Native American Heritage Month | Periscope

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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Cherokee Today | Periscope
Cherokee Today | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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.
The Trail of Tears | Periscope
The Trail of Tears | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

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...
Cherokee | Periscope
Cherokee | Periscope
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
Chicora | Periscope
Chicora | Periscope
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

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...
Natchez-Kusso Now Known As Edisto Natchez-Kusso | Periscope
Natchez-Kusso Now Known As Edisto Natchez-Kusso | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
Edisto Natchez-Kusso | Periscope
Edisto Natchez-Kusso | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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.
Edisto | Periscope
Edisto | Periscope
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

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...
Pee Dee Then & Now | Periscope
Pee Dee Then & Now | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
The Pee Dee and the Europeans | Periscope
The Pee Dee and the Europeans | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5

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...
First Native People Europeans Met | Periscope
First Native People Europeans Met | Periscope
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5

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...
Catawba Then & Now | Periscope
Catawba Then & Now | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Catawba still use the river their ancestors used for hunting, fishing, and clay. Riverbottom clay is used to make traditional Catawba pottery. Pottery is an important tradition that has been...
Catawba & Tribal Land | Periscope
Catawba & Tribal Land | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 6 7 8

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...
Former Santee Indian School | Periscope
Former Santee Indian School | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 6 7 8

Pictured here is the former Santee Indian School. Before its integration, many Native Americans had to attend segregated "Indian" schools. View more on "Indian" schools and integration in Varner Town...
Santee Community | Periscope
Santee Community | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

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...
Santee Tribe | Periscope
Santee Tribe | Periscope
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Santee Tribe are one of the most unique in South Carolina because of their limited population. It is estimated there are fewer than 400 descendants of the Santee Tribe in the state.
Native American Culture | Periscope
Native American Culture | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 4 8

The histories of Native Americans in South Carolina also have much in common. Beginning in the early 1500s, European colonization meant disease, enslavement and loss of land for most Indian people...
Modern Tribes in South Carolina | Periscope
Modern Tribes in South Carolina | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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...
The First South Carolinians | Periscope
The First South Carolinians | Periscope
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

Recently, Native American history in South Carolina has been in the national spotlight. At an archaelogical dig in Allendale, archaeolists found artifacts -- sharpened stone blades, hammer heads, and...
Traditions Passed Down | Periscope
Traditions Passed Down | Periscope
Episode 20

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this edition of Periscope, we have seen many Native American traditions practiced by the Snowbird community and other Cherokee people. Ask yourself why you, your friends, or your family continue to...
Tradition: Herbal and Ceremonial Medicine | Periscope
Tradition: Herbal and Ceremonial Medicine | Periscope
Episode 19

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tradition: Herbal and Ceremonial Medicine A few Snowbird Cherokee still practice medicine using herbs and ceremonial practices. Though modern forms of medicine are also used, the tradition of the...
Playing Anetsa Currently | Periscope
Playing Anetsa Currently | Periscope
Episode 18

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tradition: Anetsa Anetsa resembles our modern game of lacrosse, but can be much rougher! Players erect goal posts on each end of a field, and use ball sticks shaped like miniature rackets with long...
Tradition: Anetsa | Periscope
Tradition: Anetsa | Periscope
Episode 17

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tradition: Anetsa The game of Anetsa, or stick ball, is played at many Cherokee festivals. Anetsa has been played for hundreds of years. It was traditionally played to settle disputes or for spiritual...
Cherokee Syllabary | Periscope
Cherokee Syllabary | Periscope
Episode 16

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In 1821, George Guess, a full-blooded Cherokee also known as Sequoyah, invented the Cherokee "syllabary." The syllabary allowed the Cherokee to read and write in their own language. Sequoyah's written...