Waccamaw Indian People
state-recognized tribe, nonprofit organization | |
EIN 57-0970329[4] | |
Legal status | school, educational service provider, charity[4] |
Purpose | B90: Educational Services[4] |
Headquarters | Conway, South Carolina[4] |
Location |
|
Official language | English |
President | Harold D. Hatcher[5] |
Website | www |
Formerly called | Chicora Indian Nation[1] Chicora-Waccamaw Indian People[1] |
The Waccamaw Indian People is a
Members of the Waccamaw Indian People trace their origins to the Dimery Settlement, a tri-racial isolate population once located near Dog Bluff in Horry County, first established during the early 19th century.[9] Members of the organization allege that the Dimery Settlement originated as an 18th-century Waccamaw village.[9] However, existent historical records can presently only demonstrate the settlement as being identified as an indigenous community beginning in the early twentieth century.[9][10]
Government
On October 28, 1992, the Chicora-Waccamaw Indian People first formed as a
On February 17, 2005, the Waccamaw Indian People was awarded the status of a state-recognized tribe by the SCCMA, becoming the first ever state-recognized tribe within South Carolina.[6]
Historic origins
Members of the Waccamaw Indian People trace lineal descent from the historic Dimery Settlement, an isolated population once located in Horry County near Dog Bluff.
In the fall of 1994, historian Forest Hazel was hired to assist the Chicora-Waccamaw Indian People, supported by a grant from the
Research was able to confirm that the settlement's patriarch, John Dimery, first appears marrying his wife, Elizabeth Hardwick, in
Hazel investigated several other prominent surnames within the community, such as Hatcher. He discovered a broad connection of this family to early 18th-century traders operating along the North Carolina-Virginia border, known for their dealings with various Carolinian tribes.
Subsequent researchers have highlighted the fluidity of racially mixed population's movement across Horry, Marlboro, Dillon, and the neighboring Robeson County, noting that members of the Waccamaw Indian People are often closely related, within one or two generations, to families like the Ammons, Coopers, Dimerys, Hatchers, and Turners in the McColl, Clio, Maxton, and Pembroke areas.[15]
Pursuit of federal recognition
On October 5, 1994, while still named the Chicora-Waccamaw People, the organization submitted a letter of intent to submit a petition for federal acknowledgement of existence as a tribe to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[16]
In 2021, US Representatives Tom Rice and Nancy Mace (R-SC-7) introduced HR 1942 Waccamaw Indian Acknowledgment Act to attempt to secure federal recognition for the organization.[17][18] However, no vote ever happened, and the bill was never mentioned during its two years in Congress.[18]
As of December of 2023, the office of U.S. Representative Russell Fry has been actively engaged in discussions and collaborative efforts with both the Waccamaw Indian People, supporting their pursuit of federal recognition.[18]
Chicora name dispute
Before the Waccamaw Indian People, formerly called the Chicora Indian Nation,
Other activities
In 2004, the Waccamaw Indian People acquired twenty acres that once comprised part of the historic Dimery Settlement near Dog Bluff.[15] This land is referred to as the "Waccamaw Tribal Grounds" and is used by the organization to host cultural events and an annual powwow every November.[15][20]
The
See also
External links
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f "WACCAMAW INDIAN PEOPLE THE". businessfilings.sc.gov. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Waccamaw Indian People The". OpenCorporates. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Soraghan, Mike (18 July 1994). "Tribal chief reclaims heritage". The Sun News. Vol. 43, no. 309. newspapers.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Waccamaw Indian People". Cause IQ. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "South Carolina's Recognized Native American Indian Entities". South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Meet Harold Hatcher, Chief of the Waccamaw Indian People". South Carolina ETV. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs". Indian Affairs Bureau. Federal Register. 22 January 2022. pp. 7554–58. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "NC Tribal Communities". ncadmin.nc.gov. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Mishoe, Peggy (3 April 2003). "American Indians aim to preserve culture". The Sun News. Vol. 53, no. 92. newspapers.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Hazel, Forest (1995). "The Dimery Settlement Indian Descendants in the South Carolina Low Country". The Independent Republic Quarterly. 29 (4): 32–36. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Waccamaw Indian People". businessfilings.sc.gov. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ a b c Hatcher, Harold; Hatcher, C. Doug (16 October 1992). "Personal Notices". Sun-News. Vol. 42, no. 76. newspapers.com. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "For American Indian, life was no picnic in segregated South". The Index-Journal. No. 161. newspapers.com. 11 August 1994. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b Brockington, Lee G. (27 September 2001). "Waccamaw Indians hope to educate others". The Sun News. Vol. 50, no. 338. newspapers.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ ISBN 9780939479344.
- ^ "List of Petitioners By State" (PDF). bia.gov. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "H.R. 1942 (IH) – Waccamaw Indian Acknowledgement Act". GovInfo. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Denton, Savannah (9 December 2023). "Waccamaw Tribe in South Carolina fighting to become federally recognized". WBTW.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Gaston, Elaine (7 July 1993). "Native American chiefs face off". The Sun News. Vol. 42, no. 339. newspapers.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Pow Wows in South Carolina". PowWows.com. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ SC Humanities (6 April 2021). ""The Waccamaw Indian People: Past, Present, and Future" Exhibit opens at the Horry County Museum on Tuesday, April 27". Pee Dee News Network. Retrieved 22 January 2021.