Lumbee

The Lumbee are one of eight state-recognized Native American tribes in North Carolina. They are concentrated in Robeson County on the southern border of the state. They chose the name in 1952, associated with the primary waterway traversing the county, called the Lumber River because of the extensive 19th-century timber trade in the region. In December 2011, Paul Brooks was elected as chairman of the Lumbee tribe. He is the fifth chairman in the decade since the tribe established its government.