ARD SU / NEXTGENRADIO
Cheyenne McNeill speaks with Kullen Bell, a member of the Coharie Tribe in North Carolina. Since 2015, the tribe has made efforts to restore access to the rivers in Sampson County and has cleared more than 100 miles of the rivers. He says his role in restoring the Great Coharie River has pushed him to embrace his own identity.
How restoring the Great Coharie River reconnected tribal members
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Kullen Bell: It’s very important to me to carry on my culture. We’re a proud people. We’re resilient. We’re very community based. We’re very spiritual based. And there’s something to be said about that.
My name is Kullen Bell. I grew up in Clinton, North Carolina, born and raised. My mom has Lumbee in her, but my dad’s Coharie.
So the Great Coharie River Initiative started around 2014-15. So we’ve been going at it for about seven years. And it started with one of the elders of the tribe asking our Tribal Administrator Greg Jacobs, ‘what about our river? When are we going to take care of our river?’
So here to your left is a massive Oak tree. It’s probably a good 100 years plus.
If you look at a map of Sampson County, the river is almost like the heart, you know, the main vein of the heart. We lived on the river and we traded and traveled by it. So we have a deep connection with these waterways.
There goes a river birch. It’s the bark that peels – a shaggy bark is how scientists refer to it.
In the beginning, we didn’t have any funds. We didn’t know what we were doing. It was a group of about 10 volunteers that would go out on their free time. And it was just a matter of getting in the river and taking them trees out. I’ve been standing in the water, chest, neck deep cutting trees with a chainsaw. So, it’s a lot of hard work and took a lot of time. And present day, we’ve cleared out over 100 miles of the rivers in Sampson County.
Once you get on that river, nothing else matters. That’s why I want everybody to experience the feeling you get. You’re paddling on the water that our ancestors paddled on.
To see like all those, 65 to 80 year old people smile and say, ‘I came here when I was a kid.’ That made me emotional and it made me want to like carry on what we’re doing even more.
You’ll see all types of Great Blue Heron, duck species.
In the last probably two years, I have really, really dove into our culture, big time. And just the things I’ve learned it makes me a better tour guide and overall person in general. It’s definitely given me a deeper, deeper connection with my culture and everything involved. And, I’m very, very green with it. I’m in the beginning of it, but I’m so eager to learn.
I drum with Smokey River. Majority of the guys in Smokey River were the original volunteers to clean up our rivers. My uncle Philip tells a story about one of the first few times they went down there, all of them grabbed sticks, and just started beating the water and singing. And he said the hair rose up on his arms. It was a powerful, powerful scene.
Our river’s got a very distinct color due to the leaves that fall in it. It steeps it and when you go over those white sand beaches, it looks like a flavored up sweet tea.
If I could go back in time and give myself some advice I would probably say don’t be shy or embarrassed to showcase your culture. The Coharie River Project definitely opened my eyes to things I missed when I was a kid. And that’s why I was very passionate about learning it and learning it the right way. And then that way I can pass it on to people my age, older than me, and younger than me
My favorite thing about the river is, you know, after every bend and turn, there’s something new
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Kullen Bell walks to the Great Coharie River where he leads guided tours and shares about his Coharie heritage in Sampson County, N.C., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022.
CHEYENNE MCNEILL / NEXTGENRADIO
Near an overpass off of U.S. Route 421 in Clinton, North Carolina, Kullen Bell dips his hands into the cold, sweet tea-colored water of the Great Coharie River. Bell is a member of the Coharie tribe.
Bell, 29, said the river is considered the ancestral home of the Coharie Indian Tribe.
“As Coharie, we have a deep relationship with the water,” Bell said. “We lived on the river and traded and traveled by it. So, we have a deep connection with these waterways.”
But after decades of neglect and the introduction of non-native beavers to the area, the river was inaccessible and in dire need of attention. In 2015, the Coharie Tribe decided to do something about the issue.
Bell dips his hands into the water of the Coharie River in Clinton, N.C., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. “As Coharie, we have a deep relationship with the water,” Bell said.
