SOUTHEAST

atlantic coast- slightly west of mississippi river

- crop trilogy

fertile area (ended up in conflict when europeans came and wanted to use land)

Myth: crawfish and eagle in earth diver origin myth

human kind myth: when great spirit decided to create human kind he created white people, black people, and indians

white people washed too much and too white, black washed to little and just too dark, and indians were right color (after these people were introduced to them)

origin of food resources: "lucky hunter and corn mother" married to eachother, had child (son), grew up and was successful, until one day father brought home a deer and when corn mother washed it off, the blood formed a second son (who was more adventurous), found out father (lucky hunter) was going into a cave and then bringing out an animal (such as a deer) that he would kill and butcher- two boys were intrigued and wanted to show parents they could be good hunters as well- went into cave- took a deer out and forgot to close gate- and all of the other animals got out- fro then out out animals were spread all over and hunting was no longer easy- once they admitted what they had done- lucky hunter was unable to find animals- went to corn mother to get food- she rubbed her stomach and beans and corn formed- because of this they thought she was a witch and would not eat the food- boys still could not get food- so corn mother tells them to kills her and bury her into the ground and sit up all night- next morning there was a huge corn field with 100s of ears of corn- mother told then they should share this and share the corn with others- boys could not sleep for 7 nights and on the 8th night they could finally sleep- boys went to sleep on 7th night and from that point on growing beans and corn was no longer as easy (because they violated mother corn's rules- social control mechanism: follow rules)

subsistence base: Farmers- maize, beans, and squash, hunting, fishing, trade

Natchez:

Mississippi river, central louisiana area

spanish, french, and british influence in southeast area

rich farming lands, not far from red river, algonquin language

15th,16th, and 17th century accounts

rumored- 1542- de soto was escorted out of their area rather forcefully (did not have too much influence on them)

lived in 9 villages along St. