Catawba

The Catawba (people of the river) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation.

The Catawba (people of the river)  are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. They live in the Southeast United States, along the border of North Carolina near the city of Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Although recognized by South Carolina, the Catawba did not receive federal recognition until 1941. In 1959 they petitioned Congress to terminate their tribal status, and tribal landholdings were distributed among the membership during 1962. The final tribal role call of that year gave a population of a little over 600. After termination, many Catawba emigrated to the Choctaw in southeast Oklahoma. After a change of heart in 1973, the Catawba tribal council was reorganized and recognized by the state of South Carolina. 

During 1994, the Catawba regained federal recognition after a lengthy court battle.

View H.R.2399 - Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.

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About the Catawba Nation | Let's Go!
About the Catawba Nation | Let's Go!

Video

Grades: 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Catawba Indian Nation is the only federally recognized reservation in the state of South Carolina. The Catawba people have lived in the Piedmont region for over six thousand years, and today...
The Catawba Cultural Center | Let's Go!
The Catawba Cultural Center | Let's Go!

Video

Grades: 4 8

At the Catawba Cultural Center visitors can learn about many important aspects of the traditions of the Catawba people. The museum includes various displays on the tribe's important chiefs, the unique...
3D VR - Catawba Cultural Center | Let's Go!
3D VR - Catawba Cultural Center | Let's Go!

Interactive

Grades: 4 8

The mission of the Catawba Cultural Center is to preserve, protect, promote and maintain the rich cultural heritage of the Catawba Indian Nation through efforts in archives, archeology, tribal...
Catawba Cultural Center And Museum Photo Gallery | Let's Go!
Catawba Cultural Center And Museum Photo Gallery | Let's Go!

Photo

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

This photo gallery of the Catawba Cultural Center and Museum contains the following shots: The Catawba River Catawba Family Selling Pottery Early Catawba Gardening And Cooking Tools Catawba Baskets...
Catawba Pottery | South Carolina Public Radio
Catawba Pottery | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

"C" is for Catawba Pottery. Among the Catawba Indians in present-day York County, an unbroken chain of pottery production has helped preserve a cultural identity that was nearly lost after European...
Andrew Pickens
Andrew Pickens
Episode 5

Audio

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

Attacks by the Cherokee still occurred in 1776, in backcountry S.C. It was during the Cherokee Campaigns where Andrew Pickens earned his reputation as an Indian fighter. The Catawba Indians allied...
Andrew Pickens
Andrew Pickens
Episode 7

Audio

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

After the Revolutionary War, Pickens becomes known as the premiere negotiator with Native American Indians. Pickens, who originally established a reputation as an Indian fighter, emerges as a peace...
Uncommon Folk 4
Uncommon Folk
Episode 4

Video

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

Margaret Robbins is a traditional artist who comes from the Catawba pottery tradition, but puts her own unique spin on the work she creates.
Chief Blue With His Wife | History Of SC Slide Collection
Chief Blue With His Wife | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 5

Photo

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

"Chief Blue towers over his wife, with his more than 6-foot frame. Their son, Nelson Blue, has now assumed command of the Catawba tribe," says the caption on this 1950s photo. Courtesy of the South...
Indian Pottery For Sale | History Of SC Slide Collection
Indian Pottery For Sale | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 4

Photo

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

"Indian Pottery for Sale." This photo was taken by Louise Jones Dubose when she visited the Catawba reservation in connection with her office as assistant director of the WPA Writers Project in the...
Native Americans In the Revolutionary War | Ninety Six
Native Americans In the Revolutionary War | Ninety Six
Episode 2

Photo

Grades: 4 8

Native Americans also participated in the American Revolution. The Catawbas, for the most part, sided with the Colonialist Patriots, due to their friendship, and ties to settlers in the surrounding...
Catawba Pottery Tradition | Palmetto Scene
Catawba Pottery Tradition | Palmetto Scene

Video

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

“Catawba Pottery is the oldest Native pottery tradition east of the Mississippi River that’s been produced continuously throughout time,” Catawba Potter Keith “Little Bear” Brown explains. Catawba...
Carolina Indians | Palmetto Special
Carolina Indians | Palmetto Special

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

The lesson consists of the host and three students visiting Keowee-Toxaway State Park in Pickens County. The story of the Cherokee is told there through drawings and artifacts in a series of display...
General Thomas Sumter | Brattonsville
General Thomas Sumter | Brattonsville
Episode 2

Photo

Grades: 4 8

General Thomas Sumter was an American Revolutionary War militia leader and later a U.S. Congressman. After the crushing defeat at Waxhaws, General Sumter gathered militia troops in South Carolina...
Catawba Then & Now | Periscope
Catawba Then & Now | Periscope
Episode 3

Photo

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

Photo

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...
Native American Place Names in South Carolina (Map)
Native American Place Names in South Carolina (Map)

Photo

Grades: 4 8

Here are some of the meanings of these names: * Enoree -- River of Muscadines * Santee -- Safety, Protection * Cheraw -- Fire * Chatooga -- Rocky Waters * Tamassee -- Place of the Sunlight of God *...
Florence Wade Photos | Digital Traditions
Florence Wade Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Florence Wade learned to make pottery from her sisters and other family members, including accomplished Catawba potters Sara Harris Ayers and Edith Brown. The Harris family of Catawba potters belongs...