Edited by Spessard Stone from Lt. R. H. Pratt’s Letter of August 20, 1879 to Hon. E. A. Hayt, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, D. C.
Introduction: Lt. Pratt, who had been directed to investigate and report upon the condition of the Seminole Indians in Florida, on June 27, 1879, had arrived at Fort Meade. From there he and his party had proceeded to Chipco’s village at Catfish Lake at Fort Clinch (now Lake Pierce, east of Lake Wales) where they stayed two nights and a day before returning to Fort Meade. They then continued onto Fort Myers, where they arrived on July 6.
Delegates
The messengers to Fort Center and the Big Cypress had performed their duty and reported that both villages would send in their best men. A party of four arrived on the 7th and eleven more on the 9th. Only seven of the whole number were men and all were from the Big Cypress.
I waited until the11th of July, when, hearing nothing further from the Fort Center party, I desired those who had arrived to meet and confer with me about the object of my visit.
Washington Talk
They sent word they had arrived to meet and confer with me about the object of my visit. They sent word they had nothing to say and did not want to hear “Washington talk,” as they called it. Their good friend Capt. F. A. Hendry reasoned with them, but it was of no avail.
Esteemed Men
Three of these men, Doctor, Motloe, and Jumper, are quite old and esteemed among the most important in the tribe. All of them were noted in the war of 1835 to 1842. All refused to accept both food and tobacco, which I had arranged to supply them with on their arrival. Said they could buy what they wanted. They afterwards said, if the Fort Center party came in and talked, they would talk.
End Of Effort
Later I received a message from Fort Center village that their chief, Tuscanugga, had been bitten by a rattlesnake, and they would not come in, though they had received the message to come with favor.
At this point, being satisfied that any further attempts to deal with them, either by visiting their villages or otherwise, would be additional sacrifice of dignity without material results, and that the information already obtained would guide to about the only solution of the case, and as the Secretary of the Interior had desired my early return, I concluded to end the effort and return.
Informants On Indians
The testimony of all persons familiar in any way with the Indians was sought and noted. From these sources much valuable information was derived. W. R. Hollingsworth and Louis Lanier, of Fort Meade, Capt. F. A. Hendry and J. J. Blount, of Fort Myers, and T. J. Sparkman, of Fort Ogden, were particularly interested and informed in regard to the Seminoles.
General Prosperity
Four or five years back these Indians all lived in frail houses constructed of palmetto leaves. The men busied themselves only with hunting, disdaining labor of any other kind, and the crops the women raised were not large. Now the houses in all their villages are constructed as in Chipco’s camp, and their fields, industry, and general prosperity are quite up to his.
Formerly they could not be hired to help cattlemen. Now some of them make fair laborers in building pens and gathering cattle. They generally have corn and sweet potatoes to sell in their villages. Within two years they have begun to raise cattle, and this year the Fort Shackleford village sold four head to the shippers.
From careful inquiry I estimate their revenue to be annually: from buckskin, skins and pelts, $3,000; from sale of hogs and cattle, $2,000; from sale of produce, etc., $1,000; total, $6,000. It is evident that their game reliance must diminish yearly, and they be driven to civilized resources.
The introduction of piazzas and windows into the construction of their houses, and the building of a small rude mill to grind sugarcane are special signs of breaking away from their savage life.
Education Suppressed
A few instances of desire for education have occurred among the boys, but they are promptly suppressed by the old men. Recently a bright boy, friendly to one of Captain Hendry’s sons, was induced to remain at Fort Myers several weeks and attend school, but was forced to give it up by the old men. Responsible friends of the Indians have proposed to take their children and educate them, but they have always declined, even when the place proposed was where they could see them often.
Whisky
Whisky is the great enemy of the Florida Indians, and will obstruct their progress in civilization more than any other one thing, perhaps more than all other obstacles.
They trade in Tampa, Fort Meade, Bartow, Fort Myers, Fort Ogden, Miami, and other places.
With the exception of one from each party, detailed to keep sober for the purpose of looking after the others, the whole party always gets drunk. There is no exception, they always do. Except to make a noise, they are not ugly when drunk, nor do the citizens apprehend any violent conduct. Liquor is sold to them without stint at all trading posts, and the value of their trade being some object, a little legislating on the superior quality of the whisky at this or that place occurs.
Green Corn Dance
Their annual green corn dance, held when roasting ears come, usually turns out a great drunken frolic. On the occasion of the green corn dance they gather from all the villages, at the point named, and a new chief is elected or the old one re-elected; laws are made, and criminals who have been outlawed can re-establish themselves by reaching the dance circle before being caught.
Some years ago a jealous woman killed the woman of whom she was jealous. She remained hidden until the green corn dance, when she reached the circle and was restored to her former status.
A warrior who had married a Negro woman was outlawed, but reaching the charmed corned circle was rehabilitated in the tribe, retaining the woman as his wife.
Women
The women are said to be virtuous. Of those who came into Fort Myers all seemed to understand the English Indian patois, so common along the Indian border everywhere, but they were reluctant in speaking it themselves. I was informed most of them could speak some English, a few quite plainly.
Cattle Stealing
Cattlemen complain that they steal and kill a good many cattle, and very often are profligate enough to kill one for only a few pounds of the meat. The cattlemen claim a loss of 150 to 200 head annually, worth $1,000 to $2,000. There seems good reason to believe they have killed and cured stolen beef and carried it through the Everglades to sell. They have been caught killing the cattle of their best friends. In a very few cases they have been paid for the cattle.
Like offenses are committed against the Indians. Within a few months a man named Lightsey was charged by an Indian with having stolen sixteen of his hogs. The Indian brought the men who helped cut them up as proof. At the time of my visit public opinion was so strong against Lightsey that he was expected to pay for the hogs.
Another notable case was when an Indian named Streety Parker had bought from a white man named Collier fifty cattle which proved to be stolen. Parker had to give them up and Collier was tried before the courts, but escaped punishment. No restitution was made, and the friends of the Indians wrote to the governor of the state, who replied that an act of the legislature was the only remedy, and there the case rests.
Census
I was unable to obtain an exact census of these people, and am satisfied it is not an easy thing to accomplish. From rather indefinite sources we have: At Fort Clinch village (Chipco, chief), 26; at Fort Center village (Tuscanugga, chief), 90; at Fort Shackleford (Old Tiger Tail, chief), 76; at Miami village (Young Tiger Tail, chief), 80; to these counts I add, for possible oversight, 20; total, 292 I believe this to be rather more than the actual number.
Missionaries
In 1871 the Methodist Conference of Florida sent the Rev. W. E. Collier, one of its members, as a missionary to the Seminoles. Though an earnest man and one universally esteemed to be well qualified for the work, he does not seem to have made much impression during the year he was continued on that duty. Other efforts made by Catholics, Baptists, and others have proven equally abortive.
Conclusion
Their removal to the civilized portion of their tribe in the Indian Territory would do more for their advancement than any other plan, but, except, by some unworthy trick, they could not be procured to go there.
I would recommend that the Department begin the work of redeeming these people from their savage state by sending among them a responsible man as teacher, having special reference to gathering their children into school.
Their spirit of independence and self-help should not be destroyed.
See also:
Chipco and Tallahassee Led Seminole Remnant in Florida
Chipco, Among The Seminoles Peculiar Manners and Customs of the Remnants of the Tribe
This article was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Florida) of August 28, 2003.
August 30, 2003