Roanoke people
The Roanoke, also spelled Roanoac, were a Carolina Algonquian-speaking people whose territory comprised present-day Dare County, Roanoke Island, and part of the mainland at the time of English exploration and colonization. They were one of the numerous Carolina Algonquian tribes, which may have numbered Population history of [indigenous peoples of the Americas|5,000 to 10,000] people in total in eastern North Carolina at the time of English encounter.
The last tribal chief of the Roanoke was believed to be Wanchese, who traveled to England with colonists in 1584. However, he may have just been an influential individual.
The less numerous Croatan people may have been a branch of the Roanoke or a separate tribe allied with them.