On The Fight for Indigenous Cultural Preservation + Protecting The Great Trading Path

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Coda Cavalier, 7 Directions of Service

Featured Image Caption: Beverly Payne, Tribal Council Member of the Occaneechi community, walks along the historic Trading Path in Hawfields Cemetery in Mebane, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Roderico Y. Díaz, Iximché Media.

Mekuremenchen, kihoe:huk. Mima Coda, mihastik ske:se. Mima Occaneechi Saponi. My name is Coda. I am Occaneechi Saponi from Mebane, North Carolina and I am Youth Director of 7 Directions of Service, a community organization fighting to protect sacred places and phase out fossil fuels.

Have you heard of the Great Trading Path? Many have not, but if you’ve ever driven major roads between the Eno and Haw Rivers, you’ve likely travelled along it.

The Great Trading Path was exactly what it sounds like. Think of an ancient highway, but even greater: a site of trade between Southeastern tribes, cultural exchange and even human burials for those who died along their journeys. The term “Great Trading Path” refers to the whole system, although there would have likely been many routes that shifted and changed throughout time.

In reference to Mark Chilton, written in 2014, the Trading Path had a well defined route from the Eno River to the Haw River. West from the Eno River, it more or less followed the current route of Old NC 10, Bowden Road, and Old Hillsborough Road to the present site of the Hawfields Presbyterian Church on NC Hwy 119.

The gouge of the historic Great Trading Path is still visible in the woods outside of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Roderico Y. Díaz, Iximché Media.

The Occanechi Saponi were historically in the center of the Path. It connected our ancestors not only to their villages, but to neighboring tribes such as the Catawba and other Saponi in South Carolina and Virginia. The Path was a site of vibrant humanity and exchange before colonization. My ancestors set up camp by its waterways, held ceremonies, ate and shared stories and art, and if anyone died along their journeys, they were there.

Originally, my people lived on an island around Roanoke River, and then settled along the Haw and Eno Rivers around present day Alamance and Orange Counties. My ancestors in particular settled in the rural area of Alamance, and our land has been passed down (and we have had to fight for it) for at least 100 years. We are a blend of cultures. Our traditional items included carved weapons and western metal. Our regalia encompassed both leather and cloth.

Like our ancestors, we continue to fight to protect our unique culture and sacred sites from destruction and erasure. The Mebane City Council recently designated a section of the Great Trading Path for heavy industry, and we are now forced to watch as it is desecrated by giant warehouses and the future Buc-ee’s gas station. Back Creek is situated at the heart of this section, and had provided clean water and a resting place for travelers. Construction alongside the creek has already caused severe sedimentation and runoff, destroying water quality and harming threatened species.

Section of the Path in Mebane, NC facing mass industrial development and Buc-ee’s construction. Photo courtesy of Roderico Y. Díaz, Iximché Media.

On January 15, 2025, the World Monuments Watch–a global initiative to preserve endangered heritage sites–announced that the Great Trading Path had been selected as one of its sites of the year, a status that honors the legacy of the Path and will bring greater visibility to the Indigenous histories that defined the Southeastern United States. Check out the Great Trading Path’s WMW page here.

Indigenous community members have also been campaigning to demand that the city of Mebane take steps to formally consult and include our communities in land-use and city planning, and to recognize our historical and cultural contributions in meaningful ways. You can sign our petition here.

Map by North Carolina Environmental Justice Network

We are living at a time when Indigenous peoples are uniting across Turtle Island to defend our histories and all that is sacred. Our ancestors laid the groundwork for our resilience, and we will always pick ourselves up and continue fighting. Follow and support our work at 7directionsofservice.com

Other News & Reflections

Countering Violence

It has been less than two weeks, and Trump’s Executive Orders have had rippling effects across North Carolina, and the country.   Executive actions have attacked civil rights, immigration, federal

Read More

On the Merchants of Death Tribunal

Rania Masri, NCEJN Director of Policy and Organizing, gave these concluding remarks given at the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal press conference on January 15, 2025. (Watch) The Final Report of this Tribunal begins by

Read More

Join our newsletter

Biogas

Landfills

Pipelines

Fracking

Coal Ash

CAFOs

Submit Your Event

Do you have an event you’d like to feature on our site? Fill out the form below and let us know and we’ll contact you.
Skip to content