The Only Land I Know: A History of the Lumbee Indians

by Adolph L. Dial

This is the standard history of the Lumbee Indian people of southwestern North Carolina, the largest Indian community in population east of the Mississippi. Dial and Eliades trace the history of this group through 1974. Among the subjects covered are the Lumbee during the colonial period and the revolutionary War; the Lowrie war; the infamous Lowrie Band of the Civil War; the development of the Lumbee educational system; Lumbee folklore; and the modern Lumbee.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native American, Indigenous

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Ruby Hollyberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, pretty thorough. One thing it does not address is the question of African ancestry mixing into the tribe. Now, in NC where I live, it is the general belief that the Lumbee are part black. I know that what "everyone knows" is usually wrong, but I would like to have heard what he would say about this. That's a heavily African-American part of the state, after all. Perhaps the author is just tired of being asked about that.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina. In addition to being very thought-provoking with regards to race, culture, and American history & society, the chapter on Henry Berry Lowry was the Indiana Jones of nonfiction. I don't know when the last time was that I read a nonfiction book that actually made my _heart_ race!

[Leo Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, researched, and not too dry. It was a great introduction and overview, for me, on the history of the Lumbee.

My only complaints are, first, that I wish the print quality had been better--the maps and photos were quite blurry. On the other hand, Google rectified that and also led me to some contemporary videos for further information, so no big deal.

But that leads me to my second complaint--I didn't realize this book was written fifty years ago, I noted only the first printing date from this press. Only 2/3 of the way through, when the author starts speaking of recent events--in the 70s--where I said, hold on..
For something written so long ago it contains a lot of information about the preceding 200 years, which is great. I'll have to look for something a bit newer for any updates on the topic.

[Poison Ivy 🌵 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am Lumbee, still currently living on Lumbee land, so I found this book at a public library. It’s a great history of my tribe, especially the chapter about Henry Berry Lowry and his exploits as an outlaw in Robeson County. Professor Dial has a building named after him at UNC-Pembroke and served as a history professor there for many years. This book contains a lot of information that is presented in a scholarly fashion, which may make it feel too technical. Regardless, I love learning about my people and our history and I’m happy I found this on the shelf on a random journey through library.

[Christopher Sewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though dated this work is still a great creation that was among the first to bring forth the Lumbee people's view of the Long history of survival uniquely theirs.

[Charlotte Skaggs]

I think the Lumbee Indians Need Government Help just like all the other tribes. This book is a good exsample. I love this tribe and the people are wonderful.

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lumbees are reportedly the largest group of Indians east of the Mississippi, but not well known outside of the Carolinas. Dial is himself a Lumbee, and a professor emeritus of history at UNC at Pembroke in Robeson County, the area where the largest concentration of Lumbees occurs. The book is therefore personal as well as historical and he is clearly invested in his subject. That said, the account of the history of Lumbee Indians is moving and compelling. One thing that makes this book particularly interesting to me is that Dial clearly believes the tradition that the Roanoke Colony (the group that included Ananias and Elinor Dare, parents of Virginia Dare, the first European child born in North America) that disappeared between 1587 and 1590 was absorbed into the Croatoan nation that then populated the North Carolina coastal region, and that many Lumbees today are descendants of those English settlers. Other historians question this, but few have come up with a better explanation of what happened to the settlers.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always good to learn more about your history.