The other day, I was reading something about interactions between Spanish and Catawba people in the 1500s in what is now North Carolina. The Spanish were driven out of the area, but I wondered what happened to the Catawba?
They are still there, in the Carolinas; the official Catawba Indian Nation (so designated circa 1993) holds forth within present-day South Carolina's borders, and Catawba people continue to abide elsewhere, too. The Catawba Indian Nation is located near Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina. On one of my next visits to the Carolinas, I plan to visit and report. Last checked, there were about 2,200 members. Astonishing, at least to me.
Pretty good reversal of fortune for a people who were almost wiped out before the American Revolution. Here's a link to their national website: http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/
Today's Rune: Joy.
6 comments:
It seems like I've heard of the Catawba people here in Louisiana. But maybe I'm mistaken. I'll have to look it up.
The unfortunate part of the tale is that De Soto survived the Catawba. They should have killed him and his troops without mercy, the history of the nations would have been different.
In furthering his search for a route to the Pacific and plundering native populations De Soto's rape and robbery of the aboriginal peoples he encountered set the stage for the Manifest Destiny policy of Europe.
Not to mention by the time he headed back towards modern day Florida and eventually back to Spain his plundering and disease ridden troops had killed somewhere on the order of 10,000,000 natives.
I completely forgot what I was originally going to write....
...good and interesting post as always Erik!
Here in Northern Illinois, we wiped out or drove out the indigenous people. We named our hockey team after them-- I'm sure that's adequete compensation...
Thanks all, for the comments! Much appreciated.
WM, De Soto planted the germ seeds for all that followed, indeed. It is what it is. But the picutre's even bigger, with the "exchange" effecting biological diversity, everything. And here we are now. Glad the Catawba survived.
Let us know what you learn, Eric, you little questioner and discoverer of life!
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