What language did the Seminole tribe speak? The Seminole tribe spoke in several related dialects of the Muskogean language family. They refer to themselves as "Red People," or "Istica-ti" in Muskogee. What did the Seminole tribe eat? The food that the Seminole tribe ate included included wild turkeys, rabbits, deer (venison), fish, turtles, and alligators. Their staple foods were corn, squash and beans supplemented with wild rice, mushrooms, pumpkins and plants. As time passed the Cherokee began raising cattle and hogs that they acquired from Europeans. What weapons did the Seminole use? The weapons used by the Seminole included, war clubs, knives, gunstock clubs, bows and arrows, spears and axes. The Europeans introduced muskets and then rifles. Seminole History: What happened to the Seminole tribe? The following Seminole history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks of the people. The Seminole timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe. Seminole History Timeline 1542: Early contact with the Europeans began with their encounter with Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer 1542: Epidemics of smallpox and measles and inter-tribal warfare with the Cherokee and Catawba diminish the Creek populations in the late 1500's and 1600's 1688: The French and Indian Wars (1688-1763) begin 1733: James Oglethorpe and his Georgia colonists arrived in 1733. Close contact and trade with the Europeans led to the establishment of strong cultural ties between the Creek and the newcomers 1740: Alachua, the earliest recorded Seminole town, is established 1790: The Treaty of New York, under the administration of George Washington, the Creek people ceded a significant portion of Creek lands to the US on the condition that they were allowed to live in the remaining territory 1796: Benjamin Hawkins was appointed the federal agent to the Creeks and began the 'civilizing programs' leading to the name of the Five Civilised Tribes 1813: The Creek War (1813–1814) erupted in Alabama and Georgia and many tribe members move south to Spanish Florida. The refugee Creeks begin to be referred to as the Seminole 1815: Tensions between the United States and Spanish Florida had begun to escalate as black runaway slaves find sanctuary with the Seminole 1817: General Andrew Jackson invaded Florida in pursuit of Seminole Indians sparking the start of the First Seminole War (1817-1818) 1819: The United States acquired Florida from Spain via the Adams Onis Treaty by which Spain sells Florida to the U.S. for $5,000,000. 1823: The Treaty of Moultrie Creek is signed by which the US seized the northern Seminole lands 1830: The Indian Removal Act of 1830 1832: About 3,800 Seminoles were forcibly removed to Indian Territory and organized into the "Seminole Nation" and became one of so-called "Five Civilised Tribes." 1833: The Treaty of Fort Gibson was signed by which the Seminole people relinquished all claims to land in the Florida Territory. 1835: Billy Bowlegs and Chief Osceola became the leaders of a Seminole resistance movement against their forced re-location to Oklahoma. The Battle of Ouithlacoochie, a victory under the leadership of Osceola, begins the Second Seminole War (1835 - 1842) 1837: General Thomas Jesup captured Osceola in a trap. He was sent to Fort Moultrie on Sullivans Island, outside Charleston, South Carolina 1838: Osceola died on January 31, 1838 in mysterious circumstances 1842: The Seminole tribe was forced to surrender and required to move to Oklahoma where they were resettled in the western part of the Creek reservation. A few Seminoles remained in Florida. 1887: The Dawes Act 1893, President Grover Cleveland appoints Senator Henry L. Dawes, to negotiate land with the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole tribes 1893: The Dawes Rolls, or the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, entitled an allotment of land to tribe members, in return for abolishing their governments and recognizing Federal laws 1934: The individual allotment policy of the Dawes Act was terminated by the Indian Reorganization Act
Seminole History Timeline The Story of Osceola For additional facts and information refer to the legend and the Story of Osceola, Billy Bowlegs and the story of the Seminoles in Florida |