The word “Xualla” (pronounced “Shwalla”) was first coined by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (1497-1542) to identify a group of American Indians he encountered on his exploratory travels of what is now the Western Carolinas. The word that the Xualla tribe had used to identify themselves has been lost over the course of history, though the Cherokee knew them as ani-suwa’ii and the Catawba called them sara (which translates as “place of tall weeds”). Xualla, or Xuala as it is sometimes spelled, became the term used by the Spanish and the Portuguese, while the English and the colonists of the Carolinas applied other names to the tribe like Saraw, Suali, Sualy, Craraw, and more famously Cheraw and Saura. The Xualla tribe was first encountered by De Soto in 1540 near what is today Tryon, North Carolina, near the South Carolina border. The tribe spoke Siouan and had population of approximately 1,200 (in 1600). Sometime between 1600 and 1700, the Xualla started on a migration northeast to eventually settle on the banks of the Dan River near Danbury, North Carolina and as far north as Danville, Virginia. John Lederer, an explorer and migrant to the Americas from Germany, reportedly visited villages of the “Saura” tribe around 1670 in this general area. The mountains around the Sarua towns (North and South) are now known as the “Sauratown Mountains”, after the tribe. Some Xualla are purported to have settled at some point along the Yadkin River at a place known as Trading Ford and/or near the Uwharrie Mountains (which may also be named after the Xualla). Trading Ford is a river crossing of the Yadkin just north of Salisbury, where Interstate 85 crosses today. Around 1710, the Xualla tribe moved southeast to join the Keyauwee as a result of attacks by the Iroquois. They then were recorded as maintaining a village on the east bank of the upper branches of the Pee Dee River near today’s Sumter County, South Carolina during the time of the Tuscarora War in 1712. Following the 1716 Yamasee War, the Xualla then moved to Chesterfield County in South Carolina, where today’s town of Cheraw is found. Some chose to not migrate to the Pee Dee and sought refuge with the Catawba tribe, where they settled in separate villages retaining their unique culture and dialect, while others went elsewhere to places like Robeson County, North Carolina during the conflicts. The Xualla’s last notice as a distinct tribe among the Catawba was in 1768, with a population of only about 50-60 individuals. During the Revolutionary War, the remaining Xualla along with some Catawba families returned to the Danville, Virginia area. To aid in the war effort, warriors from both tribes served the Patriot army under General Thomas Sumter. Modern-day descendants of the historic Xualla tribe can be found among the Lumbee in Robeson County, North Carolina and as the Sumter Band of the Cheraw in Sumter County, South Carolina. In remembrance of the Xualla that once settled the Piedmont of North Carolina, a Chapter of Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge #70 of the Order of the Arrow has been given the name “Xualla Chapter”. This designation was given to the area representing Davie and Davidson Counties during the final years of Uwharrie Lodge #208’s existence. The Chapter was created from the merger of two Uwharrie Chapters, one of which represented Davie County (Davie District) and the other of which represented Davidson County (Sapona District). The merged Chapter originally took the name of the previous Davidson County Chapter, Eswa Chapter. This name was later changed at a Chapter Meeting prior to the 1992 merger of Uwharrie Lodge #208 and Tali Tak Taki Lodge #70 into Keyauwee #70, which then merged with Tsalagi Lodge #163 in 1994 to form the Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge #70 of today. Today, Xualla Chapter represents all of Davie County and all but the northeast portion of Davidson County (Thomasville and Wallburg area). This area is represented in the Old North State Council by the Uwharrie District, which was formed from the former Uwharrie Council. The Chapter totem is the turtle, which was the totem of the departed Uwharrie Lodge. Chapter meetings were at one time hosted by various Boy Scout Troops at different locations. After realizing the frustration with this, a central location was selected to be the semi-permanent home for the Xualla Chapter: Paul’s Chapel United Church of Christ, a few miles west of Lexington, North Carolina. As of 2007, Xualla Chapter is the second largest Chapter in the Lodge with approximately 200 Arrowman members. Note: According to many O.A. sources, the Xualla Chapter is the only O.A. Chapter in the United States that begins with the letter “x”. Previous Chapter Chiefs Resources http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hp/colonial/Nchr/Subjects/rights.htm The Trading Path to the Indians by Douglas L. Rights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheraw_%28tribe%29 Wikipedia: Cheraw (tribe) http://www.nps.gov/history/seac/SoutheastChronicles/NISI/Image%202%20DeSoto%20Route1.jpg National Park Service: De Soto’s Route http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/united_states/early_indian_east.jpg University of Texas Library: Maps: Early Indian Settlements in the Eastern US |
