Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-06-09


Seminoles consistently for about cen-
tury, the American people, as represented
by Congress and the Bureau of Indian
affairs, now propose to educate, civilize
and convert them.
To this proposition the Seminoles re-
ply in effect: mo. thank you. We don't
want any of your brand of civilization.
Besides, ali white men are liars. You have
always lied to US before. Why should we
believe in your protestatlons this t1me?'
The story of the Florida semlnoles
has come out in connection with the pres
ent efforts of the government to help
them It reveals the fact that this tribe
of six hundred Indians is an uncon-
quered race, living on its own lands, wor-
shipping it's own god, making its own
laws acknowledging no authority, and
asking nothing of anyone except the
glorious privilege of being independent"
The very name, Seminole, means re-
volutionist or renegade, and was given
these Indians early in the eighteenth CEN
tury when they declared themselves in
dependent of the powerful Greek confed-
eracy. About a hundred years ago they
clashed with white settlers in Florida,
and General Andrew Jackson went after
them. There followed little later the
Seminole war which was the bloodlest
most expensive and longest Indian war
ever fought by the United States govern
ment 1t was a war of determination.
The Indians were hunted like wild beasts.
This war also b1 ought out one OF the
greatest of Indian leaders IN the person
of Osceola, chief of the Semlnoles. Os-
eeola is the George Washington of the
Seminoles. His memory is still revered
and his words repeated by them. His
guiding principle in life was never to
trust white man, because all white men
are liars, and this is the maxim of the
Semino1es in their attitude toward the
government today.
The Seminole war ended IN treaty,
which was signed by few OF the Indians,
claiming to represent the whole tribe:
The Indians say that these chiefs did
not represent the tribe and had no au-
thority to sign treaty. The signing or
the treaty was not witnessed, and 1t is
claimed that the Indians who made 1t
were first gotten drunk by the whites.
This treaty provided that the Semln-
oles should be taken out of Florida to the
Indian territory in Oklahoma. All Of
them who could be caught were removed,
in brutal way, which increased their
hatred for the whites. A remnant OF the
tribe retired to the depths of the Ever
glades where no one could find them.
They never surrendered to the tinted
States. and never accepted the treaty
the descendants of these are the Florida
| Seminoles OF today.
In some way. which no one seems
fully to understand, these Indians ac-
quired title to about $4,000 acres of land,
near the Everglades. A large part OF this
was swamp, but it contained .shammocks"
of fertile land, where the Indians could
raise small crops Of vegetables. If they
took up better lands, some white man
always came along, as soon as the iand
was cleared, and took it away from tae
Indians. Thus they were gradually forced
back to the one little tract of wilderness
which was acknowledged 10 be theirs,
| largely because no one else wanted 1t.
They live chiefly by hunting and fish
| ing. Catching alligators for their hides
has long been their most remunerative
| occupation For time they hunted the
snowy egret and other birds for their
plumes, but now the laws Of Florida pro-
! hibt this. Game is getting steadily
scarcer, and the Seminele's problem of
life harder. He has no permanent come.
| but builds his camp on ore OF ne ham
mocks His house is a thateh roof SOP
ported on poles, having no walls, bur
| wooden floor. His dress is starty but
| highly indiridualistic The Semlnolcs are
the most picturesque Of Indians. As rel
| ic of pre- Columbian America, the tribe
| is worth vastly more in It's present pri}n-
| tive state than its members will ever be
worth as citizens.
| Several years ago an agitation was
started in Florida to help out the Sem
inoles. It resulted in the state Of Flor
/ ida making them a present or loo,otu
acres of land. The state deserves and
has been given great credit for It's gem
erosity. Some critics, however, have
/ pointed out that nearly all OF this land
| is under six feet of water.
| About the same time some congress
men went down and looked at the Sem
inoles, They were shocked into appro-
priating ten thousand dollars for the
education and general "uplift" of the In
dians. This appropriation was repeat
cd for several years. This year, twenty
thousand is asked In connection with
this proposed appropriation of twenty
thousand dollars, quite debate over
the Seminoles broke out in congress
Some of the congressman didn't want g
appropriate the money on the ground
that what had already been appropriated
had not been spent.
This led the writer to Mr.. Cato Sells,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs. who has
charge of the appropriation. lie admit
fed that very little of the money had
been spent, and that very little has been
done for the Seminoles Ihe reason Is
that the Seminoles do not want anything
done for them. They do not care to be
| civilized, or to learn the Christian relis-
! ion. They have but one article of faith:
''All white men are liars
Mr.. Sells opened schools for them;
they wouldn't go, He tried to teach
them farming and to make health sur
vey of the tribe. All of his efforts have
been met with evasion Before he can
do anything for these Indians, he must
overcome the effects of century in
which the whites have murdered and
robbed them.
1t was in connection with the murder
Of an Indian that the Bureau took its
first slept few years ago, toward gain
ing the confidence of the Seminoles. One
Of these Indians was on his way to town
with three hundred dollars worth of al
ligator hides, when he was murdered
and robbed by white man named Ash
ley, As the local authorities did not
seem Jealous in pursuing Ashley, Com
missioner Sells sent federal officer
after him. After dramatic hunt thru
the Everglades, Ashley was caught and
| +,~n,d ara,. fo Sho authorities for tria