Alumna publishes children’s book on NC’s Lumbee Tribe

As a member of the Lumbee Tribe, Christina Pacheco ’16 found it very hard to find children’s books on her Native American culture, let alone her specific tribe. When she scoured the library and the internet, the books she did find were mainly about western Native Americans before the 20th century.

“I couldn’t find anything after the Trail of Tears. Those books don’t capture modern Native American tribes like the Lumbee Tribe,” Pacheco said.

“It’s Lumbee Homecoming Y’all!” is available on Amazon. (Contributed photos)

So she decided to write her own.

“It’s Lumbee Homecoming Y’all! Nakoma’s Greatest Tradition,” tells the story of Nakoma, an 8-year-old boy who takes readers on the journey of his favorite tradition — Lumbee Homecoming.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River with over 55,000 members. The tribal headquarters is in Pembroke, which is also where Lumbee Homecoming takes place annually. Celebrated over a week in July, homecoming is filled with art displays, gospel singing and regalia. The final Saturday of Lumbee Homecoming — and Nakoma’s favorite day — culminates with a parade, powwow and fireworks.

“I wanted to expose not only Lumbee children to their culture in a modern context, but to have other people know more about our traditions and people,” Pacheco said.

Her favorite aspect of Lumbee Homecoming is the food. Collard wraps, collard sandwiches and grape ice cream are staples. The event didn’t happen this year because of the pandemic, but Pacheco hopes her book can serve as a placeholder.

Pacheco graduated from the College of Health and Human Performance at ECU and is pursuing her Master’s of Business Administration at UNC-Pembroke, where she also works in the Southeast American Indian studies department. For “It’s Lumbee Homecoming Y’all!” she teamed with Dr. Leslie Locklear, program coordinator for the First Americans Teacher Education (FATE) and First Americans Educational Leadership (FAEL) programs, which train American Indian teachers and administrators to work in American Indian schools.

Christina Pacheco’s new book gives children in the Lumbee Tribe a chance to see themselves and their Native American culture represented in literature.

“As an educator, I struggled to find books that reflected the beauty of our people that I could share and connect to the curriculum for elementary-aged students,” Locklear said.

“It’s Lumbee Homecoming Y’all!” includes teacher resources and discussion questions for educators to further engage students as they read. For illustrations, the authors tapped local Native American artists Raven Dial-Stanley, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Evynn Richardson, a senior at Warren New Tech High School. Locklear and Stanley are also members of the Lumbee Tribe, while Richardson is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe.

Pacheco said the response to the book has been positive so far, and more than 220 books have been sold in one month. All proceeds will support a scholarship for Native American students.

The authors plan to expand Nakoma’s story into a series of children’s books. In addition to showing readers Lumbee Tribe traditions, Nakoma’s adventures could take him to other North Carolina tribes to learn about their culture, Pacheco said.

Native American Heritage Month at ECU

The Ledonia Wright Cultural Center and the Office of Equity and Diversity present “Moving Beyond Myth: Acknowledging and Celebrating Indigenous People in the South.” The event will feature speaker Brittany Hunt from the Lumbee Tribe. Hunt will help audiences confront specific myths and stereotypes that they have internalized from media and schooling about Native people that does not allow for the complexities and authenticity of actual and contemporary Native identity.

Event date: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Register via Engage.