David La Vere
Professor
Prof. David La Vere teaches Native American History at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He is an award-winning historian, author and public speaker. Born in New Orleans, he served a hitch as a Marine Corps infantryman, then earned a B.A. in Journalism from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Upon graduation, he spent five years in Dallas as an advertising copywriter. Discovering he enjoyed writing history more than writing ad copy, he returned to Northwestern State and earned an MA in History, From there he went on to Texas A&M University for his Ph.D. in History where he worked with renown historian Gary Clayton Anderson and specialized in American Indian history. La Vere came to UNC Wilmington in 1993 and has been here ever since, rising to the rank of Professor of History. La Vere has written eight books, most on Native American history. His most recent, titled Erasure and Tuscarora Resilience in Colonial North Carolina, was published in 2024 by Syracuse University Press. Besides books, he’s written numerous articles for Our State North Carolina magazine and for various historical journals, including the North Carolina Historical Review. La Vere often lectures around the state, giving talks about the history of North Carolina native peoples. He has spoken at the Oxford Round Table at Oxford University, England on diversity in society.
Education
Ph.D. in History, Texas A&M University.
M.A. in History, Northwestern State University.
B.A. in History and Journalism, Northwestern State University.
Specialization in Teaching
Native American History
Research Interests
Native American (North Carolina, Southeastern, South Carolina, Great Plains, Texas, and Louisiana), Ethnohistory, American West, Spanish Borderlands, Texas History, North Carolina History, and U.S. surveys. Books published:
Erasure and Tuscarora Resilience in Colonial North Carolina. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 2024.
The Tuscarora War: Indians, Settlers and the Fight for the Carolina Colonies. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.
The Lost Rocks: The Dare Stones and the Unsolved Mystery of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony. Wilmington, N.C.: Burnt Mill Press, 2010.
Looting Spiro Mounds: An American King Tut’s Tomb. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 2007.
The Texas Indians. Texas A&M University Press, 2004.
Contrary Neighbors: The Southern Plains and the Removed Indians in Indian Territory. University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.
The Caddo Chiefdoms: Caddo Politics and Economics, 700 A.D. to 1835. University of Nebraska Press, 1998.
Life Among the Texas Indians: The WPA Narratives. Texas A&M University Press, 1998.
Professional Service
2023-24. UNCW Native American Project Committee.
2017-2023. North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Advisory Committee.
La Vere has served on various department, university, and professional committees.
Community Engagement
La Vere gives talks around North Carolina on Native American topics.
Honors & Awards
2014 Discere Aude Award for Mentoring from the Center for Teaching Excellence, University of North Carolina Wilmington.
2014 Willie Parker Peace Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians for The Tuscarora War: Indians, Settlers and the Fight for the Carolina Colonies.
2009 R. D. W. Connor Award from the Historical Society of North Carolina for the best article appearing in the North Carolina Historical Review during 2009. “The 1937 Chowan River ‘Dare Stone’: A Re-evaluation.” North Carolina Historical Review 86 (July 2009): 251-281.
2005 Philosophical Society of Texas Book Award of 2005. For The Texas Indians.
2004 T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award for Texas History. For The Texas Indians presented by the Texas Historical Commission.
2004 UNCW Award for Faculty Scholarship.
2001 Oklahoma Center for the Book -- Award for Best Non-Fiction for Contrary Neighbors: Southern Plains and Removed Indians in Indian Territory.
1996-97 UNCW Teacher of the Year, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.
1995-1998, Faculty Advisor, Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.
1996 Cahill Award. UNCW research grant.