The Winyaw were a Native American tribe living near Winyah Bay , Black River , and the lower course of the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. The Winyaw people disappeared as a distinct entity after 1720 and are thought to have merged with the Waccamaw .
25-556: The meaning of the name Winyaw is unknown. Winyaw has also been written as Winyah, Weenee, and Wineaw. The Winyaw might have been the Yenyohol mentioned in 1521 by Francisco de Chicora , a Native American captive held by the Spanish. If so, they may have been carried away during Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón 's expedition during that same year. The Winyaw were first mentioned by colonists of South Carolina after 1670. The tribe at first allied with
50-732: A location believed to have translated to "Great Bluff." When the Waccamaw moved to the Black River in 1718, the Winyaw may have felt crowded, for they apparently helped the English in the Waccamaw War during 1720. A 1722 map depicts the Winyaw staying on the south side of the Pee Dee River. Nothing more is known of the Winyaw as they disappeared as a distinct entity. It is assumed that they later merged with
75-632: The Cheraw tried to pressure them into participating in the Yamasee War against the English but they refused, staying on friendly terms with the colonists. Later in 1715, the Winyaw lived in a single village of 106 people. By 1716, a number of them moved to the Santee River . After two years the Winyaw on the Santee returned to their former residence to be near the trading house operated by Meredith Hughes at Uauenee,
100-917: The Great Pee Dee River , is a river in the Carolinas of the United States . It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina , where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River , is known as the Yadkin River . The river empties into Winyah Bay , and then into the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown . The northeastern counties of South Carolina compose the Pee Dee region of
125-525: The Baptist), traditionally identified as Winyah Bay based on coordinates but more recently alternatively suggested as the Pee Dee River by linguist Blair A. Rudes . A crowd of curious natives gathered on the shore to watch the strangers. The natives fled when the Spanish approached in shallops , but two were caught, taken aboard a ship, given Spanish clothes, and returned ashore. The natives again swarmed
150-517: The English colonists who settled in Charles Town, but this friendship soon was shattered when European slave dealers instigated a war against them in 1683 as an excuse to capture slaves. During the Tuscarora War of 1711, John Barnwell brought 24 "Wineaws" on his expedition into North Carolina, but they deserted him before arriving because they refused to go further with no guns or ammunition. In 1715,
175-526: The Jordan River (now the Santee River in South Carolina), one of his ships went aground. As the party went ashore, de Chicora immediately abandoned the Spanish and fled to rejoin his own people. He disappeared from the historical record. Researchers have worked to identify the provinces and tribes described by Chicora. They have analyzed phonetics of 16th-century Spanish, as well as the many languages of
200-787: The North American tribes in the area, to reach their conclusions. The location and ethnicity of the actual people referred to in Chicora's tall tales of Duhare has been debated; candidates have included Catawban, Guale , and Cusabo . In 2004 Blair Rudes asserted that other linguistic evidence in Martyr's account points to the Iroquoian Tuscarora tribe, and specifically their town on the Neuse River called Teyurhèhtè . He suggests, for example, that Old Tuscaroran Teeth-ha (king) corresponded with
225-530: The Waccamaw. While the tribe disappeared from history during the early 18th century, Winyah Bay in South Carolina still bears their name. Francisco de Chicora Francisco de Chicora was the baptismal name given to a Native American kidnapped in 1521, along with 70 others, from near Winyah Bay by Spanish explorer Francisco Gordillo and slave trader Pedro de Quexos, based in Santo Domingo and
250-446: The beach, seeing their comrades' return and changed appearance as a wondrous sign, since they had worn only buckskins before. The chief ordered 50 of his subjects to bring food for the Spanish. Once ashore, the Spanish were given presents and a guided tour for several days. They claimed the land for their king, and invited the natives aboard to see their ships. Gordillo had been ordered by de Ayllón to cultivate friendly relations with
275-598: The camp until it was abandoned. The world's largest lumber company existed at the turn of the 20th century near the river's mouth at Georgetown. The virgin pine forests of the Pee Dee region were cutover, and the logs floated in rafts downriver to be sawn into lumber and exported to the northern United States and Europe . Some tributaries are the Lumber , the Little Pee Dee , Lynches , Black and Waccamaw rivers. The river
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#1733093856802300-469: The captive natives to be free, and ordered them returned to the mainland, but such a trip never took place, as it was considered too costly. As recounted by Peter Martyr the court chronicler, according to colonial reports, most of the natives died within two years; many wandered the streets of Santo Domingo as vagrants, and few survived. One who survived was baptized Francisco de Chicora; he learned Spanish and worked for Ayllón. Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón took
