Seminole Nation
Diet and Agriculture
The Creek Indians, from whom the Seminole descended, were primarily farmers. They raised corn, squash, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and melons. Each family had its garden, and all tribe members helped plant, cultivate, and harvest the crops. They also gathered seeds, berries, and nuts. Blowguns were used to hunt small game and birds. The men hunted fowl, turtles, fish, shellfish, and deer. The Seminole ate many fruits, including bananas, oranges, pineapples, and coconuts. All parts of the palmetto palm tree were used for food. The top was eaten, molasses was made from the berries, the leaves were ground into flour, and even salt was gathered from the burned trunk of the tree.
Cultural Practices
Creek Confederacy
The Seminoles were originally part of the Creek Confederacy. After losing their home to white settlers, part of the Creek Confederacy moved to Florida, where they banded together and formed a new tribe.
Festivals
The Southeastern Creeks celebrated the Green Corn Festival. Each person sat in a large circle and drank a bitter black drink that made them sick. The drink was then taken away, and the people washed themselves in a stream to feel clean inside and out. Next, they confessed wrongdoings to the Great Miko. Then, they were given more of the black drink and sent into hot, steam-filled palm leaf tents. The people stayed until the Great Spirit had forgiven their wrongdoings. This was followed by a festival lasting four to eight days, during which they played games, danced, and sang.
Seminole Girls in Traditional Clothing
Tools, Weapons, and Utensils
The Seminoles used dugout canoes for transportation. They also made tools and weapons, including blowguns for hunting small game and birds. The men built canoes, houses, and tools. Snowshoes made winter hunting easier, allowing them to travel up to 50 miles daily in deep snow. The Seminoles also wore snowshoes in ritual dances.
Seminole Beadwork
Art and Craftsmanship
A woman was given a string of beads each year on her birthday. One new string was added each year until she turned 40 years old. The necklaces covered the woman’s neck up to her ears and chin. When she turned 40, she began to lay one strand of beads aside year by year until only one strand was left. The Seminole women never went into public without the necklaces. Both men and women decorated their bodies with tattoos and body painting.