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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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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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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Many members of the Catawba live on a reservation near Rock Hill, South Carolina. In 1994, the tribe asked the United States government to officially recognize the Catawba Indians' right to tribal...
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Like most Native Americans in South Carolina, the Santee have a history of trading with early colonists from Europe. In 1701, English explorer John Lawson described his meeting with the "King" of the...
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Modern tribes in South Carolina share many of the same interests. They all make great efforts to keep tribal traditions -- arts, language and customs -- intact. Many tribes also share in a desire for...
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The group of Native Americans known as the Cherokee have lived in the southeastern United States for thousands of years. Their population at one time numbered over 20,000 people. Before the 1800s...
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The Grand Entry At the beginning of a powwow, there is a "Grand Entry." During the Grand Entry, everyone rises to their feet as an elder leads a parade of dancers into a round arena. Participants hold...
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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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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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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...
