florida tribes

The Seminoles of Florida call themselves the "Unconquered People," descendants of just 300 Indians who managed to elude capture by the U.S. army in the 19th century. Today, more than 2,000 live on six reservations in the state � located in Hollywood, Big Cypress, Brighton, Immokalee, Ft. Pierce, and Tampa. Some still live in open, palm-thatched dwellings called chickees, wear clothing that is an evolution of traditional styles, and some celebrate the passing of the seasons just as their ancestors did more than two centuries ago.

The Seminoles were once part of the Creek tribe and are decendants of those who took refuge from the US army in the swamps of Florida. The 1770s is when Florida Indians collectively became known as Seminole, a name meaning "wild people" or "runaway." The famous warrior Osceola (a.k.a. William Powell) and the inspirational medicine man Abiaka (a.k.a. Sam Jones) are two of the best known Seminole historical figures.

There is no such thing as a "Seminole" language. Today, the members of the Seminole tribe speak one or both of two languages: Mask�k� and Mikis�k�. These are the only two left from among the dozens of dialects that were spoken by their ancestors here in the Southeast. Mask�k�, erroneously called "Creek" by English speakers, is the core language. Mikis�k� is a dialect of Hitchiti, which was itself a dialect of the core language, Mask�k�. Although Maskok� is spoken in Oklahoma as well as in Florida, Mikisuk� is spoken in only one place on earth: in South Florida, by the members of the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes.

Federal list last updated 3/07

Florida tribes map

FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood and Tampa Reservations)

Seminole Tribe of Florida Overview

Miccosukee Tribe

STATE RECOGNIZED TRIBES
(Not recognized by the Federal Governemnt)

In Florida, the Governor's Council on Indian Affairs in 1988 adopted a policy which recommends that state officials refrain from recognizing any group not first acknowledged by the federal government. However, they have set a secondary set of recommendations for what the criteria for state recognition should be in case the state government should wish to bypass the first recommendation: "A state action should (1) create a government-to-government relationship between state and tribe, (2) set forth an explicit rendering of the state's interpretation of 'recognition,' (3) be confined only to groups descended from Seminole, Miccosukee, Creek, or a tribe located in Florida prior to May 30, 1830, and (4) meet federal criteria for recognition." So far, Florida has recognized no tribes.

UNRECOGNIZED / PETITIONING TRIBES

Apalachicola Band of Creek Indians. Letter of Intent to Petition 08/17/2004

Choctaws of Florida(aka Hunter Tsalagi Choctaw Tribe). Letter of Intent to Petition 03/02/2005.

Creeks East of the Mississippi (a.k.a. Principal Creek Indian Nation East of the Mississippi). Letter of Intent to Petition 03/21/1973 (petitioned as part of a State-recognized tribe Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe - East of the Mississippi, Inc., Georgia); declined to Acknowledge 12/21/1981 46 FR 51652, see also 47 FR 14783[2] Indian Creek Band, Chickamauga Creek & Cherokee Inc. Letter of Intent to Petition 02/19/2004

Muscogee Nation of Florida (formerly Florida Tribe of Eastern Creek Indians). Letter of Intent to Petition 06/02/1978; awaiting Active Consideration; all documents have been filed with BAR.

Creek-Euchee Band of Indians of Florida. Letter of Intent to Petition 11/23/1999; Letter of Intent withdrawn 10/20/2000; merged with Florida Tribe of Eastern Creek Indians

Oklewaha Band of Yamassee Seminole Indians. Letter of Intent to Petition 02/12/1990.

Perdido Bay Tribe of Lower Muscogee Creeks

Seminole Nation of Florida (aka Traditional Seminole). Letter of Intent to Petition 08/05/1983; referred to SOL for determination 5/25/1990.

Topachula Tribe

Tuscola United Cherokee Tribe of Florida, Inc. (formerly Tuscola United Cherokees of Florida & Alabama, Inc.). Letter of Intent to Petition 01/19/1979; withdrawn at petitioner's request 11/24/1997; reinstated 2005.

Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe, Inc. of Florida.(Florida and Alabama.)

FIRST CONTACT TO PRESENT

PRE-CONTACT FLORIDA TRIBES

PRE-HISTORIC CULTURES IN FLORIDA

10,000-8500 BC - Paleo Indian
10,000 BC - Vero Man was discovered in 1915 and his age has been determined to be 10-12,000 years old.

Archaelogical finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many thousands of years prior to any European settlements.

People first reached Florida at least 12,000 years ago. The rich variety of environments in prehistoric Florida supported a large number of plants and animals. The animal population included most mammals that we know today.

In addition, many other large mammals that are now extinct (such as the saber-tooth tiger, mastodon, giant armadillo, and camel) roamed the land.

The Florida coastline along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico was very different 12,000 years ago. The sea level was much lower than it is today. As a result, the Florida peninsula was more than twice as large as it is now.

The people who inhabited Florida at that time were hunters and gatherers, who only rarely sought big game for food. Modern researchers think that their diet consisted of small animals, plants, nuts, and shellfish. These first Floridians settled in areas where a steady water supply, good stone resources for tool making, and firewood were available.

Over the centuries, these native people developed complex cultures. During the period prior to contact with Europeans, native societies of the peninsula developed cultivated agriculture, traded with other groups in what is now the southeastern United States, and increased their social organization, reflected in large temple mounds and village complexes.

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