Native American Influence in Charleston, South Carolina

By Mark A. Leon

Charleston, South Carolina has deep ties to several Native American tribes that inhabited the region before European settlement. Here are some key points about the Native American connections to Charleston:

• The Kiawah tribe lived in the area between the Stono and Edisto rivers, including present-day Kiawah Island. They aided the first English settlers in 1670 and traded lands to them in 1675.
• The Edisto tribe lived along the Edisto River south of Charleston. Descendants of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso tribe still live in the area today, straddling the Edisto River between Ridgeville and Cottageville.
• Other tribes present when the English arrived included the Wando, Sampa, Kussoe, Sewee, Ashepoo, Combahee, and Bohicket tribes.
• Many of these tribes followed seasonal migration patterns, living inland during winter and near the coast in warmer months for fishing and gathering food.
• By the late 1600s, European diseases like smallpox had decimated the Native populations. Tribes dwindled in size or became extinct as their lands were ceded to English settlers.
• While most tribes vanished, some like the Catawba, Pee Dee, and Cherokee still have descendants living in South Carolina today. The Edisto Natchez-Kusso tribe is working to gain federal recognition.

So while the original Native inhabitants are no longer present in large numbers, Charleston’s history and even place names are deeply intertwined with the tribes that first inhabited the region.

Want to Learn More? Here are some additional resource articles

South Carolina Indians – Native Americans in South Carolina – SCIWAY 

The First People of the South Carolina Lowcountry 

The Kiawah – Charleston Raconteurs 

History & Cultural Heritage – City of North Charleston