The Seminole tribe originated in Florida and is now mainly found in Oklahoma. They are made up of various southern U.S. tribes and African-American slaves. They practice a combination of Christianity and traditional Native American religion, including the foot dance and green corn ceremony. The tribe’s history includes alliances with the British and Spain, forced relocation by the United States, and guerrilla warfare. Today, Seminole reservations are run by sovereign governments and generate income from gambling, tobacco, and tourism.
Originally from the state of Florida, the Native Americans of the Seminole tribe are most easily found in Oklahoma today. Most Seminole people today are descended from a wide variety of southern U.S. tribes. During the height of the tribe’s power in the late 1700s and early 1800s, refugees from the various tribes of the region descended on Florida and allied with escaped African-American slaves to form a rebellion against European-American rule.
The dawn of the Seminole Tribe began when Native American tribes of the Muscogee people began fighting each other in the late 1700s. Fleeing to Florida, the Lower Creeks further displaced the Calusa and Mayaimi tribes, who in turn fled to Cuba. of these two joined the Creek, as well as the Yuchi and Yamasee. African Americans fleeing slavery in the South also joined the Seminole tribe.
Siding with the British in the American Revolutionary War, the Seminoles were essentially isolated in Florida. After the war, Spain took control of the territory and entered into a treaty with the Seminole tribe. After the United States took the region from Spain, it forced the Seminoles to move to Oklahoma. Many remained, however, launching a guerrilla war that lasted for years.
As the Seminole tribe is made up of many different ethnic groups, no one dominant culture is dominant. Most modern Seminoles practice a combination of Christianity and traditional Native American religion. The two most traditional practices used by the tribe are the foot dance and the green corn ceremony.
In the stomp dance, participants eat a variety of Southern foods and traditional Native American cuisine such as cornbread and fry bread. The dance floors are set up in a large square, slightly elevated and centered around a community fire. The songs are sung while the tribe members dance in a twirling fashion, which helped suggest the name. The green corn ceremony is very similar but focuses on fasting and giving warrior names. Food is served at the end of the day in the green corn ceremony.
With tribes located today in both Florida and Oklahoma, the Seminole are one of the most recognized American Indian nations in the United States. This is partly because the University of Florida uses the name as a mascot. The reservations are run by sovereign governments and make money from gambling, tobacco and tourism.
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