State

Cherokees and Catawbas Л comparison of two of the most powerful Indian tribes in \orlli Carolina, and wliat lias happened to them as a result of the White Man's invasion. By N. J. ANDREWS COMPARISON of Iho lots <>f 1 In* Cherokee Indians of Western North Carolina and the Cataw¬ ba* of South Carolina would in¬ evitably lead to the conclusion that it was better to have fought and lost than never to have fought at all. While the history of the Cherokees is replete with injustices imposed by the Pale Face, the degeneration of the Catawbas is pitiable. Muddled on 632 acres of barren land on the Catawba River, eight miles east of Rock Hill. S. they eke out a meager exist¬ ence by fishing, fashioning pottery, and cultivating little patches about their rude homes. Of the annual pen¬ sion of $9,000 paid by the State of South Carolina. $2,300 goes towards support of the school and to provide medical care, and the remainder is divided into $2»i allotments for the more than 200 persons living on the reservation. Trying to Help Out Representative Richards, of South Carolina, has introduced in the lower house of Congress a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to con¬ tract with South Carolina to take over the Catawba reservation, pro¬ vided the state furnishes educational facilities equal to that afforded whites. This is not the first attempt of South Carolina to interest I'ncle Sam ill these redskins, but nothing has come of any effort thus far. In the South Carolina tSeneral As¬ sembly hope was expressed that such a solution of the vexing problem might be found at Inst. Representa¬ tive W. R. Bradford, of York County, South Carolina, explained that the Catawbas refused to leave their lands when other Indian tribes were moved to the West, and "ceded their lands in South Carolina for a song.” “The Catawbas fought with the patriots during the American Revo- lut ion. he asserted, "and have always been good citizens.’’ The tribe lias, for some years. sought to negotiate with South Caro¬ lina whereby they would be paid for their lost lands a sum around $7,000.000 — but the state has been too hard-pressed for operating funds to even give the matter passing con¬ sideration. I'nlike the Cherokees. who made the life of the frontiersman ever haz¬ ardous. the Catawbas welcomed the whites to their vast domain that ex¬ tended from the Atlantic to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and even aided the early settlers to become established. Although a peaceful people, con¬ cerned only with the encroachment of the Cherokees on their hunting grounds, their braves helped man the frontier stockhouses, such as those at Old Fort in North Carolina and Ninety-six in South Carolina, to tight back scalping parties bent on ravag¬ ing the countryside. As pointed out bv Representative Bradford, their young men rendered valuable service as scouts and couriers for the Ameri¬ cans during the Revolutionary War. In recognition of their services. Pres¬ ident Washington is said to have given them the reservation in Eastern North Carolina which was placed in South Carolina when the boundary between the states was run. Moved to the West Discouraged by continued en¬ croachments of the whites, sonic of the Indians finally moved to the West ami a few took up teni|Mirary resi¬ lience with the Cherokees. But most of them clung to their plot of land on the 144.000 acres then forming the reservation. Without guardians in the early period, they were per¬ suaded to sell tracts of tlicir laud for pittances, until the reservation was reduced to its present pitiable size. Although industrious by nature, the Catawbas were not adept at farming. In fact, there are now only two mules on the reservation, and practically all farming and garden¬ ing is done with Imes. Catawbas ex¬ cel. however, in weaving and pottery, and are skilled fishermen. There is some market for their wares, but fish such as are in the Catawba River are not in demand, and bring such low prices that $2.00 is an average price for a week's catch. Bows and arrows have a limited sale. Having a knowledge of the treacherous river waters and being good swimmers, they salvaged u iiuiiiIhu* of bales of cotton that were racing downstream during the big 1911 flood. Inter-married with Other Races The Catawbas have inter-married with other races so much that there is practically no pure Indian strain on the reservation. Chief Sam Blue, rec¬ ognized head of the reservation, is himself only half-Catawba, although he. like most of the others, bears ( Continued on page twenty)