Seminole Indians

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Seminole Indians
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Where do the Seminole Live?

• The Seminole lived in the southeast region,
  specifically in the state of Florida.
• They started out in northern Florida, but when
  the Americans attacked them, the Seminole tribe
  retreated further south, into the Everglades.

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Who are the Seminole Indians

• The Seminole people were once part of the creek
  tribe
• They farmed the southern regions of what is known
  today as Georgia and Alabama
• When European settlers arrived, some of the creek
  people decided to stay behind, while others moved
  to northern and central Florida
• These people became known as the Seminole (which
  means runaway or Wander

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What did they eat?

• They planted corn, beans, squash and other
  vegetables and fruit
• They fished and hunted, often catching alligators
  in the Florida swamps
• On land the Seminole hunted deer , bear, raccoon,
  squirrel, and birds
• The gathered roots and potatoes
• Each family owned a vegetable garden
• Corn was an important staple in the Seminole diet
• It was often used to make a corn dish called
  hominy or it was ground into meal to make
  cornbread

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What did they wear?

• They wore colorful cotton clothing decorated with
  striped or plaid designs
• The women wore long-sleeved blouses and skirts
  that touched the floor
• Wore necklaces made of glass beads
• It was common for Seminole women to wear several
  pounds of beaded necklaces that reached all the
  way to her ears
• Men wore colorful shirts and plaid turbans on
  their heads
• When the weather was cold, men wore coats with
  ruffles called long shirts

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What are Chickees?

• The Seminole living near the Everglades built
  open-sided wooden huts called chickees
• A chickee was built on a platform raised about 3
  feet off the swampy ground, and it had a thatched
  roof constructed of palmetto leaves
• The roof kept out rain
• The Seminole slept in hammocks
• The Seminole spent most of their time outdoors

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Chickee
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How did the Seminoles travel?

• They made flat dugout canoes from hollowed-out
  cypress logs
• They steered the boats with poles rather than
  paddles

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What were the Seminole villages like?

• Was made up of many families
• Families in the villages were related through
  their mothers
• All women and children belonged to the same clan
  (vocabulary word)
• Seminole women worked near camp, taking care of
  the children, cooking, sewing, and gardening
• Seminole men hunted, fishing, and farming
• In the early summer, the Seminole prepared for an
  important festival- the green corn dance
• Seminole villages came together to celebrate the
  festival by dancing, playing games, and feasting
• The naming ceremony was held that year at the
  green corn dance festival