THE SKETCHED. ISTE SEMOLI."

Otago Witness, Issue 1640, 28 April 1883, Page 26

THE SKETCHED. ISTE SEMOLI."

In the southern portion of the peninsula of Florida, far within the swampy Evergladec and Big Cypress, is living the remnant of a people who fought desperately for the lands which their ancestors claimed by the right of conquest, and who prefer to drag out, in pride and poverty, a more existence in this least desirable portion of their onco powerful do main, rather than trust the Government* promise of a better home, school-houses, and riches, with a title in fee simple, beyond the Mississippi. Tho same mistrust and dread of exile which actuated those who refused to sign the treaty for removal in the times of Osceola. and " Billy Bcnvlegs " haunts them to-day ; but the period is not far distant when, through the rapid encroachments of the whites, they will be compelled to assimilate with them or accept expatriation — their much dreaded fate.

As they cling to their home, so do they to their primitive style of dress, ancient customs, and religious rites. In fact, the Seminole in Florida to-day is the Seminole of fifty years ago. He is self-supporting, the Government neither providing anything, nor exercising any control over him.

The Seininoles were originally Creeks, but, owing to continued misunderstandings, separated from the main body about the middle of the last century, and settled in the centre of the peninsula. They, at various times, adopted into the nation remnants of the Yeinasees, TJchees, and Micesaukies, until they had become a people, "numerous, proud, and wealthy," and bo continued while under the Spanish goverumnnt. But when Florida became a territory of the United States, many difficulties arose between the white settlerß and these Indians, until finally the Government decided that the easiest way to solve the problem was to remove them west of the Mississippi. An attempt to enforce this brought on a war, which lasted seven years, costing us sixty millions of dollars and the lives of nearly two thousand men. Those who were not captured, and would not surrender, fled farther south, and were permitted to remain in peace until the continual encroachments of the whites brought about what is known as tho Billy Bowiogs War, when he and many of his followers were captured and sent to join their brethren in the West.

Tiger Tail, Tustenugga, and old Chitco, with a few followers being still at liberty, and ! refusing to surrender, ' fled into the very heart ! of the Everglades, where many of them with ( their descendants still continue to live, asking for nothing but to be " let alone." Their numbers are variously estimated at from four to six huudred, which are divided among several villages, the main body living in the Big Cypress Swamp, near the headwathers of the Ock-holoa-couehie.

It was early one morning in March, after an unusually dry winter, that we_ stepped into our boat with th,o intention of visiting these people in their central fttronghold. Our start was made from tho shanty of one of tho lacfc not-

* Persona wild— Beminoles.

tiers on the Caloosahatohie, about twenty-five miles above Fort Myers. Wo rowwi all that day up this, the second largest navigable river of Florida, whose slug j,'ieh waters offered but little resistance as they Bowed in their serpentine course through a luxuriant growth of semi-tropical foliage on their way to the, Gulf. Alligators, lazily basking in the sunlight, slid noiselessly into the water, aud water-turkeys darted into the river to raise their snake-like necks among the lilies and bullrusheu, and stare at us as wo passed. Landing a short distance below the rapids we shouldered our rifles and started for the unding poafc. We woiti uiado exceedingly welcome by Clay, the trader, who apologised for his stock-in-trade by informing us that he had been waiting some weeks for the arrival of a cargo of gpoda from Key West ; his present stock consisting of whisky, guava jelly, and a few quinine pillß. We had just completed arrangements for the hiring of his oxen and cart, and were talking over the possibility of reaching the Indian village, when we heard the bugle-like tones of the cattle call, and shortly after a party of six Indians, with two ponies carrying enormoiia packs, emerged from under a grove of huge live-oaks to the north of the river. Their packs consisted principally of buckskins and raw hides, with a few pots and kettles attached, whicn kept up a continual clatter as they approached.

