Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-15
Scminoles
by Frederic j. Haskln.

4
yo'i most often hear about them, is vigor
ously denied by y. r. Simpson, who j,
editor Of the Tropical Sun, local news
paper, and Is known an nm authority on
the Scminoles, with whom he has lived
and hunted
He says that after The Seminole war
when the greater part Of the tribe was
moved to n reservation, there were just
Zy6 Indians who escaped to the Ever
gladcs and refused To be moved This
little group constitutes the present free
Seminole tribe, said to be the only Indi-
ans in the United States who were never
conquered by the United States and have
never acknowledged the sovereignty Of It's
government. They constitute practically
little nomad nation living within the
confines OF our own.
Picturesque both in appearance and in
their situation in life, these Indians are
much exploited and written about. They
gave southern Florida a large part Of its
place names. They arc n matter Of inter-
est to tourists The Seminole and the
alligator seem 10 be the two most char
acterstic things in Florida-an indis-
pensable part of the focal color" scheme
Almost always the Seminoles are held
up as subject for tears 1t is represented
that they are rapidly dying out, that the
draining Of the glades is robbing them of
| their only home and hunting ground, that
soon they will be but memory. Only
recently an appropriation was asked in
| Congress TO buy them some lands, and
their pathetic story then attracted much
| attention.
Now they probably need and should be
given the lands, and it is probably true
| that the draining Of the Everglades will
be hardship for them unless they are
well provided for in other ways. The
trouble is that they are not Indian
/ wards Of the government. They are
! free people We are not bound to do any
| thing for them.
But the idea that they are about 70
| disappear off the face OF the earth is,
according to Mr.. Simpson, a myth. He
says that the original 2q6 renegades have
| now increased 10 tribe of 600 individuals,
| divided into FIVE different bands the
| Mairni, the Lauderdale, the Big Cypress,
| the Cow Creek, and the Okechobee bands.
| This increase, he says, would be still
more rapid except for the fact that the
| tribe suffers from a shortage Of women,
| The utter separateness of the Seminoles
| from the modern civilized world is GER
| tsinly illustrated in this While the rest Of
us are wondering what TO do with all the
Europe contemplating polygnmy
| as means Of making the men 20 round,
and many men worried because women are
usurping their iobs-the Seminoles are
actually suffering from an acute shortage
Of the fair ones. And their religion forbids
them to marry women Of any other tribe
or race. The often-heard statement that
they have fnter-msrried with Negroes IL
denied by those who know them.
The fact zeernC "a NJ that the balance 0f
the sexes among the Seminoles has been
upset by the relatively safe life they lead.
Among most kinds of human beings, more
males are born than females. In a savage
tribe, living a savage life, great many
more males are killed IN war and hunting
than females, with the result that there
are usually more women than men, and
polygamy is practiced But the Seminole
men have no convenient or reliable way
Of getting killed. They have no wars, the
Everglades are safe and healthy. So the
men have been increasing faster than the
women for several generations, and this
promises to be a factor which more and
more viii limit the rate OF increase.
The Serninoles have camps or villages
within easy reach OF both Palm Beach
and Miami, and a good many tourists
drive out TO see them. These are received
with kindness and tolerance but without
enthusiasm. The Seminoles regard all
white men as great liars, and have little
respect for them.
The Indians IN return come 70 the towns
occasionally, and it is not unusual 10 see
them on the streets of West Palm Beach.
They bring various articles for trade, some
legitimate and some contraband. One Of
the contraband articles is swamp NUT
ton" or venlson, which, 1t is said, can De
obtained from the Indians at almost any
time by those who know how. Another
article of secret trade is whisky. The
Seminoles make clear, white corn WINS
Ky, which is much praised by those who
have tasted It. IL is said TO be vastly SUI
perlor to the moonshIne made by white
men. Some bootleggers are said to do q
regular business IN this liquor, generally
adulterated by them after they get it from
the Indians. But the Seminoles keep most
OF what they make for themselves.
At West Palm Beach there Is held IN
March, a carnival known as the Sun
Dance. A number of Seminole Indians are
then brought TO town and persuaded by
liberal reward to perform some kind of a |
war dance. As a matter Of fact, the Semin- |
oles have no dance of their own known as |
the sun dance. and this dancing they do in /
town N purely commercial operation on /
their part. Their real ceremonial dances |
are held in the depths of the Everglades, |
and no white man Is allowed TO see them, /
probably few daring individuals !,
have done so. The great occasion of the |
year is the corn dance At this il is Gus
tomary for all of the Indians to get drunk, /
1t IS said, except those who are on guard.
IL should not be supposed, however, that
the Seminoles are a dissolute lot. Their
drinking is an occasional and ceremonial
somewhat like the Saturday
night spree SO generally observed by our
own tribe before prohibition went into
effect
Mr.. Simpson has some interesting facts
and ideas about the Seminole war. He
says 1t was really an unjustified attack
upon the Indians by. our government.
A great many runaway slaves went to the
Everglades in those days, and a large part
of these fell into the hands Of the Semrn-
Oles. The Seminoles have always been
farmers, and they put the slaves TO work
,ultivating the rich hammock lands OF the
Everglades. 1t is said that some OF the
Indians really made themselves quite
'ich by this slave labor, which they got
Without making an investment. The white
planters in the surrounding territory, who
we're losing slaves in this way, were the
,nes who really instigated the Seminole
var, according to Mr.. Simpson, and
aused General jackson TO start on his
amous campaign against them. The
;layeS uara recovered IN a great extent 4