Seminole Legends

The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is one of many native people who used to prosper in the United States. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is one of the only Native American tribes federally recognized in the United States. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma used to live in the great lakes region with many people. They have been around since the 1600’s. Then they were moved to oklahoma where they now live nearby and are a big part of Oklahoma’s history and culture. They have significant amount of things that affect our society today. The Miami people of oklahoma moved from the great lakes region to Miami, Oklahoma, they affect our society today and have only a small part of their people remaining.

Throughout human existence, mankind has had to overcome difficult obstacles in order to prosper. In Diane Glancy’s “Pushing the Bear”, the reader discovers how the Cherokee Indians overcome their hardships and flourish into a new, thriving community. In this novel, the audience observe how these Cherokee Indians outlast the harsh environment during the Indian Removal Act. Additionally, Glancy creates a human experience during the Trail of Tears; giving a different perspective of various characters. Through the eyes of characters such as Maritole and Knobowtee, the reader is able to sense the desperation that the Cherokee endured. The upheaval of being forcefully removed from the land stripped the Cherokee of their identity. This disruption left the Cherokee confused, causing frustration to arise because they were unable to live their familiar roles. Men were no longer able to farm. Women had a loss of property and wealth. The bear symbolizes these struggles throughout this novel. Maritole explains, “The bear had once been a person. But he was not conscious of the consciousness he was given. His darkness was greed and self-centeredness. It was part of myself, too. It was part of the human being” (183). In other words, the “bear” is the personal dilemma each character is put up against during this removal. Furthermore, each character has their own personal struggles to overcome; whether that be Knobowtee’s loss of masculinity or Maritole’s loss of family. These struggles,

There are many cultures throughout the world, and each has its’ own creation story, and many of them are very similar; however the creation stories of the First Nations’ People are some of the most magical. These stories not only tell how the world was created, but give a glimpse into who the Cherokee and Lakota were, and their views of the relationship between human beings and creation, and human beings and animals. The Cherokee and Lakota creation stories are similar in many ways, but each has

Although stories are a universal art form, they hold a more significant role in Native American culture, and literature. This occurs due to the millennia spent in isolation from the rest of the world, and having stories as the main source of entertainment. Thomas King’s statement, “stories can control our lives,” is an important notion, because it embarks on the idea of molding the diseased into more interesting versions of themselves. The statement is prevalent in many pieces of literature which fuse reality into the imagination, and cause people to lose themselves in the fictitious realm. Native literature is all closely related, and they all hold messages within their stories that show their great culture; both the good and the bad. Story

In American Indian life, they believe their life is interconnected with the world, nature, and other people. The idea of a peoplehood matrix runs deep in Indian culture, in this essay the Cherokee, which is the holistic view of sacred history, language, ceremony, and homeland together. This holistic model shapes the life of the American Indians and how their sense of being and relationship to their history is strong and extremely valuable to them. This essay will try to explain how each aspect of the peoplehood matrix is important and interconnected to each other and the life of the Native Americans.

In this paper I will discuss the history of the Cherokee Indians in the United States. First by describing the tribes pre-Columbian history to include the settlement dates and known cultural details. Then a brief description of the cultural and religious beliefs of the tribe will be given, as well as the tribe’s history after contact with settlers. Finally discussing John Ross, who he was and how he affected the Cherokee Indians.

When the first colonists landed in the territories of the new world, they encountered a people and a culture that no European before them had ever seen. As the first of the settlers attempted to survive in a truly foreign part of the world, their written accounts would soon become popular with those curious of this “new” world, and those who already lived and survived in this seemingly inhospitable environment, Native American Indian. Through these personal accounts, the Native Indian soon became cemented in the American narrative, playing an important role in much of the literature of the era. As one would expect though, the representation of the Native Americans and their relationship with European Americans varies in the written works of the people of the time, with the defining difference in these works being the motives behind the writing. These differences and similarities can be seen in two similar works from two rather different authors, John Smith, and Mary Rowlandson.

