Epilogue
Epilogue
The Epilogue describes the Lumbee community musical show Strike at the Wind!, and uses it as a lens to reflect on and examine the progress and history of Lumbee Indians throughout the years. The show offers a way for Lumbees to connect to being American. Federal recognition has eluded Lumbees, but a lack of federal recognition does not disrupt their ability to exercise their sovereignty as indigenous people. Nor does it constitute a “struggle for identity;” Lumbees know exactly who they are and what it means to belong. The struggle is for fair treatment within an unfair system. Political will, generated through money, compromise, or consensus, is a key ingredient of federal acknowledgment for Lumbees. At the same time, history shows that Lumbees do not always work toward progress peacefully. They have been targets of violence, and also used violence to insist that others see them for who they are, not for who they wish Lumbees would be. Henry Berry Lowry, Julian Pierce, Bricey Hammonds, Helen Maynor Schierbeck, and many others did not live their lives in vain. They were warriors in the Lumbee struggle for independence as a people. Their stories belong to all of us.
Keywords: Strike at the Wind!, American, Federal recognition, Lumbee, violence, community, stories
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