Joseph Jordan

Artist

My name is Joseph Jordan. I come from the Meherrin Nation, located in northeast North Carolina. I was raised in Leisure City Homestead and South Miami while spending time in North Florida and Gainesville. I was taught about my culture and to be proud to be Native. After moving out of Miami, I spent some time in Gainesville Florida with my grandmother and my dad and eventually moved to various Georgia cities with my mother. At that time, I started really getting a lot more involved in the native culture community. I started dancing, going to ceremonies, and activism. When I turned eighteen, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, served 8 years in the infantry, and 4 years training recruits. While in Hawaii, I was a part of many Native American affinity groups such as the Intertribal Council of Hawaii (ICH), a travel council of Hawaii, the Native American Warriors Society, and the Native American Veteran programs. After my time in the Marine Corps, I moved to Robenson County, North Carolina, where my grandmother was along with 80,000 Native Americans, the largest Native American populated community east of the Mississippi River. I became active in my community, traveling to Powwows and performing as a sun dancer at Sundance in South Dakota. I am an adopted member of the Hopi, Rabbit in Tobacco clan Snake Kiva. I settled in Georgia and made my life about teaching others about our culture and history while advocating for Native rights. I am an enrolled and active member of the Meherrin Nation in North Carolina where I run ceremonies and am in charge of the Powwows for the tribe, and a member of Knfuski (Creek) ceremonial grounds in the panhandle of Florida.