Dear Larry and Cousins on the List, I didn't mean to imply the Seminoles were remnants of the Cherokees, who were of Iroquoian stock, but as your last quoted passage states, Seminoles were remnants of the other tribespeople in the surrounding region. Much different linguistic origin than the Cherokees, different traditions, and cultural styles, although they roughly shared some of the same geographic areas. Your quote says more succinctly what I wanted to impart. I am hopeful of getting some good history compiled on these issues to be put on the website. Do you have a special interest? If so, I would welcome your further imput or articles.. I am learning quite a bit on the Cherokees, but am not up to speed on the rest. I did get a biography of Benjamin Hawkins who was the Agent for the Creeks for many years and tried desperately to fight for their rights with little success, finally. Too many people in high places wanted their land. Andrew Jackson was involved with many of these people prior to becoming President, and although I have not delved into it as to whether Jackson himself participated in the land deals and conspiracies for self-gain, these pre-Presidency cronies were the ones who garnered the most from the Indian cessions and losses -- Blount being a primary one, and probably the biggest conniver. Love, your cousin, Carolyn -----Original Message----- From: villanow@mindspring.com <villanow@mindspring.com> To: AMXROADS-L@rootsweb.com <AMXROADS-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2001 5:33 PM Subject: [AMXROADS] Re: Site Indexes/Cherokee history >2/20/01 8:05pm EST > >Carolyn, > >It appears to me that in the following statement, you seem to be saying >that the Seminoles are Cherokees who went into Florida. Is this a correct >assumption? > ><snip> >>Descendants of these people comprise the Eastern Cherokees, while >>descendants of the remainder who survived the Trail of Tears comprise the >>Oklahoma-centered Cherokees. Remnants of southern tribespeople also went >>into Florida and became the Seminoles, who never did surrender. ><snip> > >At the Official web page of the Seminole Tribe at: >. http://www.seminoletribe.com/history/brief.shtml >this can be found: > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >For thousands of years before the coming of Europeans to southeastern North >America, perhaps as many as 400,000 of the ancestors of the Seminoles built >towns and villages and complex civilizations across the vast area. After >1510, when the Spaniards began to explore and settle in their territory, >disease killed many of these people, but they were never "destroyed" or >"conquered" as so many of the white men's history books proclaim. The >survivors amalgamated across the peninsula of Florida and continued their >lives. >When the first English speakers entered the area of the Southeast that is >now Florida, in 1763, they found many of these survivors — from tribes such >as the Euchee, Yamasee, Timugua, Tequesta, Abalachi, Coça, and hundreds of >others, living as "free people" across the head of the Florida peninsula, >on the Alachua savannah (the area now known as Alachua County). In Maskókî, >the core language, istî siminolî meant that they were "free people" because >they had never been dominated by the Spaniards or the English interlopers. >In the Hitchíti dialect of Maskókî, today known as Mikisúkî, the same >phrase was yat'siminoli. English speakers ignored their separate tribal >affiliations and just called them all Seminolies, or Seminoles. ><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< > >There is a lot more Seminole history there for those interested. > >However, the Britannica site at: >. >http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,68437+1+66715,00.h tml?query=seminole >says they are of Creek origin: > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. >Seminole >North American Indian tribe speaking a Muskogean language; they are of >Creek origin. In the last half of the 18th century, migrants from the lower >Creek towns of Georgia moved southward into northern Florida, the former >territory of the Apalachee and Timucua. By about 1775 these migrants had >begun to be known under the name Seminole, derived from the Creek word >simanó-li meaning "separatist," or "runaway." The name may also have >derived from the Spanish cimarrón, "wild." The Seminoles were joined by >runaway slaves--Indian and Negro--and others fleeing the power struggles >between American whites and Indians in Georgia. ><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< > >More at that site also. > >Larry Shahan >Kodak, TN > > > >============================== >Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! >http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 > >