Native Nations of the Southeast

Everglades

Chapter 6 of Native Nations addresses Native Nations of the Southeast. Bonvillain first outlines the five linguistic families: Muskogean, Caddoan, Iroquoian, , Siouan, and Algonkian. Bonvillain elaborates on the Muskogean linguistic family since it is the largest, which consists of the Choctaws (discussed in the next blog), Chickasaws, Creeks, Seminoles, Natchez, Coosas, Alabamas, Yamasees, and several others. It's neat to learn about how these nations adapted to a completely different environment with the bogs and swamps of the south (see everglades pictured above). These harsh conditions boded well, however, when it came time for the Seminoles to flee because they had the advantage of knowing the terrain, which Europeans were otherwise foreign to. Mosquitoes, alligators, and subtropic wetland humidity - oh, my! Since resources were in relative supply, south-easterners didn't have to migrate, and lived a sedentary lifestyle. South-easterners utilized horticulture, along with the usual hunter-gathering way of life. I liked the Natchez thirteen moon calendar, as it reminded me of the farmers almanacs of today, in which the names of the moons are pretty straight forward as to the crops and animals in season (e.g. the little corn moon is the third moon of the year, which begins in March, not February, and the Great Corn moon is the seventh moon - makes sense, right? Right.) I found it interesting, and this reveals a European ignorance, that South-easterners hunted buffalo, particularly in the western parts, but also Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee. I often forget how the buffalo roamed not only the Plains of the North, but also prairies and grasslands that covered a large segment of the middle U.S. and even some eastern territories. Turkeys were considered the most important bird of the southeastern diet - understandable why Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be that national bird as they were plentiful.

Reading about the Natchez left a bad taste in my mouth as most of the culture described by Bonvillain was on account of post-European conquest. Egalitarian ways were shattered and Natchez society was split into two classes: the noble and the commoners. This is further revealed with titles, such as the highest ranking chief's eldest sister (near equal to the chief) is called "White Woman". The submission continues as commoners were mostly referred to as "stinkards". What a set up for disaster and resentment!

Now to the meaty stuff with the Seminoles and encounters with Spanish explorers and the federal government in general. The Seminoles are perhaps the most honored of all the tribes in my opinion because of their will to fight and dedication to their people. Seminoles fought with Andrew Jackson's troops even though they resided in Spanish territory at the time of Jackson's presidency. A seven year Seminole War that ended in 1842 forced a good majority of Seminoles out, but Seminoles never actually signed a treaty. I'd heard of this only vaguely, and Bonvillain doesn't directly address it, but she does state that their leader, Osceola, attempted to negotiate a settlement, but when he tried to call truce, Osceola was jailed and died there (pictured in the center of the Seminoles to the left). Seminoles continued to reject removal thereafter and only about 150 survived to continue living in Florida. I tried to do a little bit of research on this and the only information I could find is that someone said Governor Claude Curk signed a treaty with the Seminoles in the 60's, but I'm not sure as to how much water this holds because I couldn't find any further research on it. As far as I'm concerned, the Seminoles are only recognized by the federal government, but not actually associated with them. Also, Seminoles pioneered with legal and economic relations as they were the first nation to raise the issue of gambling to the U.S Supreme Court.