325-488: The chronicler Peter Martyr and told him much about his people. Martyr combined this information with accounts by explorers and recorded it as the "Testimony of Francisco de Chicora ," published with his seventh Decade in 1525. In 1526 Chicora accompanied Ayllón on a major expedition to North America with 600 colonists. After they struck land at the Santee River and the party went ashore, Chicora escaped and returned to his people. The Spanish had made repeated expeditions to
350-567: The depth of the river in South Carolina. The sharing of water between the two states has sometimes been a matter of controversy, particularly during periods of drought. Some commercial fishing is done during the winter shad run, and for shrimp in the lower reaches. The river is excellent for recreational fishing and boating. There are numerous boat landings, yet most of the river is wild, with forests of tupelo , oak and gum along its shores. Herons and alligators can be seen along
375-471: The engaging young Indian to Spain and presented him to the royal court , where he told fantastical tales about his homeland of Chicora , and the neighboring provinces of what is now the Carolinas. "Chicora" (the name the Spanish gave to the area) was evidently one of several Siouan-speaking territories subject to the chief Datha of Duahe (also recorded in Spanish as Duhare ). Francisco de Chicora described
400-461: The first Europeans to reach the area. From analysis of the account by Peter Martyr , court chronicler, the ethnographer John R. Swanton believed that Chicora was from a Catawban group. In Hispaniola , where he and the other captives were taken, Chicora learned Spanish, was baptized a Catholic, and worked for Lucas Vasquez de Ayllón, a colonial official. Most of the natives died within two years. Accompanying Ayllón to Spain, de Chicora met with
425-556: The island of Lucayoneque he fell in with a caravel commanded by the slave raider Pedro de Quexos (Pedro de Quejo), who was trying to capture Arawak to sell as slaves, without success. Quexos happened to be a relative of Gordillo's pilot Alonzo Fernandez Sotil, and decided to join Gordilla's expedition, and in June 1521 the two struck land at what they called the River of San Juan Bautista (St. John
450-610: The name "Datha", which he says may have been a title rather than proper name. He also notes close similarities between accounts of a religious ceremony as recounted by Francisco de Chicora, and one among the Tuscarora recounted by a European in the early eighteenth century. Other sources, such as Oviedo, Navarrete, Barcia, and Documentos Ineditos list additional provinces derived from Francisco de Chicora, some of which have been tentatively identified by Swanton and other researchers: Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River , also known as
475-666: The people of Duhare as "white" and having "blond hair to the heels", and told of a gigantic Indian king called Datha who ruled a race of giants and of another race of men who grew long tails. Chicora met the court chronicler, Italian historian Peter Martyr, and recounted to him much about the customs of his people in Chicora and about the neighboring provinces. After returning to the Caribbean, in 1526 Ayllón led an expedition to North America with three ships and 600 colonists, bringing de Chicora with him. After striking land at what Ayllón named
500-480: The people to prepare for later colonization. De Quexos, eager for slaves, persuaded him to trick the natives; the Spaniards suddenly raised anchor and set sail for Santo Domingo with 70 of the natives still aboard, including the man who would be named Francisco. When they arrived, Ayllón condemned the leaders for their treachery. He took the matter before a commission headed by Diego Columbus . The commission declared
525-569: The southeastern part of what is now the United States, where they explored areas around the Santee River in present-day South Carolina and Winyah Bay and other areas. Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón , oidor (judge) of the royal Audencia of Santa Domingo, commissioned Francisco Gordillo to make an expedition to the continent in 1520. Gordillo sailed north from Hispaniola through the Bahamas , where near
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#1733093856802550-459: The state. The exposed rock formations along its course are the source of a NIST reference standard . It is an important source of electric power and public water supplies, as well as recreational use. While the Pee Dee is free-flowing in South Carolina, upstream in North Carolina, several dams have been constructed on it. The opening and closing of these dams causes dramatic swings in
575-478: The way, and a lucky sighting of a bald eagle is possible. The lower part of the river from Highway 378 to Winyah Bay has been designated a Scenic River. The river flows through the territory of the historic Pee Dee tribe, and is named after them. The Pee Dee were a part of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture. The first Europeans believed to have possibly navigated part of the river
600-517: Was a party sent by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón in 1521. Snow's Island is a large island at the Pee Dee and Lynches rivers junction. It has been identified as the center of Johnsonville Impact Crater . The island was the headquarters of General Francis Marion for several months during the American Revolution . It proved a haven for him and his militia troops, as the British were unable to find
625-561: Was an important trade route through the Low Country from colonial times. It is navigable from the Atlantic up to the Fall Line at Cheraw . Today the river is not extensively used for navigation. The lower part of the river flood plain was extensively developed for rice culture in colonial time; rice was the major export of the area from the port at Georgetown. Rice culture declined with
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