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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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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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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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...
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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...
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Historical records show members of the Catawba tribe have lived in South Carolina since 1650. The original Catawba called themselves "Ye Iswa," meaning "river people." Early Catawba lived in round...
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
