The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-10-24
THE SEMINOLE INDIANS
BY ALFRED JOHNSON.

Everglades, having been for so long one
of the few self-supporting tribes of our
country, are an interesting people, and
venture to give few more facts about
them, for which | am indebted to Mrs.
Kirk Munroe, wife of the well-known
writer of books for boys. Mrs. Munroe
is, with her husband, on more friendly
terms with the Indians than anyone
happened to know of in Florida The
following is taken, for the most part,
from an article by her in an old copy of
The Miami Daily.
There are supposed to be between three
and four hundred of these Indians, men,
women and children, but bad whiskey is
slowly and surely killing them off. How
they obtain it-for it is against the law
to sell or give an Indian whiskey-is now
troubling our officials, and Miami's sheriff
promises to mete out just punishment to
the guilty parties if he can catch them.
and every decent citizen hopes that the
sheriff will succeed in bis efforts to en-
force the law.
The name Seminole means wanderer,
or runaway. The tribe originally came
from the Creeks of Georgia as early as
1850.
Those that are in Florida today are
the descendants Of some half dozen fam
lilies who escaped to the Everglades at
the close of the Seminole war in 1871, and
as it was reported at that time that all
of the Indians not captured were killed,
they had no existence in the knowledge
of the Government until President Ceve-
lands attention was directed towards
them.
The Seminoles of Florida are said to
be the only pure blooded tribe of Indians
in the United States. The tribe is divided
into four bands, who live in groups, apart
but on friendly relations; they are the
Miami Indians, the Big Cypress band,
the Tallahassees, and the Okeechobees.
Since the death of Woto-mic- Co Great
Chief fourteen years ago, no one has
been elected to fill his place; new chief
being chosen each year of the annual
council which takes place at Big Cypress
City, in the heart of the Everglades. All
men over thirty-fve years of age are
entitled to seat in this council, and it is
even asserted that women may attend
u nder certain restrictions, for the Semi
mole squaw holds an important position
in the tribe, one of great freedom of
both speech and action.
The children belong to her and the
money she may have saved by tanning
deer skins, weaving baskets or making
coonte -four, is hers to spend as she
pleases. She may divorce her husband
for month, or order him punished and
name the form of punishment if he does
not provide for his family, or beats them
badly, but she will willingly steal Cor him
or tell lie for him and work for him; he
must, however, respect her rights; per-
haps l ought to say, privileges.
Dishonesty in man is punished by
cutting the tips of his ears, and an In
dian bearing that mark cannot sit in
council. Honor and virtue are their
strong traits of character, and their
form of government comes as near pure
socialism as is possible
When a boy attains manhood he puts
on a turban and ties an extra handker-
chief about his neck At the next green
corn dance he will race for his squaw.
TIL tyrbop ic ada Of hrirbt oolorod
shawls or handkerchiefs, wrapped around
a frame made of guava wood; originally
it was composed of the Indians sleeping
blanket and was carried on the head for
purely ornamental.
Osceola, THE Rising Sum-" Micano-
pee, "The Householder" or 'Head of the
Camp" Tusteenuggee, Head Chief"
Coacoochee, THE Wild Cat;;" Tallahas-
see, ''The Chief" and Emathla, "Great
Chief are the names of some of their
past leaders. Matte is an abbreviation
of Emathla.' 1t is one of the oldest
ma mes, coming direct from the Creeks.
A great many of the Indian names are
not names, but titles, for instance. Niece
means Civil Chief" the old Niece
name is absolutely unpronouncable for
US, and so he was known as Niece. To-
day we have Billy Bowlegs, Key West
Billy, Billy Buster, Tom Tiger, Willy
Willy, and Luck. The Tiger family is a
very large one in the land, and have
always been leaders. Many Medicine
Men have been among them, and one of
their number was for years the tribes
silvers NTH, making all the squaws' Sill
yer ornaments. The Tiger family boast
of absolutely pure Indian blood.
The Indians we see here are, of course,
the Miami band. Once year they send
representative to the council at Big
Cypress, and once year the whole band,
the Miami's, congregate at their own
principal town at the call of the Civil
Chief. Very few white men have ever
visited this settlement, but those who
h ave say it is an orderly, comfortable
village, with many we'll built huts, some
of them shingled, and large public bath