Sappony
State-recognized tribe in North Carolina, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sappony are a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina.[2] They claim descent from the historic Saponi people, an Eastern Siouan language-speaking tribe who occupied the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia.
 Official logo of the Sappony | |
| Named after | Saponi people |
|---|---|
| Type | state-recognized tribe,[2] nonprofit organization[1] |
| EIN 56-1966338[1] | |
| Legal status | Trade associations; business and community development organization; arts, culture, and humanities nonprofit, chariy[1] |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness[1] |
| Location | |
| Membership | 850 |
Official language | English |
Executive Director | Dante Desiderio[1] |
Treasurer | Charlene Martin[1] |
| Revenue | $542,461[3] (2024) |
| Expenses | $489,519[3] (2024) |
| Funding | grants, contributions, investment income and dividends[1] |
| Website | sappony |
Formerly called | Indians of Person County[4] and Cherokee-Powhatan Indian Association[5] |
They were historically called "old issue negroes" in 1887, when granted a separate school, after which their name changed from "Mongolians", to "Cubans", to the Indians of Person County.[6][4] They are based in Roxboro, the seat of Person County, North Carolina.[1]
The Sappony are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe, having twice petitioned: in 1984 as Cherokee[5] and in 2001 as Saponi[7][2][8][9]
Nonprofit organization
In 1996, the Sappony formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named the High Plains Indians.[1]
In 2024, Dante Desiderio served as the High Plains Indians' Executive Director and Charlene Martin served as the treasurer.[3]