Images of Florida Seminoles in the Sunshine State

Seminole male (1900s)

After the wars of the 1800s, the remaining Seminole peoples moved into the then-unpopulated South Florida, where they lived in relative isolation for several decades. Over the years, Seminoles adapted their culture to their South Florida surroundings.

Seminole family on the move (1900s)

Chief Tallahassee in Polk County (late 1800s)

Tallahassee was the head of a band of about thirty Seminole families who lived peacefully in Polk County from 1850 until the 1890s.

His clothing demonstrates the typical clothing style of Seminole men of authority in the late 1800s.

A Chickee, typical Seminole housing in South Florida: Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation (1985)

Because of the hot, humid weather of South Florida, Seminoles adapted their housing to the area, opting for an open air structure.

Demonstration of traditional Seminole food preparation: White Springs, Florida (1987)

Taken at the 1987 Florida Folk Festival, this image demonstrates the culinary adaptation of Seminole culture to South Florida.

Seminole family butchering a manatee for food (c. early 1900s)

Drawing of a Seminole coontie strainer (1880s)

A starchy flour was made from the root of the tropical coontie plant (Zamia inegrifolia), first through grinding, then soaking, and finally straining.

The dried residue would be made into bread and other foods. The coontie can be found throughout South Florida, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

Typical Seminole dug-out canoe (1900s)

Seminole women in a dug-out canoe (1900s)

Elderly Seminole male: Silver Springs (1939)

Traditional Seminole ball-game in South Florida: Pine Island, Florida (1900s)

Woman with child at the Dania Seminole Indian Reservation (1958)

Seminole traditions continued to be passed on from one generation to the next, ensuring Seminole culture would last well into the 20th century and beyond.