In Kershaw County, it’s not uncommon to come across Native American artifacts in the soil, at water’s edge, or along a woodland trail. Some people are interested enough to look for them intentionally and to save them.
Anyone who has enjoyed such findings or has inherited or acquired some can learn more about their items this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Camden Archives and Museum, 1314 Broad St. in Camden as the Archives and Kershaw County Historical Society (KCHS) co-sponsor a Native American Artifact Identification Day.
Attendees are asked to bring the points, pottery, and other objects that they have to be identified. No program is being given. University of South Carolina — Lancaster Assistant Director of Native American Studies Chris Judge will meet with an order-of-arrival rotation of attendees in the Whitley Room to make on-the-spot identifications.
The KCHS invited Judge, an archaeologist and scholar, for this purpose following a February field trip with about 40 of its members to a local Indian mound where he discussed prehistoric and early historic Native American ways of life as far as is known from its evidence. Members expressed an interest in further chances to learn from him about the specifics of artifacts they and others have, and thus the identification event evolved with the Camden Archives, which also owns and displays such objects.
Attendees will sign in on arrival at the Archives and then wait their turn to show findings and talk with Judge. The wait time is a good opportunity to examine Archives displays.
There is no charge for the identifications, no dollar-value appraisals will be made, and no purchases or sales will take place. Attendees will take their artifacts home with them, having gained information and having helped broaden understanding of our rich local history and its people.
