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Uncovering history's mystery 'The Lost Colony' and efforts to center Native stories in long-running performance

19th-century illustration depicting John White discovering the abandoned Roanoke colony, 1590.
[public domain]
19th-century illustration depicting John White discovering the abandoned Roanoke colony, 1590.

The story of “The Lost Colony" of Roanoke is one that's been told for generations. But some say the colony was never actually lost.

Scott Dawson, owner of the Lost Colony Museum on Hatteras Island, talks to co-host Leoneda Inge about the evidence he and a British archaeological team recently found, which Dawson hopes will change the narrative.

Dr. Mark Horton of the Royal Agricultural University, left, and Scott Dawson
Maggie Dawson
Dr. Mark Horton of the Royal Agricultural University, left, and Scott Dawson

Guest

Scott Dawson, owner of The Lost Colony Museum, president of the Croatoan Archeological Society

Leoneda Inge with Kaya Littleturtle, cultural advisor for The Lost Colony and Kat Littleturtle, ‘The Storyteller’ performer in The Lost Colony
Rachel McCarthy/WUNC
Leoneda Inge with Kaya Littleturtle, cultural advisor for The Lost Colony and Kat Littleturtle, ‘The Storyteller’ performer in The Lost Colony

The story of The Lost Colony of Roanoke has been performed in song and dance for over 80 years at an outdoor theater on the Outer Banks — a production many North Carolina students attend each year.

The story told on that stage was long criticized for inaccurate portrayals of Native Americans and for not centering Native characters or perspectives. Kaya Littleturtle became a big part of changing that narrative. He was one of the first Native actors to perform in The Lost Colony and he now serves as cultural advisor for the production.

His grandmother, Kat Littleturtle, is The Storyteller in the show and they both join co-host Leoneda Inge to talk about how the new Lost Colony pays tribute to old traditions.

This encore interview originally aired March 12, 2024.

Guests

Kaya Littleturtle, cultural advisor for The Lost Colony

Kat Littleturtle, ‘The Storyteller’ performer in The Lost Colony

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Rachel McCarthy is a producer for "Due South." She previously worked at WUNC as a producer for "The Story with Dick Gordon." More recently, Rachel was podcast managing editor at Capitol Broadcasting Company where she developed narrative series and edited a daily podcast. She also worked at "The Double Shift" podcast as supervising producer. Rachel learned about audio storytelling at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Prior to working in audio journalism, she was a research assistant at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.