RCC student Stephen Strickland keeps heritage, culture alive

Meet Stephen Strickland. He’s 18 years old and just graduated from Purnell Swett High School in Maxton this past Spring. He’s studying air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration at Robeson Community College and hopes to become an HVAC technician upon completion of the program.

Stephen is also Native American and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. You might could say he marches to the beat of a different drum – he stands out from the crowd and he’s determined to make a difference in his community.

When Stephen is not at RCC studying about electrical wires, air compressors, controls, and terminals, you most likely will find him learning about Native traditions and in turn, educating others about his culture.

“I’m trying to learn as much as I can now so I can share with others as I get older,” said Stephen. “I want to do as much as I can for my community.”

Stephen currently works for the Lumbee Tribe at the Boys and Girls Club in Pembroke. He teaches youth about Indian culture.

“The Boys and Girls Club has had a cultural presentation every Friday during the month of November,” Stephen said.

November is Native American Heritage Month and it’s been a busy time for Stephen, who is a drummer, and powwow dancer, and also plays the flute.

“I did a show with Robeson Community College this month and also went to the Powwow at UNC Charlotte,” Stephen said.

He also recently had an opportunity to share his way of life with the actors and producers of Reservation Dogs, a comedy-drama television show on Netflix that focuses on four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a reservation in Eastern Oklahoma.

“We did a show, cultural exhibition at the Lumbee Cultural Center in Maxton to show what it was like to be Lumbee,” Stephen said. “It’s how I was raised…to teach people who we are and who we were.”

Stephen says the Lumbee Tribe is made up of many nations – Siouan, Algonquian, Iroquoian, Tuscarora, Hatteras, and Cheraw. “Lumbee,” he says refers to the region where the tribe is located. The tribe took the name Lumbee after the river, now referred to as the Lumber River, which winds through Robeson County.

“It is the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River,” Stephen said. “We are a Great Nation… I’m proud to be a Lumbee Indian.”

In 1885 the tribe was recognized as Indian by the State of North Carolina and has sought full federal recognition from the United States government since 1888. In 1956, Congress passed the Lumbee Act, which recognized the tribe as Indian, however, the Act withheld the full benefits of federal recognition. In recent years, the tribe has fought to gain full benefits, coming close with acts passed in the House only to stall in the Senate.

But even without the full recognition, Stephen says that he and others are still carrying on the traditions, history, and ideals of his people.

“Our culture and way of life are still alive,” said Stephen. “We are still here; we are still around.”

Stephen recalls some of the injustices of the past that Indigenous people faced.

“All my life, my elders have told me that education is powerful,” Stephen said.

“My Great Grandparents had to educate themselves using the Bible, it was the main book used to learn how to read and write,” Stephen said. “Education was kept from them; they were seen as less human than others.”

“It was illegal to have a powwow, to talk about our culture. Our people were criticized.”

That’s why Stephen says he embraces the opportunities he is given today.

“People know Native Americans are around, what I’m trying to do is educate them,” Stephen said. “It is a privilege to carry on the traditions and the culture of the past. Today people are more accepting as we freely do our powwows and share our culture.”

In September, Stephen had an opportunity to perform for a group of educators from North Carolina during the PRIMA Conference that was held in Lumberton. He played the drums, and the flute and did a stickball demonstration.

“That was a great opportunity to share with others who had a lack of knowledge about the culture in this area,” said Stephen. “The area that we are in is very culturally rich and there’s so much to learn about the Lumbee Tribe.”

Stephen hopes to continue to work for the Lumbee Tribe as he gets older. He says he would love to become an HVAC tech for the enterprise.

“It’s one of my options that I’m looking at,” Stephen said. “I would like to also start my own HVAC business in the Robeson County area one day.”