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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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...
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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...
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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."...
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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.