“A Yellow Raft in Blue Water” is divided into three sections narrated by three different Native American women: Rayona, Christine and Ida. All three of these women are all related. Rayona is the daughter of Christine, and Christine believes she is the daughter of Ida, but Ida is actually her half-sister and cousin. All three sections were a part of a larger story; they all helped support or complete each other. The structure of this novel forces us as readers to be more active. It causes us to look more closely, and fit together the stories of the three women. When the ladies’ are explaining the same event, it sometimes feels

The southeastern fringe of the United States was persistently turbulent amid the mid nineteenth century. There was tension brewing along the border of Florida and Georgia, which was brought on by the gathering of various opponents. Rebellious men from other states such as Georgia entered Florida with expectations of outright taking the Seminole stallions and cows, not caring and having little to no regret if an Indian was killed while trying to defend his property. The Seminole warriors, looking for requital, led attacks of retaliation against honest pilgrims in Georgia. Privateers and British go getters meandered the range, actuating the Indians against the Americans, whose eager for land expansionists pined for the domain south of the Georgia outskirt. Authorities of the disintegrating Spanish Empire, whose banner flew over the state, were feeble to control occasions or stop the viciousness.

Vires, a Latin term, on base represents strength; force; and power. However, through the realm of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Vires epitomizes standing tall and remaining “Unconquered”. During the Seminole Wars many Seminoles were forced out of their homes and pushed into smaller groups around the state, notably around the Mississippi River. Though few Seminoles had still remained in Florida leading to the rich culture we have the privilege of seeing represented around the Florida State community. These Seminole Indians pushed on looking to the days ahead, knowing that they may very well not see the people who they began this journey with. Fostering a culture of staunch independence, creating a platform of self-government and understanding

The Seminole Tribe is a Native American tribe that originated in present-day Florida. The land had once belonged to the Native Americans until it was discovered by the Spanish explorers. The Seminole Tribe has been around since before the New World was found, although their name has not. The word “Seminole” came from a European misnomer, while describing a group of tribes. These groups of tribes were then called the Seminoles. The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma has overcome a troubled history and a challenging life in their new land to achieve current-day success in the new millennium.

As a student engaged in the American Education System the only time I was exposed to Native American folklore was when I was fortunate enough to take an American History course or read their stories in English class as examples to analyze. What we often times did not read, however, were the roles these folktales played as crucial to the customs of Native American society. Although, as I have begun to read more Native folktales within my undergraduate English course I can analyze the impact of folklore on the Native American Culture.

Creek Indians better known as the Seminoles had a rich and vibrant nation prior to Europeans. The Seminole Indians clothing did not cover much of their body. The men wore a breechcloth that is worn between the legs with a belt that covers the front and back. The Seminole men and women made “moccasin” shoes made of deerskin. Seminoles used bows, and arrows during battle. They were also known for their wood carvings, bright clothing and bead work (Native American Facts). The Spanish were the first Europeans the Seminoles encountered in the 1700’s by voyages and shipwrecks. What affected my decision to choose the Florida Seminoles is their mentality to never give up. There were several wars in the 1800’s with Europeans. In the end they lost, but

Like a coin dropped between the cushions of a couch, traditional oral storytelling is a custom fading away in current American culture. For Native Americans, however, the practice of oral storytelling is still a tradition that carries culture and rich history over the course of generations. Three examples of traditional oral stories, “How Men and Women Got Together”, “Coyote’s Rabbit Chase”, and “Corn Mother”, demonstrate key differences in perspectives and values among diverse native tribes in America.

Native American literatures embrace the memories of creation stories, the tragic wisdom of native ceremonies, trickster narratives, and the outcome of chance and other occurrences in the most diverse cultures in the world. These distinctive literatures, eminent in both oral performances and in the imagination of written narratives, cannot be discovered in reductive social science translations or altogether understood in the historical constructions of culture in one common name. (Vizenor 1)