Shakori people

The Shakori, and the related Eno, lived along the banks of the river in the vicinity of modern-day Hillsborough, North Carolina

The Shakori Tribe were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. They were thought to be a Siouan people, closely allied with other nearby tribes such as the Eno and the Sissipahaw. Their name is also recorded as Shaccoree and can be confused with the Sugaree. Their first mention in recorded history is by Yardley in 1654 who provides a Tuscarora guide's accounts of the Cacores people from Haynoke who, although smaller in stature and number, were able to evade the Tuscarora. Their villages were located around what is now Hillsborough, North Carolina along the banks of the Eno River and Shocco River.

Culture

Although little is known about the Shakori, it is known that at the time of contact, there were a few noticeable differences from the surrounding tribes. Wigwams and other structures were generally made out of interwoven saplings and sticks which were covered in mud as opposed to the typical bark used by other tribes, and were indeed quite similar to traditional dwellings of the Quapaw from Arkansas. In the center of the village, men often played a slinging stone game, probably similar to the chunkey played by tribes further south and west.

Language

The Shakori were associated with other Siouan tribes, such as the Sissipahaw and Eno, and they all are believed to have spoken the same Siouan language; however, it is debated as to whether or not the Shakori, Eno, and Sissipahaw were different tribes or bands of the same tribe. This distinction became moot as the tribes merged into each other. Although merged into remnants of other tribes, the dialect survived as late as 1743 by the Eno who resisted Catawba assimilation the longest.

History

Although their origins are uncertain, it is assumed like many of the tribes in the area, the Shakori joined against the English colonists in the Yamasee War. It is likely that by this time they were already confederated or merged with remnants of other tribes. Descendants of the Shakori can be found amongst the Catawba and the Saponi, but the Shakori tribe itself is now extinct.