Their dress was uniform and rich in colour, and their silver ornaments and the brass mountings of their long Kentucky rifles shone brilliantly in the sunlight. On going out to meet uhem we were greeted with a nearty shake of the hand and a "how d'y." They were good specimens of physical development, graceful and active, of medium height, with broad shoulders and swarthy complexions. Their dress consisted of a tight- fitting "hickory" or iiomerfpun hunting-shirt, belted at the waist with a band of raw hide, from which hung a long sheath-knife. Their coarse black hair was shaven from the sides of the head, excepting just above the temples, and a crest on the crown that terminated in a carefully-braided scalp-lock at the back. Enormous turbans, extending the width of their shoulders, and each formed of several bright red shawls, savoured strongly of the Orient ; powder-horns and raw hide pockets slung from their shoulders completed their attire. They were Big Cypress Indians, and were returning from a visit to the Creek band, near Lake Istolc poga. Here was our opportunity. While they were removing the packs from their ponies, preparatory to camping for the night, we informed Tommy, the medicine man, of our desire to .Accompany them to their village. After this they. obstinately refused to talk "Iste"-hatka (white man's) talk," and, pretending not to understand, kept up quite an animated conversation among themselves in their native tongue. Finally Clay convinced them that we had no connection with the authorities at Washington, and had come a long way to make a friendly visit. To this Tommy said, " Hintlostchay !" (good), and extended a very cordial invitation to "go Big Cypress, eat heap Injun's su-cah and chok-seo " (pig and pumpkins). All the necessary arrangements having been made for an early start, we returned to our boat, and, aftur removing our packs, sunk it, to protect it from the rays of the sun. We were just seated to enjoy our morning repast, when Tommy appeared, foJ lowed by his five companions, and being invited to partake, .ill Bquatted upon the ground. The way our coffee, bacon, and biscuit disappeared caused us no little alarm, until exclamations of "heap full !" told us that the feast had endtd, and " heipus-tchay" (I go) that we must prepare to follow. Shortly after the caravan moved forward in true Indian style, Tommy taking the lead, followed by his five barelegged companions, the doctor, and myself ; Eph driving the oxen, with the ponies attached to the tail of the cart, brought up the rear.

Our course now was by the Indian trail, in a south - southeasterly direction, over praires, through pine-wooda and palmetto thickets, a section of land that is entirely submerged during the rainy season. At sunset we camped on the border of a large " 'gator" pond, and were joined shortly ofter by three of the Indians, who had left the trail to hunt for ■' c chaw" and " pinneewah," and were successful, for they brought back a deer and a turkey, whicn replenished our commissary department to such an extent as to relieve us of all anxiety for the remainder of the journey. We were lulled to sleep early in the evening by the " Ump, ump, ump !" of the alligators, to awaken next morning and find our oxen gone. An inquiring look at one of the Indians elicited the remark, " Hul-pit-tah (alligator) he eatum." This proved to be only an Indian joke, for shortly after we saw our man, Eph, approaching, leading the oxen, they having dragged the tether-stake from the ground and wandered off during the night. About midday we readied the saw-grass bordering on the Big Cypress, and were compolled to abandou the cart until our return. So while we were fastening our packs upon the oxen the Indians put on their leggings and moccasins as a necessary protection. We entered a narrow trail ; the serrated blades of grass, Bix and seven feet high, pulled and tugged at our clothing as we brushed by, until we came to the Big Cypress — a damp, dismallooking swamp, with such a dense and tangled growth of vegetation that it almost totally excluded the rays of the sun. Stumbling over cypress knees, sinking into soft, black mud, and splashing through slime-covered pools, we dragged our oxen after us, as we threaded our way between tall cypress trees ; now to emerge upon a pine ridge, or an island of live-oak, and again plunging into the loathsome swamp. About dus"k we came out upon a prairie, dotted here and there with clumps of palmetto thicket ; beyond this prairie, in the pine- woods, lay the Indian village ; darkness overtook us, but the glimmer of camp-fires and barking of dogs, as they came bounding towards us, told that we were nearing our destination.

Tommy led us to one of the fires, around which were seated several men, women, and children. While the warriors welcomed us, the women spread bearskins for us to sit upon, and busied themselves broiling venison and baking coontee cakes for our refreshment. We had been seated but a short time when those of the population who had been informed of our arrival surrounded us. Tho old men were ox ceedingly sociable and very entertaining, but the young warriors were, dignified and reserved, and tho women, being very shy, kept well in the background. They were wild and pioturesque in the extreme, and were made doubly so by the light of the lire as it brought them into strong relief against the background of darkness.

