Ziyohanna Ahvaneyah Nation
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Welcome to the Official Site of the Ziyohanna Ahvaneyah Nation
We are the Remnant Nation sovereign,ancient, and fully revived.
Our purpose is to:
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Honor the legacy of our ancestor
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Protect our tribal names
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Preserve sacred laws
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Enlighten the world
Chief Light Flower 01, Matriot
Called to Restore What Was Erased Tribal Sovereign • Educator • Healer
I welcome you to the sacred space of our people — a place of revival, honor, and truth. I stand not only as a voice of my ancestors, but as a guardian of their names, land, and laws. May this nation be a light to those seeking what was stolen.— LightFlower01
Full Spiritual & Cultural Meaning: The Light-Bearers of Grace who carry the Breath of Yah and rise to rebuild the sacred nation
Ziyohanna Ahvannyah
Seal Symbolism
The Eagle: high spiritual sight, ancestral watchers
• The Flame: sacred fire of truth and awakening
• The Fist Holding the Flame: strength and resistance
• The Feathers & Tribal Patterns: the many families
• Color symbolism: Indigo: truth; Gold: royalty;
Red: bloodline; Black: resilience
A sovereign bloodline of truth-bearers and light-carriers,
chosen by Yah to rise, rebuild, and reawaken the original
sacred identity of the Southeastern tribes
Our Mission
To restore, protect, and uplift the descendants of royal Indigenous bloodlines through truth, education, unity, and sovereignty. We exist to reclaim what was stolen—our names, our land, our stories, and our future.
Our Vision
We envision a world where the original tribal nations walk boldly in their true identity, free from misclassification, misrepresentation, and silence. The Ziyohanna Ahvanaheya Nation stands as a beacon for those seeking restoration and rightful recognition.
Clarification of Ancestral Identity We, the descendants of Jane Gibson, a Free Indian woman of 17th-century
Virginia, and Charles Evans of the Upper Congaree Shikory Cheraw, list these ancestors to honor their legacy
and protect their names under our Nation. We are aware that some modern-day tribes, including the Lumbee
Tribe, have referenced these same ancestors in their origin stories and genealogical claims. We make this
clear: Our Nation is not Lumbee Our grandparents, cousins, and direct relatives have never been enrolled in
the Lumbee Tribe The appearance of Jane Gibson or Charles Evans on this site is not an endorsement of any
outside tribal affiliation We do not deny that others may share distant biological ties — but our lived identity,
cultural memory, and sovereignty are ours alone. We list these ancestors to correct the record, not to
support tribal narratives that do not reflect our lived experience or family testimony.
I. Heritage and Legacy Rooted intruth, restoration, and reclamation,
we preserve the legacy of ourancestors through heritage, healing, and honor.
Our tribe carries the names of Evans, Bass, Gibson, Mitchell, Smith,
Adkins, Stewart, and more — names that were reclassified and erased, yet
remain the foundation of our unity.
We are not a newly invented identity — we are a long standing remnant of the original people.
I. Heritage and Legacy
Rooted in truth, restoration, and reclamation, we preserve the legacy of our ancestors through heritage, healing, and honor.
Our tribe carries the names of Evans, Bass, Gibson, Mitchell, Smith, Adkins, Stewart, and more — names that were reclassified and erased, yet remain the foundation of our unity.
We are not a newly invented identity — we are a longstanding remnant of the original people.
II. Historical Erasure
Early Records (1700s–1800s)
Families such as Mary Mitchell (b. 1774) and Sampson Bass (b. ~1790) carried royal Tuscarora and Bass bloodlines.
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Tribal families began appearing in records as “Free Colored” or “Mulatto” even while living tribal ways.
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Legal Shift: Colonial and U.S. laws stripped Indian families of identity if not listed on official rolls.
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III. Post-Emancipation Erasure (1865–1900)
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Freedmen’s Bureau and census records grouped our ancestors with Black freedmen.
