Coharie Explained

Coharie is the name for the Great Coharie Creek^[1] and its tributary the Little Coharie Creek, both in Sampson County, North Carolina.^[2] The Great Coharie Creek is a tributary of the Black River that joins the Cape Fear River that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

Coharie also refers to the Coharie Formation, named for the creeks, a terrace, and shoreline at about 215 feet above sea level on the mid- to southern East Coast.^[3]

The name Coharie was adopted by the Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc., a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina. The tribe claims "descent from certain tribes of Indians originally inhabiting the coastal regions of North Carolina."^[4] In 1910, residents of Herrings Township along the Coharie creeks identified as being of Croatan descent.^[5]

Etymology

Coharie could be an Iroquoian, perhaps Tuscarora language, word that translates as driftwood.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Great Coharie Creek at SR 1214 near Butler Crossroads (21NCMONITORING-B8604000) site data in the Water Quality Portal . National Water Quality Monitoring Council . 27 August 2022.
2. Web site: LITTLE COHARIE CREEK NEAR ROSEBORO, NC (USGS-02106000) site data in the Water Quality Portal . National Water Quality Monitoring Council . 27 August 2022.
3. Web site: Geologic Unit: Coharie . National Geologic Map Database . 27 August 2022.
4. Web site: Chapter 71A. Indians . NC General Assembly . 16 October 2023.
5. Book: Butler . George Edwin . The Croatan Indians of Sampson County, North Carolina: Their Origin and Racial Status . 1916 . University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library . Chapel Hill . 978-1-4696-4181-2 .
6. Book: Fullam . Brandon . Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages . 2020 . McFarland & Co. . Jefferson, NC . 9781476638249 . 72 .