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This book represents a collection of the culture, religion, ceremonies, and beliefs of the Saponi and Catawba people. Information taken from disparate sources, both ancient and modern, have been collated and interpreted in this work to provide a basis of information for those not only of Saponi or Catawba heritage, but for anyone interested in the lives of the First Nations of the Virginia Piedmont area. 

The Saponi is a comprehensive exploration of one of the Eastern Siouan peoples whose story bridges the colonial South and the Ohio Valley. Drawing on treaties, colonial records, oral histories, and archaeological clues, this book follows the Saponi from their homelands in the Ohio Valley, thence into Virginia and North Carolina, to their survival in Pennsylvania, New York, and their eventual return to Ohio.The narrative highlights not only wars, alliances, and migrations, but also the persistence of identity through language, family continuity, and community memory. From references in early colonial accounts to the presence of Saponi-Catawba Nation of the Ohio Valley, descendants of the Carr’s Run “Catawba”, the story unfolds as one of endurance and adaptation.More than a history, this work affirms an unbroken continuum of existence. It is both a resource for scholars and a testimony for descendants, connecting past to present in the ongoing revitalization of Saponi culture.

This book should be considered as a companion volume to Where the Red Earth Meets the River. 

This is a basic grammar course for learning the Tutelo-Saponi language. While it is not, in it's form or function, a dictionary, some terms are included to show proper placement and usage of the language. After reading and using this workbook, students can expect to be able to form and formulate sentences in the language and have basic conversations. It is also hoped that a revival of interest in the language will result not only in greater numbers of speakers, but also an expansion of the lexical corpus.

This book was made to honor my people and our ancestors, and while I am not a linguist, I have tried to make sure this is as accurate as possible - if mistakes are made, they will hopefully be forgivable.

Included in the workbook is a basic grammar course, 530+ phrases extracted from Oliverio's work and attested to by various linguists, and a lexicon of over 1000 word and phrases.