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Lumbees Offer Thanks To A Great Friend
_________________________________________________
Lumbees Offer Thanks To A Great Friend
Lumbee Tribe, Native Visions magazine honor the late Hamilton Macmillan
by Mark Locklear, from Native Visions magazine
See Also: University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Leaders of the Lumbee tribe showed that even after 120 years has passed, it is not too late to thank someone for a good deed.
The late Rep. Hamilton Macmillan, a Red Springs resident and friend to the Lumbee, sponsored a bill in 1887 that ultimately created the Croatan Normal School. The law appropriated $500 to be used for salaries to train American Indian school teachers. The school evolved into what is now the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
On October 5, about 70 people, including eight of McMillan’s descendants, gathered in front of Town Hall for the Hamilton Macmillan Celebration. The day included several speakers, plaque presentations, and a performance by the Southern Sun Drum Group. The event was the result of two years of planning by James Locklear, publisher of Native Visions Magazine, and members of the tribal government.
Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins struggled to control his emotions as he spoke to McMillan’s descendants.
“Let me apologize for it taking the Lumbee people 120 years to honor Hamilton Macmillan, “ Goins said. “We ask for your forgiveness. What he did touched so many lives.”
Hamilton’s great-grandson, E.H. Alexander, a Red Springs commissioner, grabbed the microphone afterward and said, “it’s never too late.” Other descendants of Hamilton Macmillan traveled from as far as Texas, Florida, New York, and South Carolina for the event.
Macmillan, who died in 1916, was remembered for more than establishing what would become UNCP. On feb. 10, 1885, he introduced legislation in the General Assembly giving the Indians of Robeson County a legal identity and schools of their own. The bills passed, but there was a price to pay.
“This destroyed his political career,” Goins said. “How many people do you know in our lifetime that had the backbone and courage of a Hamilton Macmillan? He gave up everything to help a depressed people.”
John Robeson Tudor, also a great-grandson of Macmillan, said: “We are overjoyed for this recognition. It’s not just a matter of another plaque or memorial of a person who was important to history. This is a man who risked his own reputation, his own livelihood, and his standing in the community.”
Tudor has spent years researching McMillan’s writings. He said by establishing the Indian training school, Macmillan returned rights to people who had had them taken away.
“This is a big deal, “ Goins said. “Without that $500, UNC-Pembroke would not be what it is today. If it wasn’t for Hamilton, I wouldn’t have a four year degree.”
Goins said that $500 in 1885 would be worth $220,000 in today’s dollars.
The Croatan Normal School opened with 15 students and one teacher in the fall of 1887. For many years, the instruction was at the elementary and secondary level, and the first diploma was awarded in 1905.
The school moved to it’s present location in Pembroke in 1909. The General Assembly changed the name of the institution in 1911 to the Indian Normal School of Robeson County, and in 1913 it became the Cherokee Indian Normal School of Robeson County. State Representative Ron Sutton said Macmillan would be pleased with the progress American Indians have made in Robeson County since his death.
“He would be proud to know that an Indian is serving in the same seat that he served in the General Assembly.” said Sutton, who now holds that seat. “We stand very proud of Rep. Hamilton Macmillan did for all the people in this community.
There is an award named for service to the Lumbee Indian community. There is also a life sized statue of McMillan in front of Old Main at UNCP.
© 2009 John Tudor