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 | 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...
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...
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...
Intertribal Powwow | Periscope
Intertribal Powwow | Periscope
Episode 1

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

Periscope attended an "Intertribal" Powwow in Columbia, South Carolina. An Intertribal Powwow invites Native Americans from all tribes, or Indian Nations, to attend. Among the many local tribes, we...
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.
Snowbird Cherokee | Periscope
Snowbird Cherokee | Periscope
Episode 1

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

More than likely, you have heard of the Cherokee Indian tribe. Before the 1800s, they were one of the largest tribes in the eastern United States. After the 1800s, the Cherokee people still living in...
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...
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...
Chapter 1: The Early Cherokee | Periscope
Chapter 1: The Early Cherokee | Periscope
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

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...
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.
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...
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...
The Grand Entry | Periscope
The Grand Entry | Periscope
Episode 2

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

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

Photo

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...
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...
Cherokee Government, Trade & More | Periscope
Cherokee Government, Trade & More | Periscope
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

The Cherokee had a system of government, trade and a religious order. The Cherokee also had a capital city. In the 1700s, the capital of the Cherokee tribe was Echota, which means "a peaceful place."...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...