“Honor the sacred.
Honor the Earth, our Mother.
Honor the Elders.
Honor all with whom we
Share the Earth:
Four-leggeds, two-leggeds,
Winged ones,
Swimmers, crawlers,
Plant and rock people.
Walk in balance and beauty.”
-Native American Elder
Native Americans
Native Americans were the first people to settle in what is now South
Carolina. There were many Native American groups who came to
South Carolina long ago. Over time they settled in different regions in
our state. They hunted animals and grew crops. They built their homes
in different ways.
Native Americans
Three major Native American tribes lived in South
Carolina
 Cherokee- lived in the northwestern part of South
Carolina
 Catawba- lived in the hills of the Piedmont
 Yemassee- lived at the coast of South Carolina
Each tribe spoke different languages and had different
ways of life.
Cherokee
Lived in the mountains
Built towns along the rivers
Towns had 30-60 homes
Hunted bear, deer, and turkey for food
Planted corn, beans, squash, and
melons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hM0TogHKEI
Sequoyah
A famous Cherokee leader
Invented a system for writing the
Cherokee language
Language- Iroquoian
Social Studies book page 92&93
Importance of Rivers
 Fishing
 Travel
 Food
 Drinking
 Cooking
 Bathing
The Cherokee traded
with other groups who
lived along the rivers.
The Cherokee traded
clothing, food, and
art. They also shared
news.
Fire
The Cherokee used fire in
many ways. To bake bread
and roast meat. They used
fire to soften wood and
hollow it out to build
“dugout” canoes. They
cleared fields for farming by
lighting fires. They also used it
to make clay pottery.
Cherokee Government
 Council House was the center of government for
a Cherokee village
 The Cherokee had leaders, called chiefs, the
village council was more powerful than the chief.
 Each adult person in the village was able to
share his or her ideas about important decisions.
The council would then discuss these ideas until
they came to an agreement about what to do.
 Cherokee women attended council meetings
and had an important role.
Cherokee Village
Catawba
Lived in the Piedmont
Settled near the Catawba River
Catawba means “River People”
Made pottery, bowls, baskets, and mats
to trade
Language-Siouan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvWT5eLbnzI
Catawba Homes
Round or oval
Made of young trees
Covered with bark
Fireplace inside
Catawba Government
Like the Cherokee, the Catawba built a
council house for meetings. Each village
had a chief who led the council. Long
ago, Hagler led the Catawba. He was a
respected leader and worked to help his
people live together in peace.
Yemassee
 Unlike Cherokee and Catawba,
Yemassee ate shellfish
 Lived at the coast near the South
Carolina and Georgia border
 We know they were there
because of midden mounds
 Midden mounds are ancient
trash heaps which contain
pottery and shells
Yemassee Homes
 Round
 Covered with Palmetto
Fronds
 Yemassee languageMuskhogean
 In warm weather, they lived
in homes near the beach.
During colder weather, they
moved to inland villages .
Catawba
Yemassee