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Biographical Description

The Keyauwee were an American Indian tribe that traditionally resided in the vicinity of the Uwharrie River and the Deep River in North Carolina. John Lawson first documented the nation in 1701, describing their village was being situated in a very mountainous area and that the Keyauwee were similar in culture to their neighbors the Saponi. According to Lawson and his contemporaries, the Keyauwee later merged with the Tutelo and the Saponi for protection. By 1714 the Keyauwee, Tutelo, and Saponi had again merged with the Ocaneechi and Shoccoree, nearing the Eno River. Colonists estimated this alliance did not number more than 750 American Indians total. By the 1761s the Keyauwee had moved south and settled near the Pee Dee River near the Saura Nation. Today scholars believe the Keyauwee were ultimately integrated into the larger nearby Catawba community.

For more information and links to resources, please see our editorial statement on American Indian terminology.

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