Mention the name Seminole and most Americans think of the Florida segment of the tribe—Indian men in colorful shirts poling dugouts through the black waters of the Everglades and women sewing patchwork in palmetto-thatched chickees. But another Seminole population, much larger in numbers, lives in the prairie and scrub oak hill country of Oklahoma.
Studies of the Oklahoma segment of the tribe have been few, and James H. Howard’s objective in writing this book has been to record the richness of Seminole culture in the West, presenting that culture as it is seen and interpreted by its more traditional members in Oklahoma today.
Much of the Seminole culture is held in common, but many differences have grown up between the two groups since the “Trail of Tears” separated them in the 1830s. This does not necessarily mean greater acculturation to white ways by the Oklahoma Seminoles. In some instances the Oklahomans are the more traditional, in that they retain cultural forms mentioned in early records but long forgotten in Florida.
Howard documents contributions from many persons, but the greatest amount of information came from Willie Lena, a Seminole town chief who lives in Wewoka, Oklahoma. Born in 1912 and reared by his conservative grandparents, Lena was shielded from the white culture during his childhood and carefully trained in Seminole ways and values. Recognized since his youth as a traditionalist leader, Lena has a lively intelligence, artistic talent, and a warm personality that have led him to serve as an enthusiastic ambassador of his own culture both to the younger generation of Seminoles and Creeks and to non-Indians as well.
In a detailed report of Seminole culture as it is found in Oklahoma today, Howard has included chapters on herbal and non-herbal remedies, magic and witchcraft, supernaturals, the Green Corn Ceremony, the nighttime dances and other ceremonials, sports and games, mortuary practices, and other aspects of the Seminole world. Based on firsthand information and extensive fieldwork, Howard’s descriptions are appealing and immediate. He also displays extensive knowledge of the related literature, and parallel material recorded in earlier sources is often cited for comparison. Lena’s illustrations add further interest and authenticity to the book.
Seminole culture, with its unique attitudes and beliefs and distinctly Southeastern Indian worldview, has persisted in spite of more than four hundred years of exposure to European and American culture. It is quite clear from the material presented in this book that there will continue to be American Indians in Oklahoma who proudly call themselves “Seminole” for many years to come.
|.75 × 5.5 × 8.5 in
"Jina Seminole linatajwa na Wamarekani wengi hufikiria sehemu ya Florida ya kabila hilo: wanaume Wahindi katika mashati yenye rangi mbalimbali wakipiga kura kupitia maji meusi ya Everglades na wanawake wakisona patchwork katika chickees zenye paa la palmetto. """ Lakini idadi nyingine ya Waseminole, walio wengi zaidi, huishi katika nyanda za msituni na vilima vya mialoni ya Oklahoma. Utafiti wa sehemu ya Oklahoma ya kabila hilo umekuwa mdogo, na lengo la James H. Howard katika kuandika kitabu hiki limekuwa kurekodi utajiri wa utamaduni wa Seminole Magharibi, akitoa utamaduni huo kama unavyoonekana na kutafsiriwa na wanachama wake wa jadi zaidi huko Oklahoma leo. Utamaduni wa Seminole ni wa kawaida, lakini tofauti nyingi zimekua kati ya makundi hayo mawili tangu "Trail of Tears" iliwatenganisha katika miaka ya 1830. Hilo halimaanishi kwamba Seminole wa Oklahoma wamependezwa zaidi na njia za wazungu. Katika visa fulani watu wa Oklahoma ni wa kitamaduni zaidi, kwa kuwa wanahifadhi aina za utamaduni zilizotajwa katika rekodi za mapema lakini ambazo zimesahaulika kwa muda mrefu huko Florida. Howard alirekodi michango ya watu wengi, lakini kiasi kikubwa zaidi cha habari kilitoka kwa Willie Lena, mkuu wa mji wa Seminole anayeishi Wewoka, Oklahoma. Lena alizaliwa mwaka 1912 na kulelewa na babu na nyanya zake wa kihafidhina, Lena alilindwa kutoka kwa utamaduni mweupe wakati wa utoto wake na mafunzo ya uangalifu katika njia na maadili ya Seminole. Akiwa kiongozi wa kitamaduni tangu ujana wake, Lena ana akili ya kuvutia, talanta ya kisanii, na utu wa joto ambao umemwongoza kutumikia kama balozi mwenye shauku wa utamaduni wake mwenyewe kwa kizazi cha vijana wa Seminole na Creeks na kwa wasio Wahindi pia. Katika ripoti yake ya kina ya tamaduni ya Seminole kama ilivyo katika Oklahoma leo, Howard amejumuisha sura juu ya dawa za mitishamba na zisizo za mitishamba, uchawi na uchawi, supernatural, sherehe ya mahindi ya kijani, dansi za usiku na sherehe nyingine, michezo na michezo, mazoea ya mazishi, na mambo mengine ya ulimwengu wa Seminole. Kulingana na habari ya moja kwa moja na kazi kubwa ya shambani, maelezo ya Howard ni ya kuvutia na ya haraka. Pia anaonyesha ujuzi mwingi wa fasihi inayohusiana na habari hiyo, na mara nyingi habari zinazofanana zilizoandikwa katika vyanzo vya mapema zinatajwa kwa ajili ya kulinganisha. Mifano ya Lena huongeza upendezi na uhalisi zaidi kwa kitabu hicho. Utamaduni wa Seminole, na mitazamo na imani yake ya kipekee na mtazamo wa ulimwengu wa India ya Kusini Mashariki, umedumu licha ya zaidi ya miaka mia nne ya kuambukizwa kwa utamaduni wa Ulaya na Amerika. Ni wazi kabisa kutoka kwa nyenzo iliyowasilishwa katika kitabu hiki kwamba kutakuwa na Wahindi wa Amerika huko Oklahoma ambao kwa fahari wanajiita <unk>Seminole<unk> kwa miaka mingi ijayo. [75 × 5.5 × 8.5 in]