Our Story

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The Secotan are one of many Algonquin-speaking tribes that made their home here, in what is now known as Northeastern North Carolina. An agricultural people, they relied on the crops they raised. Their proximity to the waters of the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds connected them to a diverse local trade network. 

In 1585, during an English expedition to explore and establish a colony, John White depicted the life of the Secotan people in a painting. The village he portrayed was not fortified or guarded, suggesting they did not live in fear of attack. Vast gardens surrounded their homes and gathering places for community meals and ceremony. 

Secotan Market seeks to honor a long-standing tradition established many thousand years ago. We believe the exchange of local food, goods and knowledge between those living on the islands along our coast and those settled just inland remains vital today.

The arrival of settlers brought devastating impacts of disease, war, and slavery to indigenous communities across the coast. It is believed that families from many southeastern tribes sought refuge together with those already living near the Lumbee River. These people still remain, despite centuries of efforts to erase their culture following the decimation of indigenous populations and the seizure of ancestral lands.