And for a kid who grew up semi-idolizing Western tribes like the Comanche and the Apache, I am surprised, but it turns out that the Lumbee were badass in the 20th century.
And they stood up to the Ku Klux Klan in 1958, when it could have meant they would be seriously, seriously hurt. Instead, they won, and kicked ass on the KKK, which is more than I can say I've ever done.
It was called The Battle of Hayes Pond, and it's an interesting story.
On January 18, 1958, [James W. "Catfish" Cole, a KKK member from South Carolina] and about 50 Klansmen, most of whom were followers of his from South Carolina, gathered in a leased cornfield near Hayes Pond, a place adjacent to the town of Maxton [North Carolina]. Several hundred Lumbees, many armed, arrived and encircled the group and jeered at them. After an altercation in which the single light in the field was destroyed, the Lumbees began firing their weapons and most of the Klansmen fled. Cole hid in a swamp while the Lumbees seized Klan regalia and carried them to Pembroke to celebrate. Police restored order on the field and arrested one Klansman.
Afterwards, Cole and the arrested Klansman were indicted and convicted for inciting a riot. The event was widely covered in the local and national press, which blamed the Klan for the disorder and praised the Lumbees for their actions. Cole never organized another public rally in Robeson County after the incident. In 2011 the Lumbee Tribal Council declared January 18 a "Tribal Day of Historical Recognition".
