The Waccamaw Indian People Ecological and Cultural Interpretive Trail opens April 16, 2024 at 3pm!
Visit the Ecological and Cultural Interpretive Trail!
Waccamaw Indian People Tribal Grounds
591 Bluewater Road
Aynor, SC 29511
Map
You can visit the exhibit virtually by clicking the map above. Each point on the map represents a panel in the outdoor exhibit, and you can read more information, view images, and learn more by clicking around the map!
Welcome
Welcome to the Ecological and Cultural Interpretive Trail at the Waccamaw Indian People Tribal Grounds.
This exhibit invites visitors to explore the Tribal Grounds in an approximately half-mile loop. Around the Tribal Grounds, visitors find interpretive panels discussing the Waccamaw Indian People’s past, present, and future, as well as information about the local environment, flora, and fauna.
Please feel free to explore the exhibit virtually using Google Map above.
Welcome
Tanakahey, Welcome to the Waccamaw Indian People’s Tribal Grounds.
For generations, the Waccamaw Indian People have lived in Horry County. Modern-day tribal members trace their lineage through the many descendants of the Dimery Settlement located near here in Dog Bluff township. The tribe received no formal recognition until their formation as a non-profit in 1992, and in 2005 they were the first Native American tribe to be recognized by the state of South Carolina. Through this exhibit, we explore the traditions, culture, community, and struggles faced by the members of this descendant community.
With a legacy as grand as the Waccamaw’s, one might forget how diverse and modern the community actually is. Native American people are not just a “people of the past.” They are our friends, neighbors, and community members. Native American people face threats to their own expression, religious freedom, and personal identity that should no longer go unaddressed. Through this exhibit, we explore the lives and identities of these members of our community.
The future of the tribe is one of great change and hope. Native American people within the United States are often stripped of their rights to religious freedom because they may not be affiliated with a tribe recognized by the federal government. Recognition by the government would give the Waccamaw Indian People the ability to engage in a government-to-government relationship with the United States. Through this exhibit, we explore the hopes of our tribal elders and members for the future.
Our Gratitude
This exhibit would not be possible without the support of the Waccamaw Indian People, Students in Coastal Carolina University classes: IDS430, ANTH432, and MALS530, Instructors Dr. Katie Clary and Carolyn Dillian, and CCU Faculty members Charles Clary, and Jenn Mokos. The outdoor exhibit was funded in part by South Carolina Humanities and the CCU Sustainability Grant Program 2023-2024.