"Croatoan" refers to a word found carved into a tree at the site of the abandoned Roanoke Colony in present-day North Carolina. This colony was established in 1587 by Sir Walter Raleigh and mysteriously disappeared by 1590, leaving behind only the word "Croatoan" as a clue to their fate. The term is believed to refer to the nearby Croatoan Island and the Croatan people, a Native American tribe. The disappearance of the colonists remains one of America's oldest unsolved mysteries, with various theories suggesting they may have assimilated with local tribes or faced other challenges leading to their disappearance.