Welcome to Our Official Website

 

We are the Black River Indian Nation, a small but proud Native American tribe with roots in a multi-tribal remnant community just outside of Greeleyville, South Carolina. Our bloodlines trace back to various historic indigenous tribes of  the Carolinas including the Winyah, Cape Fear, Catawba, amongst others. Today, our members primarily reside in the counties of Sumter, Clarendon, Williamsburg, and Georgetown, all along the course of the Black River.

Our tribe has been known by many names over the generations, including the Privateer Indians, the Goins of Williamsburg, the Goins Indians, the Goins Band of Chicora, or the Black River Indians. However, our people now proudly identify ourselves as Winyah, the most popular English rendering of the name our ancestors called the Black River in the eighteenth century.

As a nonprofit organization, we are currently seeking official recognition from the state of South Carolina. We are committed to preserving our traditions and culture, and to sharing our heritage with others. We invite you to learn more about our tribe and to join us in celebrating our history and our future. 

Remember to check back for updates, our website is a contiunal work in progress. We apologize for any inconvience related to the present website, the tribe is working to refine and improve it over time. 

Our Mission 

The Mission of the Black River Indian Nation is to preserve, document, and protect various historic sites associated with our unique heritage in our region of South Carolina, as well as to educate our members of their history and ancestral culture.  We are commited to revive our cultural practices lost as a result of colonization and seek to educate the general public as to the lifeways of Native Americans in South Carolina, both before and after the period of colonization