The Story
Little River is a short documentary that explores a Native-run school in rural North Carolina, and how its closure in the 1960's impacted the tribe's sacred river and its people's connection to it.
Though underfunded, Eastern Carolina Indian School (ECI) became a safe haven for Native children across seven counties in the state. When the school abruptly shut down in the 1960's, much of the culture was lost and folks moved away from the area, leaving the community destabilized and fractured. Today, the old schoolhouse serves as the tribal center and culture is being revitalized by one of its leaders, Greg Jacobs, who the film centers around.
Greg is the tribal Administrator of the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina. Like many folks in the community, he grew up attending Eastern Carolina Indian School. The school was a place for him and many Native children in the community to be together in a safe and loving environment. When the school abruptly closed in 1964 and integration was mandated, Greg went down a dark path of drugs and alcohol.
The school became a state-run technical college and the sacred river became overgrown and neglected. Today, Greg is working tirelessly to revitalize the old schoolhouse and the river through cultural and ecological efforts.
Juanita Chance was 16 years old when ECI closed its doors. She and her family, who lived several hours away from the school, were in favor of desegregation and heavily involved in the civil rights movement. Through conversations with Greg, she represents the alternative views of some tribal members at the time, as she struggles with her place in the community to this day and the difficult memories of that period of her life.
This is a story about the interconnected relationship between ECI, the Great Coharie River and the Coharie people, told through the lens of a tribal leader as he heals his relationship with the land, the community and himself.