"Can DNA solve the Lumbee problem?"....

Searching for information on the origins of the Lumbee I came across this blog by Craig Mason. He researches his genealogy by using his surnames such as Brayboy, Bryant and Long, just to name a few. In this particular blog, Can DNA solve "The Lumbee Problem"? Mason discusses a particular surname, Brayboy, which is known as a popular surname for the Lumbee tribe. As mentioned in his blog the Lumbee tribe have no traces of a reservation, treaties, a native language or certain traditional customs. He further explains how in 1587, a group of colonists under Sir Walter Raleigh's command came to the area now known as the Outer Banks, returned to England and were on there way back this particular area but there was no one there, which became known as "The Lost Colony." The only trace that the people in the area left was the word "Croatan" carved into a tree. The Croatan was the name that the Lumbee people were once called. In the 1700s, people of Scottish descent came across a mixed race, the Lumbee people, calling them "free Negroes" or "Mulattoes," which were names African descent. The Lumbee tribe has had many interactions between other races so there is no known history for the Lumbee people which is hurting our fight for federal recognition. Mason suggest that DNA research could help define the Lumbee people, discovering the mystery behind the origin of the tribe. This blog was very interesting and seems like a good idea to discover the unknown of the Lumbee.