Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-29
SLAVES AMONG THE SEMINOLE S
Indians in the Florida Everglades
Who Hold Negroes in Bondage.

Indians in the Florida Everglades
Who Hold Negroes in Bondage.
In certain Of the more southern parts Of
Florida negroes are held in as strict bond
age as ever they were before the great war
in any part OF the country, says Tampa
CFIa.6 Correspondent of the st. Louis
Gtohe4D Democrat. Slavery survives, how
ever, only among the few remnants OF the
Seminole tribe who still have their homes
in the woods and everglades south and
east af the Caloosahatche river. There
are many families OF the red men
who, though perfectly inodensive so far
as the, whites are concerned, maintain
dgnitied independence $50 OF the
general laws and administer their
eva affairs in 4 way strongly reminiscent
ofpatriarchal traditions. They live prin-
cipally by the chase and upon the fish of
which all Florida waters, lakes, SLreams,
and seas. are extremely prOliiics, and for
vegetable food they depend NpOn small
patches of ground cleared here and there,
as fancy may dictate, from year TO year.
The cultivation of these patches among
the poorer members of the tribe is carried
on BY their women, but the more prosper
GUS of the Indians have their negro slaves.
upon whom they devOlve all the hard la
Dor OF cultivation, as we'll as the few
items of mental drudgery incident TO their
simple methods of living.
1t is curious to observe the degree of
pride these SeminOles take in the fact
that they are shareholders. They are per-
fectly aware that the white people Of the
country are forbidden to hold slaves that
every negro throughout the South who
once had to pay obedience TO bondmas-
ter has been freed; but they don't seem to
understand that either emancipation pro-
CARNATIONS and enactments or constitu-
tional amendments have any application
to them and their ''niggers." Hence they
regard themselves as a race of beings
more highly privileged than the whites
aristocrats who alone are recognized as
rior race. Nor is there apparent
among them the faintest suspicion
that their assured rights can be ques-
toned by the law. Slave-owning and
slave trading among themselves is con-
Quoted as openly and with as much con-
fidence as ever it was in South Carolina
or Alabama thirty or forty years ago, and
even when they visit the towns to eX-
change their peltries for powder, clothing,
crockery. and other necessares they occa-
sionally take with them their black bonds
men, partly to perform any laDoriOus
duty that may happen to become neces-
sary, but partly, also, to enhance
their appearance of dignity and inn
portance. Only a few weeks ago
one of this class, a full-bloOded Indian,
claiming the rank of a Seminole chief,
came to Tampa TO buy stores, bringing
with him young negress whom he
pointed to with pride as his own property,
remarking at the time: ME big chief,
heap bigger than white man, white man
no slave, only Seminole have slave"
Several people of Tampa, both white and
cOlored, tried to interest themselves on
behalf of the black girl, hoping to induce
her to assert her right 70 freedom and to
remain in the city, where a home would
have been provided for her; but she
knew no language but Seminole, and
all efforts TO make her understand were
Ruthless. She took fright, too, at the we'll
meaning efforts, and breaking from those
who would have persuaded her, fed to her
master, and, taking hold Of his skirts,
could not be induced to detach her hold
all the time he remained in Tampa. 1t is
but fair to add that since that singular
event news has been received that the
chief has promoted the poor girl from the
position of slave to wife, an honor which
she, of course, has to share with two or
three others.