Cheraw (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Cheraw (variously spelled Charaw, Charraw, Sara, Saraw, Saura, Suali, Sualy, Xualla, or Xuala), were a tribe of Siouan-speaking Amerindians
first encountered by Hernando De Soto
in 1540. The name they called themselves is lost to history but the Cherokee
called them Ani-suwa'ii and the Catawba
Sara ("place of tall weeds"). The Spanish
and Portuguese
called their territory Xuala (or Xualla). The later English colonists spelled their name Saraw, Saura, Suali, Sualy, Charaw, Charraw, etc. in an attempt to transliterate the Spanish term. The early explorer John Lawson
included them in the larger eastern-Siouan confederacy, which he called "the Esaw Nation."
They may have been encountered by De Soto in the mountains near present-day Asheville
and Henderson
, Polk
, and Rutherford
counties in North Carolina
in 1540. In 1600, they may have numbered 1,200. By 1672, they may have moved to the Stokes County
region, where the Saura Mountains are. Prior to 1700, they moved near the Dan River
on the present Virginia-North Carolina border.
In 1710, due to attacks by the Iroquois
from the north (whose empire by then extended along the colonial frontier northward, with hunting grounds in the St. Lawrence River valley), the Cheraw moved southeast and joined the Keyauwee tribe. They were recorded in The Journal of Barnwell as maintaining a village on the east bank of the upper branches of the Pee Dee River
circa the Tuscarora War
in 1712.
In the early 18th century, they were living in present-day Chesterfield County
in northeastern South Carolina
. This region, which now encompasses present day Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, and parts of Lancaster
counties, was known in the 18th and 19th centuries as "The Cheraws", the "Cheraw Hills", and later the "Old Cheraws". Their main village was near the site of present-day Cheraw
, close to the North Carolina border. Cheraw was one of the earliest inland towns which European Americans established in South Carolina. Cheraw, Colorado was named by an early settler who was born in Cheraw and migrated west.
In 1738, a smallpox
epidemic
decimated both the Cheraw and the Catawba
. The remnants of the two tribes combined. At some point, some of the tribe may have moved north and founded the "Charraw Settlement" along Drowning Creek
, (present-day Robeson County
) North Carolina
. The tribe was mostly destroyed before the middle of the 18th century and European encroachment on their old territory.
They were last noted as a distinct tribe among the Catawba in 1768, when they numbered only 50-60 individuals. During the Revolutionary War
, they and the Catawba removed their families to the same areas near Danville, Virginia
where they had lived earlier. Their warriors served the Patriot
cause under General Thomas Sumter
.
The state-recognized Lumbee Indians
of Robeson County, North Carolina
and the Sumter Band of Cheraw Indians of Sumter County, South Carolina claim descent from the Cheraw.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
first encountered by Hernando De Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
in 1540. The name they called themselves is lost to history but the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
called them Ani-suwa'ii and the Catawba
Catawba
Catawba may refer to several things:*Catawba , a Native American tribe*Catawban languages-Botany:*Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other Native American tribes*Catawba , a variety of grape...
Sara ("place of tall weeds"). The Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
and Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
called their territory Xuala (or Xualla). The later English colonists spelled their name Saraw, Saura, Suali, Sualy, Charaw, Charraw, etc. in an attempt to transliterate the Spanish term. The early explorer John Lawson
John Lawson
John Lawson was a British explorer, naturalist and writer. He played an important role in the history of colonial North Carolina, publicizing his expeditions in a book, and founding two settlements.-Early life and education:...
included them in the larger eastern-Siouan confederacy, which he called "the Esaw Nation."
They may have been encountered by De Soto in the mountains near present-day Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
and Henderson
Henderson County, North Carolina
Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2008, the population was 102,367. Its county seat is Hendersonville.- History :...
, Polk
Polk County, North Carolina
Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 20,510. Its county seat is Columbus.-History:The county was formed in 1855 from parts of Henderson County and Rutherford County...
