A Message from the President & Founder of CCIC

1 May 2007

Dear Friends:

In light of recent events in the news, and on the national stage in relation to our Indian communities here in North Carolina, I wanted to offer some words of encouragement at a time when our people seem to be going in so many different directions.

As many of you know, several years ago I wrote a little book for children entitled, Families of the Neuse: A Story of Two Friends. The book was about the friendship between a Tuscarora girl and her non-native friend, both of whom grew up in a rural eastern North Carolina community situated on a tributary of the Neuse River. The theme of the book was finding friendship and common ground (including the blessing that both children enjoyed, of having families who loved them and took time to teach them things), despite coming from two different backgrounds. On the back of the book was a quote intended to be food for thought about our past and how it affects our future.

It's a common theme throughout all of our peoples, and it's not new, but sometimes it's helpful to be reminded of these things.

The quote was this:

The elders have taught us that in everything we do, we must consider how it will affect the next Seven Generations. The idea is that if each generation did this we would all be taken care of, because our Ancestors will have cleared the path for us to travel.

Long ago, our ancestors walked this land (Onahweyungah) and fished these living waters.

This was our birthing place, our resting place, our original homeland, our "Promised Land" –created for us to be held in a LIVING TRUST, not by man-made laws or conditions, but by the spiritual laws and conditions of the Creator.

Long ago this Living Trust was broken, and so was our Sacred Circle.

Today, our circle is once again being restored as we move forward in a good way in reaching out simply to connect with one another, unify, heal and come together as a family.

Although it might not seem like it sometimes, our people are making progress, and we are unifying and healing as communities. We may not always see eye-to-eye, but at the heart of our struggles rest the same convictions: to remember and honor our Ancestors, and to ensure that our children and our children's children do not forget who we are or where we come from.

Our roots are older than North Carolina. They are older than the English-assigned names of the rivers our people live upon.

Regardless of how our communities are described by the State of North Carolina or the United States government, our roots are what they are, and thankfully, continue to bear fruit to this day. The least we can do is be true to them, take time to learn about them, and in so doing, will ensure that our families and communities continue to thrive.

We may all go about honoring and tending to our roots in our many separate ways, but our journeys all stem from the same passion — a love of, and gratitude to, our Ancestors.

Let us not forget that despite all of the efforts to do away with us as a people, we have prevailed, because we are alive. Yah kwen heh.

Nya:weh,

Teresa Morris
CCIC-Founder and President

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