Indigenous peoples often had fishing camps on the islands, using them
seasonally. The historic Edisto people are known to have occupied the island as
well as mainland areas and traded with the upcountry Catawba. The sub-tribe
became extinct during the colonial period. The Wassamassaw Tribe of Varnertown
Indians is a group of descendants of various tribes who intermarried and who
have occupied a settlement between Summerville and Moncks Corner in Berkeley
County, South Carolina. In 2005 they gained state recognition as an Indian
group, one of six tribes to do so.
The first tracts of land, called plantations,
