'We're still here:' Hundreds gather for Waccamaw tribe pauwau

AYNOR, S.C. (WPDE) — On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered at the Waccamaw Tribal Grounds for a pauwau.

The history of this pauwau goes back thousands of years, but the purpose is to bring the Grand Strand community and educate people on Native American culture.

"It’s good to come together as individual communities to get together to talk more, laugh more and learn more," one tribe member said.

Harold Hatcher who has been serving as the tribe’s chief for 30 years. When Chief Hatcher retired from the military, he wanted to register his new business as a minority-owned business.

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“I went to the office of small and minority-owned businesses and they said there’s not Indians in South Carolina. Well I grew up in South Carolina, my mother grew up in South Carolina, my father grew up in South Carolina, so I thought there were Indians in South Carolina.” Chief Hatcher said.

He ended up suing the state and winning- but he didn’t want to stop there.

The Waccamaw’s lived pre-history, they were here way before that day, but we had never been chartered as a real organization in South Carolina. So, I charted the Waccamaw and brought it into a legal status," he said.

Fast forward-the Waccamaw tribe is now a state-recognized tribe.

There were dozens of vendors selling homemade Native American clothes, jewelry, and art.

"It’s a real blessing and good for the heart and soul to be able to share our culture and let people know that we’re still here and thriving and trying to teach the younger generations as well," said Dakota Simerly, a vendor.

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Folks circled around tribe members as they shot blow darts, made fires, and danced.

Chief Hatcher said educating the community on their culture is what it’s all about.

"It just humbles me to know that people would come to share out culture like this. And I think they leave with a new awakening basically of what Indian culture is all about. Their textbooks try to speak about us as if we’re deceased, in the past tense. We’re still here," Chief Hatcher said.

The Waccamaw tribe holds this pauwau on the Saturday and Sunday of every November.