The evening was spent in singing and telling stories. Charley E-math-la, an old Indian, related an amusing incident, which was decidedly at their own expense ; but their hearty laughing showed a keen appreciation for the humorous side of the •fcory. It was told in jargon, supposed to be English, but was really a mixture of Seminole and very bad English, slightly sprinkled with Spanish. Tho subBtance' of the story was this : Charley, with some others, was one day quietly paddling down the river on their way to the tracing

post at "For tie Myer," when they came to a wire crossing the stream (the continuation of the Havana cable crossing the Galoo^ahatchie about 15 miles above Fort Myers). This was aoinothing beyond their cum prehension, and the order, " Starn all !" or whatever may be its equivalent in Seminolo, brought the expedition to a standstill. What could it be, this mysterious line reaching across the silent river and disappearing in the dark forest on either bank ? Landing, they followed it two or three miles to the north, returned and followed it to the south, and, much bewildered, sat down, aud talking the matter over, concluded that tho white mau had placed it there to mark the boundary of the Indian country ; so they dare not venture beyond. There they remained in a very unsettled state of mind until a party of cattle*hunters who came up the river explained that it was a " talking- wire," aud need not concern them.

We slept that night in a vacant shanty that had been assigned us, and where our packs had been deposited early in the evening. In the morning 1 we discovered that the village _or settlement was composed of some 30 shanties, scattered about singly or in groups of three of four each, half-a-mile intervening in many cases. They were carefully constructed of four posts, that supported a slanting roof covered with palmetto leaves, and open on one or all Bides ; the furniture consisted of a platform of logs raised two or three feet from the ground, and extending the width and length of the structure. From under the roofs and near by, upon limbs and poles stretched from tree to tree, hung fawn skins filled with honey, bladders, pots and kettles, demijohns, rawhide bags, Jegging3, blankets, and all kinds of female apparel. Chickens and pigs meandered around, and a host of hogs and naked children frolicked everywhere. The men were preparing to hunt or work in the field, and the women were busy cooking, dressing skins, or washing coonteeroot.

The women were exceedingly neat and clean, evidently taking great pride in their personal appearance. They were of medium height and well proportioned. Their luxurious growth of raven- black hair was gracefully tied in a knot on the crown of the head and " banged" in front. They wore tight fitting jackets, and two or three skirts of different lengths, the inner one reaching to the ancles, while the outer came only to the knees. Their jackets, which were short, did not meet the skirts by two or three inches, thus leaving exposed a belt, so to speak, of unadorned Seminole; around their necks were Rtrings upon strings of large blue and white beads, completely covering their shoulders and extending towards the chin ; numerous silver ornaments and soft buckskin moccasins completed their attire. The dress of the old women was somewhat similar, but not so elaborate, while that of the children under 12 was limited to a string of bright-coloured beads.

Accompanied by the old chief Tiger Tail, we visited several of the fields, situated some distance off in the rich hummock land, where they had cultivated extensive patches of ground, in which were growing corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, beans, and sugar-cane, with a few banana plants and oiange trees. It is a pleasant characteristic of Seminole life that the labour of the field is equally divided among the men, women, and children.

From the fields we went beyond to a group of shanties, and being invited to " hump-it-tchay" (eat), we gathered with others about the mutual pot of " sofgah" (thin stew of meat and rice), in which was placed an enormous wooden spoon. Streetoe Parker, a sub-chief, and father of the household, presiding, seized the spoon, stirred vigorously, and, partaking, passed it to his handsome daughter, Mrs Sammy Billy, who also partook and passed it to her neighbour ; and so on until it had completed the circle. I like " sof-gah," but prefer it on the European plan. Next came venison steak, served on the end of a long skewer stuck in the ground, at the base of which were heaped sweet pot) itoes just as they had been raked from the ashes.

Beside the yield of their gardens, they deEend largely upon the "ah-hah," or china rier, and coontee root, both of which furnish' them with large quantities of farinaceous food. Fish and game are abundant, and these, with their live stock of cattle, pigs, and chickens, keep their larders well supplied. At the traders' their deerskins, raw hides, and surplus stock of cattle are g'ven in exchange for tobacco, sugar, coffee, calicoes, powder, and the few implements and cooking utensils they may require. So their wants, which are few, are well supplied, and all that the Seminole aaks is to be allowed to enjoy his swampy solitude undisturbed.

Our visit extended over several days, aud when we departed we were escorted in safety to the trail beyond the Cypress. Many times I met these people as they paddled their canoes to and from the trading-post, and found them ever kind, generous, and hospitable ; and surely they are deserving of a better fate than that which threatens them in the not far distant future. — American paper.