Occaneechi

Occaneechi, also spelled Occoneechee or Occaneechi, are a historic Native American people of the Southeastern United States. Traditionally they inhabited the Piedmont region of present-day North Carolina, particularly along the Eno and Haw river valleys, with village sites near what are today Hillsborough, Durham, and surrounding areas. They were part of the Saponi-Tuscarora grouping, a network of Siouan-speaking communities in the region. The Occaneechi spoke a Siouan language closely related to Saponi and Tutelo; the language is not spoken today, and only fragmentary records survive.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Occaneechi formed towns, farmed crops such as maize, and participated in trade along the Great Trading Path that connected inland Virginia with the coast. They maintained alliances with neighboring groups but faced pressure from expanding European settlements, diseases, and conflict. By the mid-18th century, dispersal and political realignment led many Occaneechi to merge with other Siouan peoples, especially the Saponi and Tutelo; some lines later joined Catawba or other communities.

Today, descendants identify with the Occaneechi in North Carolina. The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation represents some of these lines as a cultural and community organization; it does not hold federal recognition. There are other North Carolina groups with Saponi-Tuscarora heritage, and scholarly work continues to study the Occaneechi and their place in Southeastern Native American history.

The name Occoneechee lives on in place names in North Carolina, including Occoneechee Mountain State Park, and remains a marker of the historic presence of the people in the region.