Abstract This paper summarizes James W. Covington's "The Seminoles of Florida", a book providing insights to the Seminoles, or the Native American people who are indigenous to Florida. The author provides a short history of the Seminoles and recounts the culture and way of life of the Seminoles in the late 18th century to early 19th century. The paper also discusses how the Seminoles have tried to retain their Native American ways. The author praises Covington for his description of how the Florida Seminoles have developed a workable economy and maintained their identities and recommends this book for anyone who would like a well-rounded background on this Native American tribal unit.
From the Paper "Many historians believe that the Seminoles are unique, because they protected numerous runaway slaves. This integration of the African-Americans slaves into the Native-American culture is of considerable interest. Whereas, these slaves were literally considered non-humans to many Americans, they were accepted by these Native Americans, which had a very different culture. As Covington noted, the Seminoles' idea of slavery was very different than that of the whites. Although it was accurate that the Seminoles had their own slaves before blacks arrived in Florida in large numbers, these were most often war captives who usually fulfilled the labor demands of those warriors who had died in battles."
Abstract This paper examines the origin of the Black Seminoles; a unique American population made up of American Indians and runaway black slaves. It describes how the Black Seminoles changed over time and how their culture reflected both African and Seminole elements.
From the Paper "The Black Seminoles began in the early 1800s in the most remote and swamplike parts of Florida, places in the state where runaway black slaves believed that they might be safe from those who were looking to reclaim them as their property. While some blacks did try to escape to the North, this was an especially difficult task for slaves beginning in Florida: The Mason-Dixon line was a very long way off from Florida and many slaves believed that they would be recaptured or killed if they tried to make it all the way to the North. Thus they fled south, into the swamps where the Seminole Indians often took them in."
Abstract The paper reviews the Cherokee and Seminole resistance tactics against Indian removal. The paper explains how the "five civilized tribes" attempted to hold onto their lands. The paper includes their strategies and examines how the U.S. government broke treaties.
From the Paper "When Andrew Jackson became president, Cherokee Creek Chickasaw Choctaw and Seminole Indians lived east of the Mississippi Goldfield. These Indians were known as the "Five Civilized Tribes" because many of them had adopted aspects of European and American culture including Christianity. However, these Indians lived on millions of acres of land desired by white cotton planters in central Alabama and Mississippi and particularly Georgia Goldfield."
From the Paper "This study will compare two North American Indian tribes, the Seminoles and the Apaches. The study will consider their origins, culture and lifestyles, religions, family structures, use of medicines, enemies and allies, and land issues.
With respect to the origins of the Seminoles, we discover that they were originally a part of the Creek Indians in the early 18th century, when they settled in what had formerly been the territory of the Apalachees in Florida. They grew in numbers and strength, drawing runaway slaves into their fold, along with remaining Apalachees. They were ruled by the Spanish as the nation of the United States began to be formed, and as such they fought regular battles with American troops then and into the 19th century. One treaty called for them to move west, but their chief Osceola refused, leading to the eight-year Seminole War ..."
A literature review of articles dealing with the educational performance of Native Americans and the need to preserve their culture within the educational framework.
Abstract By analyzing and discussing several articles on the subject, the paper explores the issue of education among Native Americans and shows up the flaws within the American educational system. For example, in "Teaching Indigenous Languages" by John Reyhner, the paper shows how the author examines the topic of making English the primary language of instruction in Native American communities in order to integrate them into the American system. The paper discusses the risks of this move to indigenous culture. Other essays discussed include, ?Effective Instructional Conversation In Native American Classrooms,? (Roland Tharp and Lois Yamauchi).
From the Paper "Sociolinguistics is an important consideration. When a teacher creates a mandate (while teaching), the response time of the student is termed as wait time. With reference to Native American students who process a concept ?wholly,? this wait time is longer. Students perform better with longer wait times. In contrast, western classrooms have a "switchboard" style of teaching where the teacher appoints students who will answer questions and how the inter-student communication occurs?much like a switchboard operator who connects speakers. The authors opine from studies that Indian students do not ordinarily react to non-verbal nuances. They spoke with small sentences and sparingly and softly. They had stronger communication as groups. They interrupted more and looked at other students when the teacher was teaching. This would be perceived as non-responsive or rude to traditional teachers. (S. White and Tharp, 1988)"
Examines the alternative views of two authors, Jane Landers and Robert L. Hall, on the history of African-Americans in Florida, compared to the views of Samory Rashid, who viewed them through their repressive past.
Abstract This paper looks at the history and influence of African-Americans on Spanish Colonial Florida as presented by Jane Landers in her article, "Traditions of African-American Freedom and Community in Spanish Colonial Florida," and Robert Hall's "African Religious Retentions in Florida". Both writers present the African-Americans as people in their own right who flourished against the odds. In contrast, the paper shows that Samory Rashid's thesis in his article, ?Islamic Origins of Spanish Florida's Fort Musa," suggests that the African-Americans' influence began in their past when they lived in the West African and Islamic North regions, and to actually understand the heritage and influence the African-Americans have had, we must study the culture evident in these areas. The fact remains that he viewed the African-Americans through a repressive slave past, decreasing the effectiveness of his thesis. This paper argues that the influence of Africans on the New World should not be viewed through their slave past; rather, the influence should be studied from the origins of the African peoples and how they flourished despite the restrictions placed within their social circles. Only then can the African influence on the New World be viewed as having more than "survived" in face of slavery and be seen as a glorious fight to exist.
From the Paper "While Landers and Hall present their research through the usual concept of immigration, they provide a new and refreshing slant to the theories by showing the success of the Afro Americans rather than the failure. Rashid [2001] goes deeper, claiming that Africans had a stronghold in the region through the Islamic religion which is why the influence remains stronger in the Spanish colonial region than elsewhere in the New World and yet., he remains bound to past slave theories that did not allow the Afro-Americans any identity of their own."
