Please join us for our Native American Heritage Month Celebration!
November is Native American Heritage Month, proclaimed nationally for the first time in 1990. To celebrate, Partners will host a virtual Native American Heritage Month Celebration from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 8, 2023.
The event will feature speakers from all eight tribes in North Carolina. Here are the participating tribes and their presentation topics:
- Coharie Tribe – Magic Gomez, Coharie Culture
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians – Vickie Bradley, The Importance of a Woman
- Haliwa-Saponi Tribe – Cheyenne Daniel (2019-2020 Miss Indian NC), Traditional Art and Dance
- Lumbee Tribe – Amanda Jacobs Ballard, Storytelling
- Meherrin Tribe – Patrick Suarez, Social Dances
- Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation – Vickie Jeffries, Occaneechi Village
- Sappony Tribe – Shelia Wilson, Sappony Quilts
- Waccamaw-Siouan Tribe – Elder Mike Jacobs, Chief, Canoes
Click here to register for the Native American Heritage Month Celebration.
In addition to the Partners event, North Carolina will host the 28th Annual North Carolina American Indian Heritage Celebration on Nov. 18, 2023. Click here for details about that event.
Federal and State Recognized Tribes
Tribal Associations include Cumberland County Association of Indian People, Guilford Native American Association, Metrolina Native American Association and the Triangle Native American Society.
Note: Members of other federally recognized Tribes (external to NC) also live in NC.
Eastern Band of the Cherokee
(federally recognized)
Approximately 16,000 enrolled members are located primarily in five counties in western NC. Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Swain, Jackson and some in Macon.
Coharie Tribe
(state recognized)
Coharie Tribe Headquartered in Clinton, the Coharie Indian Tribe descends from the Aboriginal Neusiok Indian Tribe on the Coharie River in Harnett and Sampson counties. The community consists of four settlements: Holly Grove, New Bethel, Shiloh and Antioch.
Haliwa Saponi Indian Tribe
(state recognized)
At 3,800 members, the Haliwa Saponi Indian Tribe is the third largest tribe in the state. The tribe resides primarily in the area traditionally known by the elders as “The Meadows,” which encompasses most of the southwestern part of rural Halifax County and the southeastern part of rural Warren County. Tribal members also reside in the adjoining counties of Nash and Franklin.
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
(state recognized)
The Lumbee Tribe is the largest tribe in North Carolina, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the nation. The Lumbee take their name from the Lumber River originally known as the Lumbee, which winds its way through Robeson County. The more than 55,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe reside primarily in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties. Pembroke is the economic, cultural and political center of the tribe.
Meherrin Indian Tribe
(state recognized)
The Meherrin Tribe is in small communities near the North Carolina and Virginia border, in Hertford, Gates, North Hampton and Bertie Counties, within the state of NC. Meherrin people refer to themselves as Kauwets’a:ka, their original name. They are an Iroquois nation and close relatives of the Tuscarora and other Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy Nations) with whom they share deep linguistic, historic and cultural ties.
Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation
(state recognized)
The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation is in Alamance, Caswell and Orange counties. At 1100+ members, they are active in their community and in statewide Indian events.
Sappony
(state recognized)
Today, the Sappony Tribe’s 850 members comprise seven core families, or clans, and live along the border of North Carolina and Virginia, known as the High Plains. In the early 1700s, when the Sappony children were attending school at Fort Christanna and the tribe was guarding the frontier for the colonies, they were also helping to mark the North Carolina-Virginia border. As a result, part of High Plains is in Person County, NC and part is in Halifax County, VA.
Waccamaw Siouan Tribe
(state recognized)
The present day Waccamaw Siouan Tribal Office is in Columbus and Bladen counties. The community, consisting of more than 2,000 citizens, is situated on the edge of the Green Swamp about 37 miles west of Wilmington, seven miles east of Lake Waccamaw and four miles north of Bolton.
Catawba Nation
(federally recognized)
The Catawba Indian Nation is the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina. The tribe’s reservation is located in York County, with its headquarters in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The 700-acre reservation is located on the banks of the Catawba River. Today, they have 3,300 enrolled tribal citizens and continue to grow. Partners Health Management serves both Catawba and Cleveland counties, where there is an increase in Catawba tribal members. Partners Health Management is committed to serving all populations including the tribal members within our catchment area.
Federal Physical and Behavioral Health Services (EBCI Tribal Option)
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), in collaboration with the EBCI, developed a Tribal Option that considers and addresses the unique cultural, physical/medical, behavioral, and social determinants of health needs of federally recognized tribal members and other individuals eligible to receive Indian Health Services. Federally recognized tribal members and other individuals eligible to receive Indian Health Services will be enrolled in the Tribal Option if they live in the five western counties of Swain, Jackson, Haywood, Cherokee and Graham counties. Individuals will have the ability to opt out of the Tribal Option if they reside in those five counties and participate in NC Medicaid Managed Care or NC Medicaid Direct.
Physical Health
The Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority
The Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA) blends state-of-the-art healthcare within a system of inpatient and outpatient resources across the Qualla Boundary and its outlying clinics.
With an emphasis on Cherokee history, arts, crafts, and the unique healing aspects of Cherokee culture, including consideration for the mind, body, and spirit, CIHA addresses the health and wellness needs of the Tribe—and does so to the highest national standards of healthcare.
Behavioral Health
Public Health & Human Services for the Cherokee Communities in Western North Carolina
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Public Health & Human Services programs are designed to improve individual – and community – quality of life. Many of the services are only for enrolled members of the EBCI and other federally-recognized Indian tribes.
In addition to treatment programs, the ECBI PHHS are very invested in educating their community in prevention of unnecessary illness and disability. They make sure that individuals are aware of all the services available to them. Their programs work hand-in-hand with one another, ensuring continuity of care for individuals.
State Physical and Behavioral Health Services
While federal tribes have always accessed hospitals on their land, historically, state tribes have had difficulties finding regular healthcare services and have never Native American based services. State tribe members have access to the Standard Plan, NC Medicaid Direct and Partners’ Tailored Plan. All state tribes in Partners’ service areas have access to our providers who have been sent cultural training on health disparities.
This NC Medicaid health plan offers physical health, pharmacy, care management and basic behavioral health services for members. Standard Plans offer added services for members who qualify.
North Carolina’s health care program for Medicaid beneficiaries who are not in health plans. It includes care management by Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), the primary care case management entity (PCCMe) for physical health services. Local Management Entity-Managed Care Organizations (LME-MCOs) coordinate services for a mental health disorder, substance use disorder, intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
This NC Medicaid health plan offers physical health, pharmacy, care management and behavioral health services. It is for members who may have mental health needs, severe substance use disorders, intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DDs) or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Tailored Plans offer added services for members who qualify.
Find out if you are eligible for Medicaid services.
The Department of Social Services in your county can tell you if you qualify for Medicaid. If you receive Social Security Insurance, Special Assistance to the Blind, Work First Family Assistance, or Special Assistance for the Aged or Disabled, you are automatically eligible for Medicaid.
If you are not eligible for Medicaid, Call 1-888-235-HOPE (4673) to see if state-funded services are available to you.
Community Resources
- ECBI Health Resource Directory
- NC DHHS ECBI Tribal Option Provider Fact Sheet
- Partners’ Auxiliary Aids and Interpreter Services
We have added Native American languages to our many lists of languages offered through interpretation. We also have English and Spanish speaking employees available to assist you. - Partners’ Tribal Orientation On Demand Webinar
- PHHS Events Calendar 2023
Updated: November 3, 2023