NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION CONFERENCE

This was the first time in the history of South Carolina that ALL American Indian communities gathered in the State Capitol, Columbia, to discuss the important issues of historic preservation, historic real estate development, fund raising for historic preservation, building rehabilitation, developing State-wide curriculum on ethnic heritage for school children, and revitalization of historic Native American neighborhoods and communities.

Estimated 50 representatives from 15 Native American groups/organizations were present for the Conference.

The project’s purpose was to provide the Native American leaders and their representatives from the various Indian communities with training and information about preservation of Native American historic sites, structures and buildings in South Carolina specific. This leadership summit will provide information on various ways to promote sites associated with Native American Indian history in South Carolina and how to obtain funding for historic preservation projects involving these sites and Native American folkways and culture. This Native American leaders summit also included discussions and workshop sessions on “How the Native American Indians can place State Historic Markers in their neighborhoods and communities;” “How to preserve historic buildings and put Native places on the National Historic Register;” “How to begin to do heritage tourism in their American Indian communities” and “How to seek grants for State and Federal funding sources that are available for the various purposes of revitalization, renovating and preserving historic places.” This was the first gathering dealing with Historic Preservation for Native American Indians in the state of South Carolina. This will be an important and historic conference that will just be a beginning for Native American Indian Historic preservation in South Carolina. The South Carolina American Indian Leadership Summit--2001 also attempted to facilitate and teach the Native American Indian leaders how to begin to identify and recognize important Native American Indian sites in South Carolina.

We hope that this Summit was inspirational for all the Native leaders who attended and that they left with a better understanding of the many things that they and their American Indian community can do in Historic preservation, potential Historic Marker identification, information about funding sources for economic development, fundraising for historic preservation, neighborhood revitalization and heritage tourism and information for small business /entrepreneurial efforts in the American Indian communities. Hopefully, the Leaders left with a listing of potential business plans, fundraising and preservation plans.

Outcomes from this Native American Summit included compiling a position paper and listing of State-wide sites and locations for historic preservation and a strategic plan for Native American sites, building rehabilitation, historic neighborhood revitalization, historic markers.

Cooperating and participating organizations:
South Carolina Minority Affairs Commission, The Governor’s Native American Indian Taskforce, South Carolina Minority Business, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation Tourism

"State Newspaper"
American Indians in S.C. urged to cooperate
Seminar focuses on how tribes can promote their cultural history

By AARON SHEININ Staff Writer

American Indians in South Carolina must work together to achieve common goals of preserving historically significant land and structures. That was the message of the first statewide S.C. American Indian Leadership Summit, held Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia. Sponsored by the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes of South Carolina, the daylong conference featured presentations from state archivists, American Indian historians and researchers, as well as a banquet Saturday night. Presentations included seminars on how individual tribal communities can work to erect historic markers and get buildings placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. But Will Goins, chief executive officer of the united tribes, wants all the groups to come together eventually to pursue common goals. "Each group is going to take back the information they've received today and then they're going to figure out what types of projects and activities to engage in for their community," Goins said. Each community will make a priority list, and then "my hope is we will all join together and do something statewide," Goins said. "There will be a synergy that will rise," Goins said. "We'll be able to come together and do things together. And of course we'll always do things apart, because we're very tribal, we're very distinctive." Preservation is expensive. One historic marker costs $1,400, and unlike other states, South Carolina's government won't pay for them, said Tracy Power, coordinator of the historic marker program at the S.C. Department of Archives and History. Few historic American Indian buildings have been restored, protected or even identified with markers, Goins said. Tribes also want to create cultural centers or mock villages to explain their cultures to South Carolinians who still tend to view the state's racial history in black and white, he said. "That's what this conference is about," Goins said. "South Carolina has a rich, native history and we're still here. It's not just black and white. It's not that simple." Goins' organization serves as the corporation for the governance of the Cherokees of South Carolina's Tribal Council. Within the state, however, there are at least 15 recognizable tribes or American Indian communities, and about 13,000 American Indians native to the state. All groups have their own distinctive cultural histories, which makes it difficult for them to speak with one voice, Goins said. The differences "make us who we are," he said. But he added that he downplays those differences, mindful that others tend to see American Indians as one block of people.

State Newspaper

At SC American Indian Historic Preservation Banquet, some Cherokee delegates