W. Brent Burgin Archives: Waccamaw Siouan

This book sheds light on North Carolina Indians by tracing the story of the now state-recognized Waccamaw Siouan tribe from its beginnings in the Southeastern United States, through their first contacts with Europeans, and into the 21st century, detailing the struggles they have endured over time. We see how the Waccamaw took hold of popular theories about Indian tribes like the Croatan of the Lost Colony and the Cherokee as they struggled to preserve their heritage and to establish their identity. Patricia Lerch was hired by the Waccamaw in 1981 to perform the research needed to file for recognition under the Bureau of Indian Affairs Federal Acknowledgement Program of 1978.

A comprehensive look at 1,500 of the world's peoples--from the earliest times to the present--offers a fascinating exploration of cultural and ethnic diversity.

A collaborative life history of Priscilla Freeman Jacobs, From Princess to Chief tells the story of the first female chief (from 1986 to 2005) of the state-recognized Waccamaw Siouan Indian Tribe of North Carolina. In From Princess to Chief, Priscilla Freeman Jacobs and Patricia Barker Lerch detail Jacobs's birth and childhood, coming of age, education, young adulthood, marriage and family, Indian activism, and spiritual life.