BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians hopes to soon begin preserving its history by documenting the oral stories of its tribal elders.
The tribe, which is situated on Hwy. 17A between Moncks Corner and Summerville near Carnes Crossroads, said it plans to start its first project, “Elders Speak,” this summer. The project will include oral histories collected from all living tribal elders from each of their eight bloodlines: Broad, Burbage, Clark, Dangerfield, Driggers, Huff, Varner and Williams.
“It is important to document our elder’s stories because the community today is already extremely different than what it was 60+ years ago,” said Lisa M. Collins, a tribal administrator. “It is especially important to us at this point in time because our ancestral land continues to be developed by others. We must document our oral histories since our physical history is disappearing.”
According to the tribe, community members can trace their bloodlines to multiple Native American lineages including Etiwan, Edisto, Catawba, Cherokee and other settlement Indians. They currently have over 1,500 documented bloodline decendents with over 200 years of history.
“Dr. Stephen Criswell from USC Lancaster Native Studies center has offered to provide storage options for our oral history, including projects that their center has recorded over the years within our community,” Collins said. “That way the tribe can have its own audio/visual archives in place to help preserve our community history and culture.”
In addition, Collins said the tribe is working with the College of Charleston to raise funds and donations for new audio and visual equipment (Ex: microphones, voice recorders, video cameras) to record its oral history.
“The fundraising efforts are being done by Professor Brennan Keegan and Professor Kris De Welde who have worked with the tribe in the past in various panels and engagements at the college,” she said.
To learn more about the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians, visit www.wassamasawtribe.com.
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