The Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina has provided names to the Pungo Pack of red wolves. The Pungo Pack currently consists of four wolves: a breeding male and female and their two female yearlings born in 2023.
Red wolves roam the lands originally inhabited by the Tuscarora Nation. The five-county red wolf recovery area of North Carolina—including Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge—are the ancestral lands of the Tuscarora, an indigenous nation comprised of three autonomous bands who act together as one nation. The Tuscarora have been living in present-day eastern North Carolina for more than 2,400 years. Decades of mistreatment by settlers in the 1700s resulted in some Tuscarora migrating north to Pennsylvania and New York, while others stayed in North Carolina and have maintained their Council Fire to this day.
The Tuscarora consider red wolves to be sacred. They have named the four red wolves in the Pungo Pack based on the wolves’ qualities and attributes. For each wolf, they provide the Tuscarora name and an English translation.
The breeding male is named Pathmaker / Rahahę́·tih (‘He Makes the Path’). Pathmaker is the last surviving male of the Pungo pack who is blazing a trail for his family through the swamps and forests of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
The breeding female is named Spring / Utaʔkrękę·haʔnęʔ Kakúʔę (‘Mother of a Nation”). Spring carries the legacy and future of the Pungo Pack. She is the only remaining breeding female who will hopefully help grow the pack in the years to come.
The two female yearlings are named Hawkeye / Yęʔnewęyéhsthaʔ (‘She Is Observant’) and Shield / Kayęʔnaʔnęnę́thyar (‘She Protects Them’). Shield looks after her sister, and Hawkeye is an astute and careful observer.
Pronunciations of the Tuscarora names and English translations are below.
The Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina will continue to provide names to red wolf pups born this year.
Learn more about the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina and read their full history here.
