Native American Tribes of the Appalachian Mountains

Indigenous Peoples of the Appalachians

The Appalachian Mountains were home to numerous distinct nations:

• Cherokee (Iroquoian) – Southern Appalachians (NC, SC, GA, TN, AL); largest eastern tribe.
• Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) – Northern/Central Appalachians (NY, PA, OH); Six Nations.
• Catawba (Siouan) – Piedmont/foothills (NC/SC), Catawba River valley.
• Shawnee (Algonquian) – Ohio Valley, extended into WV, KY Appalachians.
• Delaware (Lenape) (Algonquian) – Mid-Atlantic, upper Delaware River, into PA/NY mountains.
• Monacan, Tutelo, Saponi (Siouan) – Virginia/West Virginia Piedmont.
• Yuchi, Creek (Muscogee) – southern terminus (AL/GA).

These groups shared trade, conflict, and cultural exchange along mountain corridors. European colonization, disease, and removal (e.g., Trail of Tears) devastated populations by the 19th century.