The Seminole, which means "runaway", was the name of a group of Native Americans who had migrated from the Mississippi River valley into the Florida Peninsula in the early 1700s (Seminole Wars). These people had fled from the French, who had nearly wiped them out when they held control of the Mississippi. These early native people had fled to the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico into areas of what are now, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida (Seminole Tribes). The Spanish, who held control of Florida at the time, allowed these people to settle in Florida, for they created a separation between themselves and the American settlements (Seminole Wars).
             The Seminole culture is much like the Muskogee (Creek) people, who were the ancestors of the Seminoles (Culture/Religion). The social organization of the Seminoles consisted of several clans. Today there are several clans remaining in Florida today, including the Bear, Panther, Snake, Wind, Big Town, Otter and Deer (Seminoles and the Land).
            
             The Seminoles were farmers, who raised vast fields of pumpkins, corn, squash, sugarcane, and beans. Flour made from the coontie plant was a very important food source during the Seminole Wars (Culture/Religion).
             The Seminole religion was closely tied with land. A major belief among the Seminoles was that if the land had died, that they themselves as a tribe would die as well. The Seminoles believed in a supreme being, known as the Breathmaker. They also believed that the spirits of their ancestors were among them and that they would protect them, which was a major reason why the Seminole refused to leave their lands (Seminoles and the Land).
             Historians refer to the conflict between the Seminole tribes and the American settlers as The Seminole Wars. The conflict consisted of three...