The Meherrin Nation

 

The Meherrin live near the river of the same name (Meherrin Nation, 2014). Their community is located at the Virginia- North Carolina border in the Coastal plain (Meherrin Nation, 2014). Their name is traditionally Kauwets’a:ka, which means “People of the Water,” and this identity is important to their community (Meherrin Nation, 2014). They share much of their culture with the Tuscarora, Nottoway, Cherokee, and Haudenosaunee nations, but are their own distinct tribe (Meherrin Nation, 2014). They are the only non-reservation Indians living on their ancestral lands (Commission of Indian Affairs, 2014). They, along with the Cherokee and Sappony, are the only tribe that is not made up of descendants from several tribes. There are two clans that make up the Meherrin, the Rokwis and Dawis Dawis.

 

In recent years, the Meherrin community has tried to revitalize the tribe’s Iroquois traditions and culture (Meherrin Nation, 2014). They have brought back much of their ceremonial clothing, dance and regalia for powwows and ceremonies (Meherrin Nation, 2014). Their traditional language is known as Ska:ru’:re. They are trying to learn this language to connect with their past (Meherrin Nation, 2014).