The story of the Etiwan, other Lowcountry tribes

It’s been nearly four centuries since members of the original Etiwan Tribe walked the lands of Daniel Island and traversed its waterways, but their story is still very much a part of the community’s landscape.  

Once known as Ittiwan Island in honor of its early inhabitants, modern-day Daniel Island bears reminders of its Native American past. There’s Etiwan Park, Etiwan Park Street, and Watcoe Lane on the island’s south side, and Ithecaw Street in Daniel Island Park. But there are also tangible examples of their presence, as modern-day archaeological excavations conducted on the island have resulted in the discovery of important Indigenous artifacts dating back thousands of years.  

In commemoration of Native American Heritage Month in November, the Daniel Island Historical Society invited Joshua Shumak of the Wassamasaw Tribe of VarnertownIndians, a group that includes descendants of the Etiwan, to speak to the community on Oct. 20 at Church of the Holy Spirit. 

An educator, artist, and tribal leader, Shumak titled his presentation, “Native Voices of the Lowcountry: From First Peoples to Present Day.” 

“Long before European settlement, Native American communities lived throughout what is now the South Carolina Lowcountry, developing societies shaped by the region’s rivers, forests, coastal resources, trade networks, and relationships with neighboring peoples,” Shumak stated in his program description. “Daniel Island is part of this much larger Indigenous landscape.” 

Shumak recounted the tribe’s origins, subsequent relocation, societal challenges, and journey towards awareness and recognition.  

The Etiwan left Daniel Island in the 1600s after English settlers began moving in. They also had settlements on the upper Cooper River and on the Charleston Peninsula.  

“What we started to see is a lot of our coastal tribes who are very friendly with the European settlers starting to get pushed more inland and then more inland and more inland,” Shumak noted. “And it seemed a lot of times almost as a first removal.” 

By the early 1700s, the Etiwan had been displaced to other outlying areas. In 1724, about nine years after the Yamasee War, they were granted land in the WassamasawSwamp, near present-day Carnes Crossroads in Summerville. There, a conglomeration of other tribes, including the Etiwan, the Edisto, the Catawba, and the Cherokee, later combined to form the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians.  

“This (war) drastically changed the landscape when it came to Native American population in the Lowcountry, specifically South Carolina,” said Shumak. “A lot of these tribes that came from further up north were less affected, but we see some of the tribes that were in the south go down to being only in the low hundreds after this point… and so it led to a lot of tribes being absorbed into others or turning into some of these settlement communities.” 

Next came the Revolutionary War, and the tribes once again sought to find ways to protect their communities. Years before the war, during their battles with the Spanish, Native American tribes in the Lowcountry had taken marsh tacky horses from their enemy – a move that proved beneficial later as conflicts mounted between the English settlers and the British Crown. 

“We took their marsh tacky horses, and we actually continued to breed them,” Shumak said. “That way we stayed out of the main conflict by providing those horses to Patriots. We still actually breed and train those horses to this day with certain families within the tribe.” 

But the Revolutionary War was also very consequential, as the tribes grappled with sovereignty and recognition under the new government, which continued well into the next centuries.  

Shumak included personal photos in his presentation to DIHS, including one showing his ancestors in front of their home in 1938, during the Great Depression.  

“During the Great Depression, (this is) the only known picture in the Library of Congress of a Native American from the South Carolina Lowcountry,” Shumak said as he displayed the photo. “This was taken when FDR created the New Deal… this was my great-great-great-grandmother and my great-great-grandfather and my great-uncles. This was their house during the Great Depression. But this is what the average Native American family in South Carolina looked like during that time period.” 

Racial tensions and segregation in the 20th century were very real for Native American families, as experienced personally by a member of Shumak’s family. His great-uncle was killed for marrying a white woman.  

“He's one of the last racial killings that we had in our tribal community,” Shumak told the DIHS audience. “He married outside of his race, which you were not supposed to do at that time. One day, he kissed his wife before going into town, and he was followed and then he was stomped to death for that.” 

Thankfully, much has changed since those dark times. The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians achieved official recognition from the state of South Carolina in 2009, and they are hoping to one day be federally recognized as well. The tribe has continued to work to raise awareness of their tribal history and traditions, speaking to audiences all across the state and nation, setting up exhibits at places like the Berkeley Museum, and hosting cultural events. And just last year, they celebrated an historic achievement. 

“We actually had almost all the tribes of South Carolina and the Catawba Nation enter into an official treaty together at the State House,” Shumak said. “This is creating a new conglomerate organization similar to the United Southern Eastern Tribe, which operates out of North Carolina, but would operate out of South Carolina to bring in federal resources that could be given to a lot of the tribes in the state.” 

With the continued work of Shumak and others in the Wassamasaw Tribe, the legacy of the Etiwan and other Native American groups endures. 

“The tribe itself did not end with the removal,” said Shumak. “We’re 21st-century Indians now. We have Facebook, we have websites, we have a YouTube channel. I think people still think of Native Americans, and either they see a headdress Indian from the plains, or they see someone from one of the earlier pictures that I (showed in my presentation), not someone in a suit, or someone that they see at a store, or someone who goes through everyday life. We are still here.” 

For more information on the Wassamasaw Tribe, visit wassamasawtribe.com.