Ever Heard of the Black Seminoles? posted 6/13/2009 8:17:08 AM | 0 kudos what's this?     report abuse tagged: history, florida

Etowah

Until recently about all I knew about the Black Seminoles was this old campfire story, supposedly true. It seems that there was this pretty fifteen year old mullato slave girl had run away from a plantation near Macon, GA to avoid becoming her master's concubine. Alone, she had walked over a hundred miles southward into Spanish Florida, where she would be free. However, the planter wanted his mistress back so he hired a posse of professional slave hunters to go into Florida and bring her back.

The Sikooya (translation=trailer trash) had the girl cornered near the Suwannee River. They saw her run around to the back of a house and therefore, unleashed their bloodhounds on her - taunting her with shouts that each of them would have a piece of her before her Massa did. Suddenly, the hounds stopped baying. The Sikooya went around the corner of the house and there stood the great Creek soldier from Tallapoosa, Georgia, Osceola, and a mound of dead blood hounds. The girl hid behind him. The Sikooya laughed. Even though he was taller than them, how could one Injun stop a dozen Crackers? Then they heard horses snorting. They looked around and saw a troop of Africans in Creek military uniforms. Supposedly the last words the Sikooya said was "Ah s-t."

An FSU professor's recent research report enlightened me further. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Spanish encouraged Georgia Creeks and runaway slaves to immigrate to Florida, because few Spaniards wanted to live there. In return for their freedom, African men agreed to serve as Spanish soldiers. The Creeks, who in Florida became known as Seminoles, prospered mightily by selling produce and livestock to Georgia towns and plantations, who were mainly interested in growing cotton. The Africans started the first free black town in the United States, Fort Moses. They also prospered and became literarte.

Because the Creeks treated them as humans, the Florida Freemen intentionally adopted Creek clothing, customs, foods and governmental traditions. There was some intermarriage, but mostly it was a stituation of friendship and political alliance. Creek Seminoles and "Black" Seminoles fought together in the Seminole Wars. Although outnumbered 20:1 they were never defeated. After the wars, some Freemen went to Oklahoma. Others were recruited by the government of Mexico to act as border guards. Their descendants still live in Mexico today. The United States was so impressed with the military skills of the Mexican Black Seminoles, they also recruited Oklahoma & Florida Black Seminoles as scouts and rangers. These units eventually evolved into the famous Buffalo Soldiers.

I had been puzzled why for years Black folks around here wave and smile at me on the street, even though they are strangers. One of them became a good Samaritan yesterday. A state cop knocked out one of my car's rear windows while I was attending a meeting on a college campus. They wanted my three dogs inside the car to freak out and run rampant through the campus. My young male did jump out of the Explorer and they chased him down the highway for a couple of miles.

A Black man came by and calmed the two remaining ones, then called for local police. I asked him why Blacks always are friendly with me. He said, "From generation to generation, we have passed down the stories of how the Creeks were the first people to treat us as humans. We will never forget that."

My third dog eventually showed up on the campus and waited patiently at the spot where my car had been parked Campus security called me. I picked him up near sunset. As I was driving away, an unmarked state police car pulled in behind me. The occupants used an electronic device to cause my rear compartment door to unlock and fly open, They had stolen one of my dogs two years ago, using this method. However, this time the dogs just huddled as close to me as possible.

So now, Black folks, you showed me a kindness, which I won't forget! Oh, and Mr. Obama, PLEASE send the US Marshalls in the NW Georgia to shut down this organized crime ring that wears state badges.

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