CHEYENNE MCNEILL / NEXTGENRADIO
Clinton, N.C., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Bell says that the Great Coharie River is one of the most biodiverse ecological systems in North Carolina. He says that the river’s distinct “sweet tea” color comes from the tannins of leaves that fall in the river.
CHEYENNE MCNEILL / NEXTGENRADIO
The Great Coharie River Initiative is a river restoration project started by the Coharie Tribe to return access of the river to the tribe. Bell joined the project as a volunteer and said the work has reconnected him with his tribe and his own Indigenous identity. Bell’s newfound interest in this work helped him connect with other people and activities in the tribe.
Following guidance from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the tribe began removing debris from the river using chainsaws, machetes and axes. Bell’s uncle led volunteers through the river restoration process. Bell said his uncle called on him to help out on the business side of the restoration by getting insurance and waivers lined up. But, Bell also got his hands dirty.
“I’ve been standing in the water, chest, neck deep, cutting trees with a chainsaw. So, it’s a lot of hard work and took a lot of time,” Bell said.
Bell wears a necklace made of skunk beads, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. These were gifted to him by a member of Smokey River, the drum group that Bell joined.
CHEYENNE MCNEILL / NEXTGENRADIO
Bell indicates water marks on the trees near the Great Coharie River in Clinton, N.C., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Bell says he’s seen the water as high as the nearby overpass.
CHEYENNE MCNEILL / NEXTGENRADIO
Today, the tribe has cleared more than 100 miles of the Great Coharie River and other rivers in Sampson County. Bell said that restoring access to the river has created a sense of community that’s been missing for the tribe and its members.
According to Bell, the Great Coharie River used to be a meeting point for members of the tribe. Parents took their children fishing and swimming there, churches hosted baptisms and the community hosted events.
But, Bell said that a generation of Coharie members around his age weren’t afforded the same opportunity as their elders to create that connection with the river. Now that access has been restored, Bell said past generations can reflect on memories at the river.
“Getting to see, like, all those 65 to 80 year old people smile and say, ‘I came here when I was a kid.’ That made me emotional,” Bell said.
Meanwhile current and future generations have the opportunity to connect and become good stewards of the waters in the county.
“I didn’t get to experience that, but now I get to, and my nieces and nephews and my grandkids will be able to, and so on and so on,” Bell said.
For Bell, joining the restoration efforts was a catalyst for reconnecting with his heritage.
“Taking over the Coharie River project and getting the business started definitely opened my eyes to things I missed when I was a kid,” Bell said.
Now, Bell leads the Coharie Downriver Explorations – which are guided tours of the river that include a tour of the tribal grounds and an opportunity to view the tribe’s 600-year-old canoe.
The river project also introduced Bell to members of the Smokey River Singers – a drum group composed mostly of Coharie tribal members.
“It’s like a feeling you can’t really explain when you’re with your brothers around the drum,” Bell said.
Growing up, Bell was shy about sharing his culture, but joining in on the work to restore the river changed his perspective.
“It’s very important to me to carry on my culture. We’re a proud people. We’re resilient. We’re very community based. We’re very spiritual based,” Bell said.
More than just changing his viewpoint on sharing his culture, Bell said joining in on the river restoration and joining the drum group changed his perspective on life.
“It’s gotten my mindset completely different,” Bell said. “It’s slowed my life down and made me see what’s more important in life.”
Bell stands with the Coharie River in Clinton, N.C., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Joining in on the Great Coharie River Initiative encouraged Bell to embrace his heritage. “It’s very important to me to carry on my culture. We’re a proud people. We’re resilient. We’re very community based. We’re very spiritual based,” Bell said.
CHEYENNE MCNEILL / NEXTGENRADIO
A map of Sampson County shows each of the rivers and creeks in the county. Yellow sticky notes distinguish significant locations across the county. (Photo courtesy of Kullen Bell)
PHOTO COURTESY OF KULLEN BELL
Bell is a member of the Smokey River Singers – a southern drum group from Sampson County, N.C.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KULLEN BELL