Indigenous Belonging and the Swamp Forests of North Carolina

Previously, we’ve explored Native history on national and regional levels. Professor Ryan E. Emanuel’s book, On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice, offers a chance to take a more granular view.

In his book, and in conversation, Professor Emanuel traces the history of his tribe, the Lumbee, in Eastern North Carolina. He reveals how the colonial project that began hundreds of years ago continues. If the Lumbee are to survive, he concludes, “We've got to figure out a way to continue to belong to our homelands.”