The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County

Rotary Pow Wow

WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro Rotary Club held its first meeting of the new year on Tues., Jan. 3. Above, club president Arthur Lathan, center, welcomes Winnsboro resident, Mark Williams, left, a member of the Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation of South Carolina, to talk about his work with his tribe and tribal traditions. Williams serves as both the War Chief and the Fire Keeper for his tribe.

Williams explained that every Indian tribe in South Carolina has a pow wow every year with drumming, dancing and singing. During the program, he sang a song to a drum beat as it would be at a pow wow.

Dressed in elk skin pants and a red ceremonial shirt, Williams talked about the continued struggle for Indians from having their land and heritage taken from them.

At right is Rotary member Frankie O’Neal, who invited Williams to speak to the club. It meets Tuesdays at 1 p.m. at the Fairfield County Council on Aging building at 210 Washington St. in Winnsboro.