Taoism

The Seminole Tribe

The Seminoles are a very well established Native American tribe. They’re located in Florida and Oklahoma. Some people believe that the name Seminole might come from the word Simanoli which is what the Creeks used to call themselves. They have great connections with the land, interesting food, architecture, religion, government and leaders.

The Seminole tribe are descendants of the Creek tribe. The Creeks spoke two languages, Muskogee and Miccosukee. Miccosukee is a related tongue of Muskogee. Two groups in the tribe speak those languages. That must get confusing.

The Seminoles are close with the land. They used to, and sometimes still do, fish and hunt in the Everglades and in marshy areas. To grow food, they farm small gardens on hammocks, which are little islands in the swamp. Since the 1920’s they’ve been wrestling alligators for visiting tourists. They’ve seemed to make do with the swampy conditions extremely well.

Everyone’s got to eat, and for the Seminoles the women did the cooking for everyone. In the center of camp was a cooking and dining house with a fire pit. On the hammocks they grew pumpkins, melons, and beans. Corn was a staple food. It was most important for soups and breads. Sofiki is a popular soup eaten with one spoon, and everyone eats from one large bowl. They also eat a lot of meat, such as alligator, deer, turkey, duck, rabbit, opossum, squirrel, and sometimes bear. They used blowguns to shoot small animals. Plants, nuts, and berries were also important. To make a certain flour, they used the stems of the arrowroot plant. They were well fed.

The Seminoles had to come up with a way to build a house in a swamp. One practical house was called a chichee, a house in the swamp with open sides for a breeze and a raised platform to keep people and belongings over flood water. They also lived in log houses plastered with red clay. Houses were around a square and a main building. Families had two houses, one for sleeping and cooking, and one for storage. Each family had its own crop garden. They seemed to have a good system.

Religion is important in every tribe. The Seminole people believed that spirites inhabit everything, living and nonliving. Spirits are even in fire, water, sun, moon, and stars. The highest divine being is the Preserver of Breath. Thunder is the war god and Corn Mother watches over gardens and fields. They also believed in monsters and other creatures. They believed that water monsters would drag people down into the swamp until they’d drown. Little People were creatures who would play tricks on them, but also help lost children return home. They viewed their faith with many signs and symbols.

The Seminoles believe that body and soul are connected. Also, religion and medicine are one. Medicine men use roots, herbs,