Title: Seminole
1Seminole
2SeminoleLocation
- The Seminoles lived in Florida. They started out
in northern Florida, but when the Americans
attacked them, the Seminole tribe retreated
further south, into the Everglades. Some Seminole
people were forced to move to Oklahoma in the
1800's along with other eastern tribes. Other
Seminole people still live in southern Florida
today.
3SeminoleShelter
- Chickees (also known as chickee huts, stilt
houses or platform dwellings) are Native American
homes used primarily in Florida by tribes like
the Seminole Indians. Chickee houses consisted of
thick posts supporting a thatched roof and a flat
wooden platform raised several feet off the
ground. They did not have any walls. During
rainstorms, Florida Indians would lash tarps made
of hide or cloth to the chickee frame to keep
themselves dry, but most of the time, the sides
of the structure were left open.
4More about Chickees
- Chickees are good homes for people living in a
hot, swampy climate. The long posts keep the
house from sinking into marshy earth, and raising
the floor of the hut off the ground keeps swamp
animals like snakes out of the house. Walls or
permanent house coverings are not necessary in a
tropical climate where it never gets cold.
5Seminole Food
- The Seminoles were farming people. Seminole women
harvested crops of corn, beans, and squash.
Seminole men did most of the hunting and fishing,
catching game such as deer, wild turkeys,
rabbits, turtles, and alligators. Seminole Indian
dishes included cornbread, soups, and stews.
6Seminole Clothing
Seminole men wore breechcloths. Seminole women
wore wraparound skirts, usually woven from
palmetto. Shirts were not necessary in Seminole
culture, but men and women both wore poncho-style
mantles in cool weather. The Seminoles also wore
moccasins on their feet. In colonial times, the
Seminoles adapted European costume into their own
characteristic styles, including turbans and long
colorful tunics for men and full patchwork skirts
for women. Here is a webpage with pictures of
traditional Seminole dress, and here are some
photographs and links about Indian clothes in
general. The Seminoles didn't wear long
headdresses like the Sioux. Seminole men usually
shaved their heads except for a single scalplock,
and sometimes they would also wear a porcupine
roach. Originally, Seminole women wore their long
hair in topknots or buns, but later they
developed a distinctive hairstyle in which they
fanned their hair out around a cardboard frame.
The Seminoles wore elaborate tribal tattoos, but
rarely painted their faces.
7Seminole
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