Photo: Native American child dressed in traditional tribal attire
November is Native American Heritage Month.
This month's Periscope takes a look at the national and local importance of Native American heritage. We celebrate the first South Carolinians and the first Americans. The observation began as "American Indian Day" in 1915. Prior to that, Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback across the United States seeking support for the event. His 4,000 mile trip covered 24 states. Native American Heritage Month is now an official observation.
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Today, Oconee County is home to the modern Cherokees of South Carolina. Traditional arts, crafts, foods, and language are still part of the Cherokee way of life.
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The Cherokee are the largest tribe in the United States. They have also suffered some of the greatest losses in history of the United States. At one time, "Cherokee country" stretched from the...
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The first "interstate" in South Carolina was created by the Cherokee. It was known as "the Cherokee Path." In the 1700s, this route led traders from the coast of Charleston past the Columbia area and...
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The Chicora were traditionally a coastal tribe living near Pawleys Island, South Carolina. They grew corn, tobacco and beans in their gardens and domesticated animals like deer and chickens. Because...
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In the 1970s, the Natchez-Kusso Tribe took the name "Edisto" in honor of the river central to the lives of their ancestors. Edisto communities can be found near the river at Four Hole Swamp, Creeltown...
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In the mid 1700s, the Natchez moved to Kusso lands near the Edisto River in South Carolina. Mixing tribal traditions and culture was not uncommon in South Carolina tribes.
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Native Americans have lived near the Edisto River for over 400 years. The Edisto Indians were originally known as the Natchez Kusso (Nah-chez Koo-so). The Natchez Kusso were a mixture of tribes. The...
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Most members of the Pee Dee Indian Nation now live near the South Carolina towns of Cheraw and McColl. The Pee Dee Indians continue to show a dedication to their land and the people near it. During...
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Diseases brought by the Europeans killed great numbers of the Pee Dee Indians. Despite this problem, they traded deer skins and formed alliances with the new colonists. During the Revolutionary War...
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The Pee Dee were some of the first native people the Europeans met while exploring the Americas. Spanish explorer D'Allyon (dee-al-yon) made contact with the Pee Dee Indians in 1521. Prior to the...
