American Indian Tribal Leaders from tribes across North Carolina welcomed in the first day of Spring with thanksgiving and prayer on the mound at Town Creek in Mt. Gilead.

The spring (vernal) equinox arrived Tuesday night at 11:06 pm. American Indian Tribal Leaders from tribes across North Carolina welcomed in the first day of Spring with thanksgiving and prayer on the mound at Town Creek in Mt. Gilead. The N.C. American Indian Heritage Commission coordinated this event. The attendees for the ceremony discussed the past year and hopes for the future. The leaders also prayed and gave thanks for the past year and for the communities. Culturally, the Spring Equinox is the beginning of a new year for Native People. It is a time to start anew.

North Carolina Tribal leaders, including members of our Lumbee Tribe have gathered at Town Creek Indian Mound over the past decades. Town Creek was home to Native peoples spanning back thousands of years. It was an ancient ceremonial site and village with a platform mound. During the early Town Creek phase (A.D. 1150-1250) the site started out as a village of circular houses around a plaza. At about A.D. 1250, the platform mound was built.