What do YOU think happened to the Roanoke colony?

Question

I'm gathering opinions ^_^ I myself think that they went to live with or were captured by the Croatian tribe, as some of their tribe were later found to have lighter skin and blue eyes.

What do you think?

Answer 1

Like you, I incline toward the assimilation theory--either they merged with the Croatoan (not Croatian--they're in the Balkans and are European) or the Hatteras natives.

In Robeson County, NC some members of the Lumbee Nation have claimed descent from the "Lost Colonists," but I'm not aware of anything that would indicate its truth or falsity.

It is documented, however, that some light-skinned, blue- and gray-eyed natives in the northeastern part of North Carolina had last names that matched a fair percentage of those borne by members of John White's colony, mentioned ancestors who could "talk in a book," and had the custom of carving crosses on their burial coffins--and coffins themselves were not commonly used among the indigenous peoples. This was noted during the first US census, in 1790.

By the way, MrV, the Roanoke colony was established under John White, not Sir Walter Raleigh--it was White who returned to Manteo Island and discovered the colony (including his daughter, Eleanor White Dare, and his granddaughter, Virginia, the first English child born in North America) to have, for all intents and purposes, vanished.

Answer 2

The colonists at Roanoke had been instructed to leave a sign with their destination marked on it. When Raleigh returned to the colony in 1590, he found the word Croatoan carved in capital letters. Raleigh searched Croatan Island, near Cape Hateras, but found no English colonists. Some historians believe the settlers, finding themselves unable to survive by themselves, moved in with the Lumbee Indians who then were known to frequent Croatan Island. As you pointed out in your question, while there is no exact proof, about a century after the colony disappeared, the Lumbee Indians, who had relocated to the interior of North Carolina, were observed to have children and adults with fair colored skin and blue eyes. The language also contained a number of English words.

Answer 3

the assimilation theory makes the most sense.

aboriginal nations in general had no problem adopting new members (and didn't worry about ethnic distinctions), and unless provoked otherwise tended to offer aid to colonists/visitors/explorers in dire straits. Moreover, there are numerous examples of white colonists abandoning "settler" communities to join aboriginal ones. The ethnic markers in the Lumbee descendents certainly support the theory.

I think it is mainly the cultural arrogance/assumption of white European "superiority" that resisted the assimilation idea so long.