The Catawbas - Indians of North America Author:James H. Merrell The Catawbas had been following their traditional way of life in the Carolina Piedmont region for hundreds of years when Europeans arrived in 1540. Their world would change as disease decimated the Piedmont peoples and trade with the newcomers brought new technology and customs to them. From one small homogeneous group, the Catawbas became by 17... more »50 a nation, a union of survivors from numerous tribes. Although Catawba warriors had a reputation as fierce and fearsome fighters, the Indians used diplomacy, not force, to combat the ever-increasing white population crowding in on them in the 18th and 19th centuries. They persistently resisted adopting non-Indian ways until the 1800s, when many converted to Mormonism. Often subjected to the racial prejudice prevalent in the South, the Catawbas struggled to overcome this barrier and eventually became assimilated into the dominant American culture. Yet they never lost all ties to their past and have recently taken a renewed interest in their traditions. Many Catawbas have moved back to the South Carolina reservation that had been granted to them in 1841, where they are reviving the crafts and customs of their ancestors.« less