By Christopher Locklear
The wetlands of Robeson County are integral to the culture and history of the Lumbee. Protecting these distinctive natural areas goes hand in hand with protecting our tribal heritage, inspiring my passion to safeguard these lands that have meant so much to my people for so many generations.
During the early 1830s, an Indian removal policy was initiated under Andrew Jackson's presidential administration. For tribes like the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek, this period known as the Trail of Tears was marked by the signing of coerced treaties, relinquishing of ancestral lands, and tragic removal. More than 4,000 women, children, and men died during this forced march away from their homes.
However, most Southeastern tribes remained on or near their ancestral lands. The Lumbee people were spared this tragedy. Because our lands lay in the southeastern portion of North Carolina and were marked by an elaborate network of swamps and streams, our land was considered inhospitable and the United States government never attempted to negotiate a treaty with the Lumbee for removal.
Still, the Lumbee endured many hardships and injustices during the Civil War, including forced conscription to serve as laborers building fortifications at Fort Fisher near Wilmington, starvation, and harsh treatment by the Home Guard.
An important figure in the Lumbees' history from this period is Henry Berry Lowrie, who was labeled an outlaw and is revered as the Lumbee version of Robin Hood. Stories about his life include tales of heroism, defiance, prison escapes, civil disobedience, and romance.
Henry Berry Lowrie was born in 1845 to Allen and Mary Cumba Lowrie, one of 14 children who were raised on the family’s 350-acre farm in Robeson County's Hopewell community.
Henry was only 16 years of age at the start of the Civil War. To escape Confederate conscription, he joined “a band of Indian bushwhackers who were hiding out in the swamps.” From this haven, spurred by the killing of his father and brother, Henry and his comrades waged a multi-year war of revenge for wrongs to his community and family. His life and legend are commemorated by a state historic marker near his former home.
In many Native American communities, the natural environment is considered a relative. In essence, the swamps of Robeson County were part of the Lowrie Gang because they provided protection to its members.
Then and today, the wetlands of Robeson County are a living, breathing component of the Lumbee Nation and should be revered as well as protected.
I chose to become a scientist and now a science teacher because I am in awe of the natural world and the mechanisms of life. One of my favorite places to visit in Pembroke is a wetland in the Moss Neck community (pictured). I love how green and full of life it is. Whenever I ride my bike by our swamp, I have to pause and feel grateful for my ancestors who taught me to respect all life.
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Christopher Locklear is one of the Chapter's 2024 Environmental Conservation and Justice Policy Fellows and is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. He is studying toward a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science Education at the University of North Carolina–Pembroke, where he earned his B.S. in Biology.