Seminole history begins with bands of Creek Indians from Georgia and Alabama who migrated to Florida in the 1700s. Conflicts with Europeans and other tribes caused them to seek new lands to live in peace. Groups of Lower Creeks moved to Florida to get away from the dominance of Upper Creeks.
What environment did the Seminoles live in?
Less than 200 survivors retreated deep into the Everglades and the military ended its hunt for them. The Seminoles lived in virtual isolation in and around the Everglades for many years. They lived in open-sided structures called chickees, which were adapted to the swampy environment.
Where did the black Seminoles live?
The Seminoles were largely of Creek origin and lived in villages in northern Florida. The area was also home to a number of Africans, free African Americans, and runaway African American slaves, all of whom were known as Black Seminoles.
Who did Osceola marry?
John T. Sprague mentions in his 1848 history The Florida War that Osceola had a wife named “Che-cho-ter” (Morning Dew), who bore him four children.
Who were the Seminoles allies?
(The Muskogean language group includes Choctaw and Chickasaw, associated with two other major Southeastern tribes.) During the colonial years, the Seminole were on relatively good terms with both the Spanish and the British.
What was the Seminole lifestyle?
The Seminoles generally welcomed those newcomers. Their economy emphasized hunting, fishing, and gathering wild foods such as nuts and berries; they also grew corn (maize), beans, squash, melons, and other produce on high ground within the wetlands.
How did the Seminole survive?
The 20th century saw the re-emergence of those Florida Seminoles who had resisted removal, and survived economically by selling plumes, hides, fish and game to whites on the edges of the Everglades, at trading posts like Smallwood in Chokoloskee, Brown’s Boat Landing in Big Cypress, and Stranahan in Fort Lauderdale.
How do you say hello in Seminole language?
If you’d like to know a few easy Seminole words, istonko (pronounced iss-tone-koh) means “hello” in Seminole Creek, and chehuntamo (pronounced chee-hun-tah-moh) means “hello” in Miccosukee.
How do I join the Seminole Tribe?
To be eligible for membership, you must be at least one-quarter Florida Seminole, meaning one of your grandparents must be full-blooded Florida Seminole. You must also prove direct lineage to a Florida Seminole listed on the 1957 Tribal Roll — records kept when Native Americans were uprooted.
What are some Seminole names?
encountered and wrote of in the early 1500s. The name Seminole was not mentioned. The indigenous Indians immediately to the north of Florida were given names such as Creek, Mikasuki, Yamassee, Yuchi, Oconee, Guale, Eufala, etc.
How much money do Seminole tribe members get?
A: Each member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, even children, now receives a monthly dividend check of $7,000, or $84,000 annually, as his or her share of money made mostly from casinos.
Who was removed by the Trail of Tears?
In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson’s Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the “Trail of Tears,” because of its devastating effects.
Why did the Seminoles move to the Everglades?
Why did the Seminoles originally move to the Everglades? More white settlers were moving to their original territories. A Seminole Indian war chief who fought against the U.S. during the second Seminole war. … To Remove the Seminoles from their land so white settlers could move in.
Why did the Seminoles in South Florida build chickee homes?
They needed a quicker, easier to put up, disposable shelter while frequently moving to different camps. A new era of engineered housing evolved for the Seminoles called the “chickee.” The chickee was constructed with cypress logs and palm thatch leaves woven together by vines or thin ropes.
Who won the Seminole War?
Two months after the British and their Indian allies were beaten back from an attack on Fort Bowyer near Mobile, a US force led by General Jackson drove the British out of Pensacola, and back to the Apalachicola River. They managed to continue work on the fort at Prospect Bluff.
What finally happened to the Seminoles?
With peace, most Seminoles agreed to emigrate. The Third Seminole War (1855–58) resulted from renewed efforts to track down the Seminole remnant remaining in Florida. It caused little bloodshed and ended with the United States paying the most resistant band of refugees to go West.
What do the Seminoles do today?
Today, most Tribal members are afforded modern housing and health care. … Over 300 Tribal members are employed by the Seminole Tribe in dozens of governmental departments, including legal and law enforcement staffs. Dozens of new enterprises, operated by Tribal members, are supported by both the Tribal Council and Board.
Did the Seminole Tribe use money?
Before the turn of the century, Seminole turned to outside traders for tobacco and foodstuffs like coffee and sugar, sometimes paying with currency, sometimes bartering. Today, almost all transactions take place in stores within the money economy.
What language did the Seminole Tribe speak?
Today, the members of the Seminole tribe speak one or both of two languages: Maskókî and Mikisúkî. These are the only two left from among the dozens of dialects that were spoken by their ancestors here in the Southeast. Maskókî, erroneously called “Creek” by English speakers, is the core language.
Who is the current chief of the Seminole tribe?
Marcellus Osceola Jr. was sworn in as the new chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida in January 2017 at tribal headquarters in Hollywood, according to The Seminole Tribune.
How were the Seminoles removed?
Most removed as a result of the Treaty of Payne’s Landing (1832). The first group of migrants, under the leadership of Chief Holahte Emathla, arrived in present Oklahoma in 1836. By 1839 most of the Seminole had been relocated west. By 1842 they numbered about 3,612 in the Indian Territory.
How did the Seminole avoid removal?
When the U.S., enforcing the Removal Act, coerces many Seminoles to march to Indian Territory (which is now known as Oklahoma), some Seminoles and Creeks in Alabama and Florida hide in swamps to avoid forced removal. The descendants of those who escaped have governments and reservations in Florida today.