Necklace

Lozenge Form

This Native American copper necklace was likely the elaborate personal ornament of a Roanoke Indian. Archeologists recovered the necklace in situ near the Thomas Hariot Nature Trail at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in 2008. The necklace consists of 13 diamond-shaped plates made of copper from continental Europe that were strung together on short knotted cords, which have now rotted away. There is evidence that the necklace was contained in a leather pouch when it was lost or discarded. English explorers and colonists carried copper to trade with Native Americans of coastal North Carolina and Virginia. For these native groups, copper was highly prized and represented high status. This necklace probably belonged to a Roanoke Indian who had acquired it through trade.

The first sustained interaction between Native Americans and English explorers occurred during the Roanoke Voyages of 1584-1587, which were sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh. This cultural interaction was documented by scientist Thomas Hariot and artist John White. Together, they produced the first ethnographic study of the Algonquian people and the first English language documentation of the North Carolina coastal region.