Know is more important than ever as a glimpse into the history and culture of a resilient people that also reminds readers that the Lumbee community extends well beyond set geographical borders.
About the Author
Adolph L. Dial (1922–1995) was a professor of history at Pembroke State University, a chair of the department, and because of his tireless involvement in trying to gain federal recognition for his people, he was awarded the Henry Berry Lowry Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Lumbee community.
David K. Eliades (1938–2007) was professor and chair of the Department of History at Pembroke State University. He was named the first distinguished professor in the history of Pembroke State University.
David Shane Lowry is an enrolled citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. He is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Southern Maine, where he directs the Indigenous Relationships Lab. He is the author of Lumbee Pipelines: American Indian Movement in the Residue of Settler Colonialism.
February 2027