, and Rutherford
Rutherford County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families residing in the county. The population density was 112 people per square mile . There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
counties in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1540. In 1600, they may have numbered 1,200. By 1672, they may have moved to the Stokes County
Stokes County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 44,711 people, 17,579 households, and 13,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 19,262 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
region, where the Saura Mountains are. Prior to 1700, they moved near the Dan River
Dan River
The Dan River flows in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It originates in Patrick County, Virginia, and crosses the state border into Stokes County, North Carolina. It then flows into Rockingham County. From there it goes back into Virginia. It reenters North Carolina near the...
on the present Virginia-North Carolina border.
In 1710, due to attacks by the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
from the north (whose empire by then extended along the colonial frontier northward, with hunting grounds in the St. Lawrence River valley), the Cheraw moved southeast and joined the Keyauwee tribe. They were recorded in The Journal of Barnwell as maintaining a village on the east bank of the upper branches of the Pee Dee River
Pee Dee River
The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in North Carolina and South Carolina. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course above the mouth of the Uwharrie River is known as the Yadkin River. It is extensively dammed for flood...
circa the Tuscarora War
Tuscarora War
The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina during the autumn of 1711 until 11 February 1715 between the British, Dutch, and German settlers and the Tuscarora Native Americans. A treaty was signed in 1715....
in 1712.
In the early 18th century, they were living in present-day Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County, South Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,768 people, 16,557 households, and 11,705 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 18,818 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
in northeastern South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. This region, which now encompasses present day Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, and parts of Lancaster
Lancaster County
Lancaster County is the name of four counties in the United States:* Lancaster County, Nebraska* Lancaster County, Pennsylvania* Lancaster County, South Carolina* Lancaster County, Virginia...
counties, was known in the 18th and 19th centuries as "The Cheraws", the "Cheraw Hills", and later the "Old Cheraws". Their main village was near the site of present-day Cheraw
Cheraw, South Carolina
Cheraw is a town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,524 at the 2000 census and center of an urban cluster with a total population of 9,069. It has been nicknamed "The Prettiest Town in Dixie." The harbor tub USS Cheraw was named in the...
, close to the North Carolina border. Cheraw was one of the earliest inland towns which European Americans established in South Carolina. Cheraw, Colorado was named by an early settler who was born in Cheraw and migrated west.
In 1738, a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
decimated both the Cheraw and the Catawba
Catawba
Catawba may refer to several things:*Catawba , a Native American tribe*Catawban languages-Botany:*Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other Native American tribes*Catawba , a variety of grape...
. The remnants of the two tribes combined. At some point, some of the tribe may have moved north and founded the "Charraw Settlement" along Drowning Creek
Lumber River
The Lumber River is a river in south-central North Carolina in the flat Coastal Plain. European settlers first called the river Drowning Creek, which still is the name of its headwater. The waterway known as the Lumber River extends downstream from the Scotland County-Hoke County border to the...
, (present-day Robeson County
Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010 it had a population of 134,168. Since then, it has been one of the 10% of United States counties that were majority-minority; its combined population of American Indian, African American and Latino residents comprise over...
) North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The tribe was mostly destroyed before the middle of the 18th century and European encroachment on their old territory.
They were last noted as a distinct tribe among the Catawba in 1768, when they numbered only 50-60 individuals. During the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, they and the Catawba removed their families to the same areas near Danville, Virginia
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
where they had lived earlier. Their warriors served the Patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
cause under General Thomas Sumter
Thomas Sumter
Thomas Sumter nicknamed the "Carolina Gamecock" , was a hero of the American Revolution and went on to become a longtime member of the Congress of the United States.-Early life:Thomas Sumter was born near Charlottesville in Hanover County, Virginia in 1734...
.
The state-recognized Lumbee Indians
Lumbee
The Lumbee belong to a state recognized Native American tribe in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County and named for the primary waterway traversing the county...
of Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010 it had a population of 134,168. Since then, it has been one of the 10% of United States counties that were majority-minority; its combined population of American Indian, African American and Latino residents comprise over...
and the Sumter Band of Cheraw Indians of Sumter County, South Carolina claim descent from the Cheraw.
See also
- SauraSauraThe Saura were a tribe of Native Americans who lived in the Piedmont area of North Carolina near the Sauratown Mountains, east of Pilot Mountain and north of the Yadkin River. They were believed to have spoken a Siouan language....
- List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto Expedition