Tools Used by the First South Carolinians

Native Americans Making Canoes . In " A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia” (German edition) by Theodore De Bry, 1590. North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Primitive Tools
  Learn how early people in South Carolina used the materials found in nature to create tools to assist with day-to-day life.
• Atlatl Fragment
  Hunters used the atlatl, or spear thrower, to catch deer and other animals for food.
  • Using the Atlatl

Native Americans

• Indian Tribes
  Need to know more about a Native American tribe? Here is a list of many South Carolina tribes, including ones that are now extinct.
• The First South Carolinians
  Meet the Santee, Catawba, Pee Dee, Edisto, Chicora, and Cherokee Indian tribes.
• Native American Tribes of SC
  Learn more about Native American tribes in South Carolina.
• Native American Archaeology: Working Backward, Moving Forward
  This giant poster is full of information about Native Americans in South Carolina.
• Topper Site
  Watch videos from the Topper archaeological site where people came thousands of years ago to make weapons and stone tools.

Catawba

Watch this video about the tradition of Catawba pottery and listen to the memories of the potters as they tell their stories.

• Cofitachiqui
  The Cofitachiqui were a tribe in South Carolina encountered by the Hernando de Soto Expedition and were related to the Catawba.
• Catawba Indians
  See a reproduction of a Catawba council house and an example of Catawba pottery.
• Catawba Pottery
  Read and watch how Billie Anne McKellar and other are creating pottery using traditional techniques and materials.

Cherokee

• The Cherokee Indians
  Read a short history of the Cherokee Indians.
• Cherokee Nation
  This map will show you where the Cherokees originally lived.
• Cherokee Information Packet
  This Word document is packed full of information about Cherokee life.
• Cherokee Games
  What do chunkey, stickball, and blowguns have in common?
• Cherokee Women
  Learn what the role of women was in the Cherokee Indian tribe.

Parris Island

• Parris Island Indians
  Find out more about the Native Americans that lived on this island in Beaufort County.
• Santa Elena History
  Learn about the Spanish occupation of Parris Island and how they interacted with the native population.

Prehistoric Time Periods

The early history of eastern North America can be divided into 4 time periods, each of which have unique characteristics: Paleoindian (13,000 BC-8,000 BC); Archaic (8000 BC-1,500 BC); Woodland (1,500 BC-1150 AD); Mississippian (1500 AD-1650 AD).

• Time Period Overview
  Find out what each time period was like in South Carolina.