Catawba
The Catawba Nation, also known as Katapu or "the strong," is the largest of the eastern Siouan Indigenous groups and the only one to retain its original name into the twenty-first century. Located primarily along the North/South Carolina border, the Catawba have a rich cultural heritage characterized by agricultural practices, particularly growing corn, beans, and squash, alongside renowned pottery and basket weaving skills. Historically, they were known as "the river people," named after the Catawba River and the Catawba grape.
The Catawba established friendly relations with European settlers, particularly the English, and played a crucial role as allies during various conflicts in the early 1700s. However, their history also includes conflicts with other tribes and significant challenges due to European encroachment and diseases like smallpox, which devastated their population. Despite a series of land treaties often unhonored, the Catawba eventually received a reservation in York County, South Carolina, where they continue to reside today.
As of 2024, the Catawba Nation has a population of approximately 3,300 and remains active in economic development through the gaming industry while promoting their cultural heritage. Their historical journey reflects the resilience of this Indigenous community as they navigate contemporary challenges while honoring their traditions and identity.
Catawba
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Siouan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: South Carolina
- POPULATION SIZE: 3,300 (2024, The Catawba Nation)
The Catawba (or Katapu) Indigenous nation is the largest of the eastern Siouan groups, the only one to have survived into the twenty-first century under its original name. Like most Southern Woodlands groups, the Catawba grew corn, beans, and squash and were known for their skill in pottery making and basket weaving. The Catawba inhabited the area that would become the North/South Carolina border. This Indigenous group from the Southeast culture area was sometimes known as Isswa, “the river people.” The Catawba River and Catawba grape are both named for this group. First contact with Whites probably occurred in the 1560s, when Spanish explorers occupied the region. The Catawba were generally friendly to the English, becoming their allies during skirmishes with the Tuscarora tribe in the early 1700s and later joining them against the French and northern Indigenous peoples.
The Catawba, whose name means “strong” or “separated people,” had a history of enmity with other tribes. A long-standing state of war existed between them and several other Indigenous groups, among them the Cherokee, the Iroquois, and the Shawnee. Battles were often prompted by White settlers’ encroachment into Indigenous American territory, forcing one group to move into another’s domain. The Catawba took several smaller groups (the Congaree, Sugaree, Wateree, Sewee, Santee, and others) under their protection and probably later assimilated the remnants of these groups. Between 1738 and 1776, the Catawba were ravaged by smallpox; they never recovered their previous numbers or importance. In 1840, they were tricked into signing over their land in South Carolina in exchange for land in North Carolina. However, the North Carolinians refused to honor the treaty, and the Catawba were forced to retreat, homeless. They were eventually granted a reservation in York County, South Carolina, where some members of the Indigenous nation still remain. Others moved west to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Utah; many joined the Choctaw. In 1970, only seventy Catawba Indigenous Americans lived on the South Carolina reservation (some records indicate that only mixed-blood descendants of the people existed); by the mid-1980s, they numbered more than a thousand and were engaged in a legal battle to regain some 140,000 acres of their homeland. In the 2020s, the Catawba Nation's contemporary Indigenous lands remained in York County, South Carolina, where the Indigenous group was the only federally recognized Indigenous American Indian nation in the state. Enrollment in the Catawba Nation numbered 3,300, according to the Catawba Nation, and the community was vibrant and thriving. The Indigenous nation remained very active in the gaming industry, pursuing economic development while promoting their Indigenous history and culture.
Bibliography
"About The Nation" The Catawba Nation, www.catawba.com/about-the-nation. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
Blumer, Thomas J. Catawba Nation: Treasures in History. Edited by Robert Patrick Smith, History Press, 2007.
"Catawba Today." The Catawba Nation, catawbanation.org/catawba-today. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
de la Canal, Nick. “'Yap Ye Iswa' Festival Celebrates Catawba People, Culture.” WFAE, 21 Nov. 2024, www.wfae.org/arts-culture/2024-11-21/yap-ye-iswa-festival-celebrates-catawba-people-culture. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
"South Carolina's Recognized Native American Indian Entities." South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, cma.sc.gov/south-carolinas-recognized-native-american-indian-entities. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.