The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-07-02
Concerning the Seminoles.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
BUREAU OF ETHNoLoGY.
WASHINGTON, May 6, 1884.


HoN. WILKINSON CALL, U. S. Senate
SIR-In reply to your oral request, /
have the honor to submit the following
facts concerning the Seminole Indians of
Florida:
The number of these Indians, actually
enumerated by Mt. McCauley, Special
Agent OF the Tenth Census, in 1881, was
Considering thostb to be adults who ap-
pear on the scheaAle as performing re-
munerative work e.. who earn tl1eir
is divided fdif6ts men 5.
children 90.
These Indians aas distributed over that
portion of southern Florida termed the
Everglades. This part of the State may
be described, in general way, as great
swamp interspersed with islands, or
'Ehammocks,' y as they are locally termed,
which rise few feet above the surface
of swamp grass and water, and are dem
selev clothed with trees and shrubbery.
These "hammocks'' form the camping
places, or village sites, of the Semi
noles, who change them according to
varying seasons and caprice. Their huts
are rude temporary structures of poles,
brush, and skins. They live in groups
consisting of several small families, each
corresponding to the amount of cultiva-
table land at hand, and each little party
having at it's head.a chief, or principal
man, whose authority is little more than
nominal. The tribal organization is, in
fact of the loosest sort.
The pursuits which chiefly engage at
tention are agriculture and hunting. The
farming practiced is of the simplest kind.
With such implements as can be obtain
ed from the white men, they scratch the
| earth to the required depth and plant
corn, bananas, pumkins, sweet potatoes
and other garden vegetables. These form
| the main part of their subsistence, and,
as the soil is of the richest kind and
| easily worked, little labor and attention
| is necessary to secure large crops. As
these are harvested, they make occas-
ional trips to the nearest settlements to
dispose of their surplus for ammunition,
calico and trinkets. In addition, some
of the men earna little by herding, and
the women contribute to general sup
port by the sale of basket work, etc.
Hunting occupies no little of the time
of the men, and, as deer are somewhat
numerous in this part of Florida, a con-
siderable share of their livelihood is de-
rived from it. A large part of the veni-
son is consumed at home, as the amount
that can be marketed is comparatively
small.
Fish are very abundant in the. lagoons
f.the Everglades, and i'm the streams
that flow from them, and these add ma
terially to the food supply.
The Seminoles are peaceable and inof-
fensive, and have not for many years,
so far as known, given any trouble to
white men. The, swamps, and morasses
inhabited by them are of such nature as
to offer little inducements to settlement
by white men. What effect upon them
the recent project to drain the Ever
| glades and render them marketable for
farm lands may have, cannot be predic'
| ted. The Indians have always been ex'
ceedingly suspicious Of the presence o.
civilized men within the area they have
regarded as peculiarly their own, ant
that they will look with extreme disfa.
vor upon any attempt to occupy these
lands, cannot be doubted. However,
their small number and their compre.
hension of utter helplessness in the event