Saponi
Distribution of Tutelo-Saponi language in the 16th century | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Virginia and North Carolina (historically); Pennsylvania and New York, by mid-18th century | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Tutelo-Saponi | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tutelo, Occaneechi, Monacan, Manahoac, other eastern Siouan tribes |
The Saponi are a Native American tribe historically based in the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia. They spoke a Siouan language, related to the languages of the Tutelo, Biloxi, and Ofo.
They were part of the Monacan confederacies. Saponi, Tutelo, and Yesang were collectively called the Nahyssan. The Cayuga adopted the Saponi into the League of the Haudenosaunee in 1753.