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Oral history, food, and spiritual practices continued in secret.
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Many family members were excluded from tribal enrollment — not because their heritage was lost, but because they were deliberately excluded.
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✅ Historical Truth: We were removed from Indian identity and absorbed by force, not by choice.
IV. Modern Reconnection (2000s–Present)
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DNA and genealogy uncover clear tribal lines (Evans, Bass, Mitchell, Gibson, etc.).
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But today, others who were never disconnected — never misclassified, never erased — are falsely claiming our surnames, lands, and legacies.
❗We ask: If our families were erased, misclassified, and pushed out — how can others now claim our ancestors while denying our return?
To claim what they never lost, while
VI. Clarification of Affiliation
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We have never been enrolled in the Lumbee Tribe.
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The mention of Jane Gibson or Charles Evans on this site is not an endorsement of any outside tribal affiliation.
We acknowledge that others may share distant biological ties. However, our lived identity, cultural memory, and sovereignty are ours alone.
We list these ancestors to correct the record, not to support tribal narratives that erase or misrepresent our lived experience and family testimony.
Hidden No More:
The Indigenous Warriors of Harper’s Ferry Featuring John A. Copeland Jr. & Lewis S. Leary of the Ziyohanna Ahvaneyah Nation
Their True Tribal Lineage
John A. Copeland Jr. (1834–1859), Harpers Ferry Freedom Fighter
John A. Copeland Jr. was born free in Raleigh, NC on August 15, 1834 to John Copeland Sr. and Delilah Evans. Their bloodline traces to Indigenous families mislabeled as "free people of color" and forced to hide their tribal identity.
🌿 Their Legacy in Our Nation We, the descendants of the swamp and hill people, name John and Lewis as Sovereign Protectors of our Nation. Their blood still speaks. Their names live again. Their reclassification is final and irreversible.🪶 Title Given by the Nation: Warriors of Sacred Resistance — honored forever as tribal defenders.
The Evans, Copeland, and Leary families were all tied to swamp, creek, and hill tribal territories across North Carolina and Ohio, holding on to their culture despite white reclassification. 🪶 Misclassification & Reclassification “Negro.” “Colored.” These were the terms the colonizers forced upon our people. These two men were never truly African-American. Their names were changed in records. Their lands were stolen. Their ancestry hidden. But we now reclassify them by the authority of our sovereign tribe: Declaration: John Anthony Copeland Jr. and Lewis Sheridan Leary are hereby reclaimed and honored as original Indigenous men of the Ziyohanna Ahvaneyah Nation. Any reference to them as "Negro" is hereby rejected and replaced by their true sovereign identity.⚔️ Their Final Acts of Courage In October 1859, both joined John Brown’s mission to free enslaved people by seizing the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry. Lewis was mortally wounded and died the next day. John was captured and sentenced to death. Final Words of John A. Copeland Jr. Written from his jail cell hours before execution: “Dear Father, Mother, Brothers Henry, William and Freddy and Sisters Sarah and Mary … The last Sabbath … now passed … The last Monday … declining behind the western mountains for the last time … This morning … I beheld the glorious sun … and now … I will take my pen, for the last time … I am well … if it were not that I knew your hearts will be filled with sorrow … why should you sorrow? … I fully believe that … all my numerous sins are forgiven …”
— John A. Copeland Jr., December 16, 1859
DECLARED BY: CHIEF MATRIOT LIGHTFLOWER01
DECLARED ON: JULY 10, 2024
TO BE OBSERVED ANNUALLY: OCTOBER 16 2024
We honor John A. Copeland Jr. and Lewis S. Leary, sovereign warriors of the Ziyohanna Ahvaneyah Nation, who fought and gave their lives for the liberation of our people during the raid on Harpers Ferry.
Their courage and sacrifice remain a guiding light for our Nation.
Their legacy shall live forever in our tribal memory, our prayers, and our restoration.
