Urban Indian Organizations

Cumberland County Association for Indian People

The mission of Cumberland County Association for Indian People (CCAIP) is to enhance self-determination and self-sufficiency as it relates to the socio-economic development, legal, and political well-being of the Indian People of Cumberland County.  Fostering healthier choices is one of many areas the CCAIP Board works on to improve the lives of its members.  We support the planning and delivering of services by utilizing local, state, and national networking resources in the following areas: (1) Education, (2) Native arts and crafts, (3) Cultural enrichment, (4) Job referrals services, (5) Employment and training, (6) Economic development, and (7) Housing and health needs.

Guilford Native American Association

In September 1975, in response to a nearly 100 percent dropout rate of American Indian students from Guilford County’s three public high schools, a small group of parents began working with members of local Lutheran churches to create a 501(c)(3) non-profit association. Today, as the oldest American Indian urban association in NC and one of the oldest in the U.S., the Guilford Native American Association (GNAA) has progressed from a single program focus of educational advocacy to become a multi-service organization. The GNAA board has ten members who are elected by the American Indian community at the organization’s annual meeting. Board members serve three-year staggered terms with either two or four new members elected each year.

The association has grown to encompass childcare, employment, and age-based community programs. It is the oldest American Indian urban association in North Carolina and one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the United States.

Metrolina Native American Association

The Metrolina Native American Association (MNAA) was organized in the early 1970s by a group of American Indian families who met in each other’s homes with the goal of assisting native people in the area to stay connected. The MNAA Board of Directors has seven members, elected at large, who serve three-year, staggered terms. The MNAA Board is ethnically and educationally diverse. MNAA has 175 registered members in the 10-county service area of which about one-third are active. Seventy percent of MNAA members are Lumbee but nearly all of the NC tribes are represented, as well as tribes such as the Ute and Chippewa-Winnebago.

Our community is served through culture enrichment classes, employment training, work experience opportunities and economic development assistance to help promote and preserve self-sufficiency and self-determination. All activities are coordinated with other Indian organizations and programs in the state.

Triangle Native American Society

In 1984, a group of residents in the Triangle (Durham, Raleigh, & Chapel Hill, N.C.) assembled to organize a social network for American Indians living in the area. The TNAS Executive Board is made up of the current officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) and emeritus presidents. There are currently eight board members.  Officers are elected at the annual meeting held on the first Monday in October (if there is a quorum of regular members as stated in the by-laws) and serve for one year. TNAS membership meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Wade-Edwards Learning Lab in Raleigh. The society gained a seat on the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs (NCCIA) Board in March 2000. TNAS currently does not have a physical office or paid staff.

TNAS seeks to foster a local Native community while bridging the various cultural and traditional practices members bring from their respective home tribal communities.

Click here for a (PDF) map of NC Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations