History
Our First Mention
The first written mention of the Waccamaw Siouan Indians appeared in historical records of 1521 by the Spanish explorer, Captain Franciso Gordillo, while visiting the South Carolina coast. It is believed that the “province” Francisco de Chicora, a Chicora Indian, called “Guacaya” in Spanish translates to Waccamaw. The Waccamaw Siouan appeared again in 1712 during Col. James Moore Jr. 's expedition against the Tuscarora, when a special effort was made to persuade the Waccamaw along with the Cape Fears to join the expedition. The Waccamaw Siouan along with many other tribes in the southeast joined Colonel James Moore’s expedition and fought against the Tuscarora, while a subdivision of the Waccamaw named the Waccon fought with the Tuscarora, as recorded by John Swanton in the Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin of 1952.
Location
The Waccamaw, then known as the Waccommassus, were located one hundred miles northeast of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1749, a war broke out between the Waccamaw and the State of South Carolina. Twenty nine years later, in May 1778, provision was made by the Council of South Carolina to render them protection. After the Waccamaw and South Carolina war the Waccamaw sought refuge in the swamp lands of North Carolina. The present home of the Waccamaw Siouan, is situated on the edge of the Green swamp about thirty-seven miles west of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Swamp Life
Lawson and Lederer, early explorers of the Carolinas, mention the existence of the Waccamaw Siouan whom they reported were part of the Eastern Sioux Nation but never visited their forbidden swampland refuge. Though, the language is now lost, certain conclusions can be drawn from the knowledge of the Catawba language. A game played by the Catawba Indian Children is spelled Wap-ka-hare. This almost unpronounceable name is translated as "ball knock." To hear an Indian say it, it sounds "Wahumwar." It is reasonable to believe the Waccamaw is an English translation of a part of the phrase that told of the ball of fire that knocked into the earth and created the lake known today as Lake Waccamaw. The natural conclusion, substantiated by these theories, is that the Waccamaw are the "People of the Falling Star."