FORT BRAGG, N.C. - When a gentle breeze blows through Fort Bragg, the longleaf pines whisper in hushed tones. If you listen closely, you may hear the voices of generations past … these could be the voices of the Sandhills.
In partnership with cultural resources consulting firm Brockington and Associates and the United States Army Corps of Engineers -- Savannah District, the Fort Bragg Cultural Resources Management Program has developed Voices of the Sandhills. This is a multimedia project that explores the unique environmental features of the Fort Bragg region and their relevance to the settlement of the area by early Native Americans and their later descendants. Furthermore, Voices of the Sandhills emphasizes the importance of archaeology to the history of the area, the legacy of the descendant groups and the Fort Bragg mission.
The Fort Bragg CRMP and its partners created the Voices of the Sandhills project to fulfill a key program component -- the education and interpretation of archaeological records for the general public.
"Through consultation with American Indian nations, state-recognized tribes and local Sandhills descendants, Fort Bragg was encouraged to develop presentations that could share our archaeology and American Indian history and culture with a large audience," said Dr. Linda Carnes-McNaughton, an archaeologist and interim program manager with the CRMP.
"These educational, electronic tools will emphasize the scientific methods of archaeology used at Fort Bragg to describe artifacts, types of sites, environmental contexts and cultural history synopses to provide perspectives on archaeology from contemporary voices."
The Voices of the Sandhills project encompasses two products: an interactive website linked to educational venues throughout the state of North Carolina and a 20-minute video documentary. Through interviews with relatives of Native Americans and settlers, the documentary relays stories of the Tuscarora Nation, the Catawba Nation, the Lumbee Tribe and the Walden-Goins Families as preserved in oral traditions, archaeological sites, historical documents, letters, journals and photographs.
The Voices of the Sandhills project examines how the predominant ecosystem of the Sandhills, the longleaf pine savannah, was fundamental to the settlement of the area now known as Fort Bragg. The forest was essential to the lives of the Tuscarora and Catawba people who seasonally occupied the fertile lowland portions of the Sandhills over ten centuries ago.
With the tall trees and minimal mid-story in the pine forest, Native Americans could view game mammals from great distances. The area also provided a plethora of nuts, berries and other food sources, thus creating an ideal environment for hunting and gathering.
As one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world, the longleaf savannah was a treasure trove for naturalists. The pines also provided a livelihood for the Walden-Goins Families, who owned an estimated 4,000 acres of land in the region and were directly involved in the turpentine industry.
The Voices of the Sandhills project also emphasizes the conservation of archaeological resources to further preserve the past and enhance the oral histories of the descendants.
The Fort Bragg CRMP maintains over 400 archaeological sites on the installation and has recovered over 300,000 artifacts related to human occupation and land use in the Sandhills. Many of the artifacts excavated from these sites, including pottery fragments, projectiles, primitive tools and ornamental items, provide important insights into the thousands of years of history of the pre-Fort Bragg landscape.
"In North America, 95 percent of human history happened before there was writing on this continent," said Carnes-McNaughton.
"Archaeology is one of the few ways we can learn about people who left no written records. Archaeological sites and artifacts exist today as fragile, non-renewable resources. It is up to us to protect them wherever and whenever possible," she said.
"Indeed, many Native American nations do not have written history so they must rely on modern archaeology to have a record of their people," added Stuart Patterson, chief of the Beaver clan of the Tuscarora Nation. "Archaeology must be used as a friend," he said.
Many descendants of the Tuscaroras, the Catawbas, the Lumbees and Walden-Goins Families remain in the Sandhills and several of those descendants participated in the Voices of the Sandhills project.
Contributors include Goins Family descendant Helena Hendrix-Frye, Stuart and Neil Patterson of the Tuscarora Nation, Wenonah George Haire of the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project and Catawba potter Caroleen Saunders. The documentary also features members of the Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works including wildlife biologist Erich Hoffman and CRMP archaeologists Charles Heath and Joe Herbert.
Their interviews provide a modern connection to the rich history of the Fort Bragg area. "The fact that I can walk where my great grandparents walked is very moving to me," said Hendrix-Frye.
Ultimately, the Voices of the Sandhills project will create a greater awareness of the Army's stewardship of cultural resources and its impact on military objectives.
"Fort Bragg's mission is to facilitate the readiness of Soldiers," explained Carnes-McNaughton.
"The CRMP's mission is to aid in their training by inventorying and evaluating the cultural resources found on training lands while ensuring Fort Bragg's compliance with federal and state legislation and Army regulations."
Proper compliance with these laws maintains open and accessible training lands. Additionally, the project is designed to garner public support for historical preservation and to establish a clear link between the past, the present and the future.
Future plans call for the video and website to be included in North Carolina's public school curriculum and incorporated into offerings provided by public television networks across the state.
"There are many things that would be lost forever in history if the archaeologists and anthropologists were not working on these things," said Gregory Richardson, executive director of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs.
"People need to know who they are and where they came from. They need to know about their heritage."
And as long as the Fort Bragg Cultural Resources Management Program is here, the people of the Sandhills will certainly have the opportunity to understand and appreciate their origins.
To learn more, visit www.voicesofthesandhills.com.
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