Seminole Settlement: Life on Higher Ground

Seminole Settlement: Life on Higher Ground. . The Seminoles of central Florida built settlements on elevated hammocks or islands along the swampy Kissimmee River Valley. Their shelters, "chickees," were built from local materials, including pine logs and palm thatch. Chickees were well designed for hot, wet environments, with an open layout to promote airflow. The floors were raised to prevent flooding and topped with water-resistant roofs to protect against the hot sun and drenching summer rains. The largest chickee of a settlement was typically where the Seminoles would relax, eat meals, and socialize. Others were used for sleeping, cooking, or storage. The Seminoles have always been self-sufficient and resourceful. They made canoes, cooking vessels, fishing spears, and other tools. The Seminoles also found uses for the cattle, hogs, sugar cane, and oranges the Spaniards left behind centuries earlier. They kept large herds of cattle, but their hogs roamed free - often wandering under the chickees. Later, they tamed wild horses, harvested sugar cane, and grew sour oranges. , , “Life in the camps is cool, clean, and pleasant. The breezes sweep through the lodges beneath the thatched roofs, and the camps are usually as meat as possible. , Alanson Skinner, Notes on the Florida Seminoles American Anthropologist 1913 , , Conflict and Change , Although the ancestors of the Seminoles were not traditionally nomadic people, some moved south into Florida in the 18th century to escape conflict and find better land. They found temporary shelter in the swamps of central Florida in an area the US. government deemed "Indian Territory." During the Second and Third Seminole Wars many Seminole lives were lost, and most survivors were forced to relocate to Oklahoma. Small bands of Seminoles hid in the swamps to avoid relocation and eventually moved south into the Everglades. In the decades following the Civil War, the Seminoles traveled through what is now Osceola County trading with pioneer settlers, but the draining of the swamps in the late 1800s further changed their way of life. , , Seminole-Osceola Connections , As the pioneers settled in the Kissimmee River Valley, they occasionally came in contact with the Seminoles also living in the region. There are accounts of Seminoles living in areas along Shingle Creek, and legend has it that the warrior Coacoochee was born on Makinson Island in Lake Tohopekaliga. Despite naming the county after him, Billy Powell, also known as "Osceola,” never lived in this area. Years later, Billy Bowlegs III was a frequent visitor and had a friendship with James and Minnie Moore Willson, who became champions of the Seminoles. The couple worked tirelessly to help the Seminoles establish their own rights, land, and government. , , (captions) , Seminole Women Grinding Corn, 1910 , Everyday tasks, such as corn grinding, were done near the cooking chickee. Many of their tools and utensils were made by hand but pots like the ones hanging in this photo were only available from trading posts. , Courtesy American Museum Natural History Library , , Seminole Camp, Everglades 1907 , A young Seminole woman sits on the fire logs near a cooking structure amongst other chickees. The Seminoles’ unique style of fire building included radiating logs from the center; as the fire burned, the logs were pushed in without danger. , Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society , , Billy Bowlegs III circa 1895 , Photographed by Arthur P. Lewis, Kissimmee: Billy is shown wearing elaborate garments that the Seminoles commonly donned for formal photographs. Billy was often seen in Kissimmee where he attended church, visited friends, or purchased supplies for canoe making.