Fort Neyuheru:ke
First Nations stories all begin on the land ... real places >> made sacred by the blood memories buried in the dirt | my story is about the land that gave birth to the Neyuheru:ke Blues ...
HWY 58, Greene County, North Carolina
Remembering Fort Neyuheru:ke 1713
This is the headstone for the ancestors who witnessed "The Big Trouble That Caused The People To Scatter." Until I participated in the ECU sponsored 300th Anniversary Event did I discover that childhood stories told to me by Howell Woodard, Bud Harris and Paul Randolph were based on historical events. My B44FE, Calo was with me and she saw Pa's spirit hovering near where we were seated.
It was all true, described in great detail by ph.d. historians from prestigious Southern universities. The symposium was East Carolina University's truth and reconciliation event spearheaded by the history, anthropology, and art departments. Read More @ Blue Ridge Public Radio
The actual mound site is in the woods behind the tree line in the background on the far left side of images one and four. Some of the humble belongings were displayed as shown below.
Clay is abundant on Contentnea Creek Homeland. I grew up pulling clay from veins in the river bank. Most of my adult life I was a clay artist, after falling in love with it in college where I discovered it can ready to use in a plastic bag. We have always made objects out of clay, as well as creating wearables from natural fibers. Skaru:re people are known as "hemp wearers" because we were master weavers of hemp garments and body coverings. It was easy for us to learn how to card and spin fibers for weaving, and combine it with our knowledge of harvesting natural colors for dyeing.
The Carolina sky over Fort Neyuheru:ke constantly changes. The green you see is wheat growing, as the property is now a working farm on deeded land. The tombstone monument is next to HWY 58 in Green County, about 15 miles from where I live. The arch represents the entrance to a longhouse. Some natives resent the monument, but I'm thankful ancestors have a marker saying "we were here, don't forget us." The road that you see on the right was filled with cars, buses and people during the 300th Anniversary Unification. Skaru"re people gathered from across the country. But, not many people gather now. We have no inclusive celebrations or ceremonies. Ancestors are invisible like me, seen but not seen and dismissed as a footnote. I'm the last living Contentnea Creek Homeland citizen with knowledge of the traditional ways, but I'm not dead yet. Thanks to my dying momma's prayers, I'm going to tell our stories until my breathe leaves me.
Image #1: HWY 58 is one of our original trails that's now paved over. | Image #2: The horse trail behind the woods in the background of the monument where the actual mound and burial site was located. | Image #3: Altar offerings in circle around monument. | Image #4: Yes, faces are etched in the metal support beams.