The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-06-10
Concerning the SeminOles.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON. Nav 6, 1894.

/ SIP-ln reply to your oral request, L
/ have the honor to submit the following
facts concerning the Seminole Indians Of
Florida:
The number Of these Indians. actually
enumerated by Mr.. McCauley, Special
Agent Of the Tenth Census, in 1881. was
208.
Considering those to be adults who ap-
pear on the schedule as performing re-
muDerative work, j. e., who earn their
own livelihood in great part, the num-
ber is divided as follows: men 50. women
68, children 80.
These Indians are distributed over that
portion of southern Florida termed the
Everglades. This part of the State may
be described, in a general way, as a great
swamp intersperSed with islands, or
''hammOcks." as they are locally termed,
which rise a few feet above the surface
Of swamp grass and water, and are
densely clothed with trees and shlub-
berry. These "hammocks' form the
camping places, or village sites, of the
Seminoles, who change them according
10 varying seasons and caprice. Their
huts are rude temporary structures of
poles, brush, and skins. They live in
groups consisting of several small fami-
lies, each corresponding to the amount
of cultivatable land at hand, and each lit
tie party having at its head a chief, or
principal man, whose authority is little
more than nominal. The tribal organi-
zatiOn 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
obtained from the white men, they
scratch the earth to the required depth
and plant corn, bananas, pumpkins,
sweet potatoes and other garden vegeta-
bles. These form the main part of their
subsistence, and, as the soil is of the
richest kind and easily worked, little la
Dor and attention is necessary to secure
large crops. AS these. are harvested
thev make occasional trips to the nearest
settlements to dispose of their surplus for
ammunition, calico and trinkets. In
addition, some Of the men earn a little
by herding, and the women contribute
to the general support by the sale of bas-
ket work, etc.
Hunting occupies no little of the time
Of the men, and, as deer are somewhat
numerous in this part of Florida, 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
of the Everglades, and in 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,
50 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 landsmay have, cannot be predicted.
The Indians have always been exceed
mgly suspicious of the presence of civil
ized men within the area they have re
garded as peculiarly their own, and that
they will look with extreme disfavor
upon any attempt to occupy these lands,
cannot be doubted. However, their
small number and their comprehension
of utter helplessness in the event of a
collision, will probably in any event,
tend to restrain them from the commits
sion of hostile acts.
a considerable per cent. of the men
have sufficient mastery of English for all
purposes of trade, while a few of their
number speak fair English.
From the above will be seen that these
Indians are at the threshold of the sim
pier forms Of civilization. As white
men have not pressed upon them in their
swampy fortresses, they have come into
contact with civilization very gradually,
and only to the extent prompted by their
own desires and necessities.
The Florida Seminoles have never re-
ceived any aid from the government.
They have always scornfulIyrejected the
idea that any aid was necessary to them,
and have professed their ability to sup
port and care for themselves, asking no.
thing of the government or of their
white neighbOrs, but to be left alone.
Self-Supporting now. these Indians
need only to be made secure in the pos
session of a reasonable amount of land to
hold their own and even to advance in
the arts and practices of civilized life.
The establishment of schools among
the Semiuoles would be attended with
some difficulty, by reason of their re-
mOtenesS from civilization and the ma
tre of the country they inhabit; but
If r1,aDacra1 wisely aDl coraf1,lIxr CO &c r.,