1. American Indians of the Southeast

2. Location Land bordered by Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
From North Carolina to Florida and west to Mississippi
Famous for interracial marriages due to their location – there was an adopted European Chief, an African American warrior, and a Spanish shaman!

3. Major Tribes There were Five civilized tribes in the Southeast.
Cherokee: the largest of the 563 federally recognized tribes; now located mainly in Oklahoma
Chickasaw: related to the Choctaw; in northeast Mississippi
Choctaw: supported the colonies bid for independence from Britian; were made the “model” of Indian removal as the first to move
Creek: original name “Muskogee”; related to the Seminole
Seminole: formed in the 18th century of Creek, escaped African American slaves and other Native Americans who they picked up along the way.

4. Foods Women gathered nuts and berries Fisherman: Farmers:
Hunters (with bow & arrow or by trapping):
deer, rabbit, bear, squirrel, small game
Fisherman:
some small fish
Farmers:
beans, potatoes, peas, pumpkins
Corn was the most important crop
Women gathered nuts and berries

5. Important Leaders: Sequoah
Cherokee silversmith
Invented a way of writing the Cherokee language
Created one symbol for each syllable
86 symbols in 12 years

6. Important Leaders: Sequoyah's Alphabet

7. Important Leaders: Osceola
Seminole war chief
Fought to keep his people in Florida
Used the Florida swamplands to his advantage
Captured by deceit when he arrived to sign a truce
Died of malaria 3 mo. after capture

8. Important Leaders: Hernando de Soto
Spanish explorer
In search of gold and a passage to China
First European to find the Mississippi River
First European to meet Southeast tribes
Violent encounters with the tribe – killed or enslaved

9. Homes They lived in large settled villages.
Chickee
Simple log frame
Built on stilts above the ground
Grass roof & no walls
Invented by Seminoles
Protected from snakes and swamp water

10. Customs & Traditions Green Corn Ceremony Booger Dance
Masked dancers come into homes and chase the women
Masks resembled non-Indian features (slit eyes, large noses, blond hair, etc.)
Their intention is to dance with the girls
The ceremony ends with a Friendship Dance
Green Corn Ceremony
Festival to celebrate the ripening of the year’s corn
Dancing, feasting and religious observations (honors Corn Mother)

11. What else… Cherokee Phoenix: the first Native American newspaper
Chunky: a popular game similar to lacrosse
Cherokee Phoenix: the first Native American newspaper
Why was writing so important?
Written history
Laws
Records for medicine
Business records
Communication with distant relatives

12. Another fight for land… Yamasee War
Began in 1715 over:
Trade abuse
Indian enslavement
Depletion of deer
Land encroachment
A fight between the South Carolina settlers and various tribes including the Creek/Yamasee Tribe
English had help from the Cherokee
English won the war
Survivors had to find new homes

13. Another fight for land… The removal of the Creek
The Creek were living in Southeastern Georgia
The European settlers wanted to push west from the coast
Georgians forced them into the frontier
By 1825 the Lower Creek had been completely removed
By 1827 the Creek were completely gone
Today they are living in Oklahoma

14. Another fight for land… The Indian Removal Act
1828 – Cherokee nation is rumored to have gold
DeSoto finds it in the Northern Georgia mountains
1830 – President Jackson signs the “Indian Removal Act” that Congress proposed
1832 – Land lottery starts the encroachment of whites
1838 – The removal to Oklahoma begins
Choctaws in Mississippi left the land east of the Mississippi for $ and moved West
Cherokee left the land in Georgia by force and moved to Oklahoma

15. Another fight for land… The Trail of Tears

16. Another fight for land… The Trail of Tears
Cherokee journey to Indian Territory
Indian Territory – the western lands where the US wanted to resettle the southeast Indians
Forced to walk with little or no provisions
1 out of 4 died along the way (only 75% survived)
Sun exposure, disease, starvation
About 4000 Cherokees died
Escorted by 7000 Army soldiers

17. American Indians of the Southeast