Description
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. The meaning of the name Winyaw is unknown. Winyaw has also been written as Winyah, Weenee, and Wineaw. The Winyaw were first mentioned by colonists of South Carolina after 1670. The tribe at first allied with 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.
Language
Siouan
Culture
They located their villages along waterways, practiced riverine agriculture, and supplemented their diet by hunting, fishing, and gathering. Gender roles were divided to provide the sense of balance required by the southeastern cosmology and social ethic. Women were responsible for the vegetable diet and performed most of the agricultural work; men provided meat and therefore spent much of their energy in hunting. Women also fulfilled domestic responsibilities, while men engaged in war and games.