Indigenous peoples have inhabited what we now know as North Carolina for over 12 centuries and despite overwhelming adverse circumstances have survived and thrived in our communities. We are fortunate to live in a state that has the largest number of American Indians in the eastern United States with over 130,000 residents and is home to eight recognized tribes, the Coharie, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Haliwa-Saponi, the Lumbee, the Meherrin, the Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation, the Sappony, and the Waccamaw Siouan. We also have four Urban Indian organizations here in North Carolina; Guilford Native American Association, Metrolina Native American Association, Triangle Native American Society, and Cumberland County Association for Indian People.