The origin and meaning of Saponi, sometimes spelled Sappony, is debated. American anthropologist John Reed Swanton wrote that Saponi was "a corruption of … See more

The Saponi language, now extinct, was a Siouan language, closely related to Tutelo.
The Saponi dialect is known from only two sources. One is a word list of 46 terms and phrases recorded by John Fontaine at Fort Christanna in 1716. … See more

17th century
In 1600, James Mooney estimated there were 2,700 Saponi. English explorer Edward Bland wrote in 1650 about the "Occononacheans … See more

Numerous unrecognized tribes and other organizations claim Saponi ancestry. These include the Mahenips Band of the Saponi Nation of Missouri in the Ozark Hills, with headquarters in West Plains, Missouri. In 2000, the Saponi Nation of Missouri submitted … See more

At the time of European contact up to the early 18th century, the Saponi lived in present-day Virginia and North Carolina. Their settlements … See more

The Saponi were an Eastern Siouan people with a matrilineal society. They had settled villages and built houses of post-and-pole frames with central hearths. In the 17th century, … See more

North Carolina has three state-recognized tribes that descend from the historical Saponi people. They are not currently federally recognized as a Native American tribe.
They are:
1. See more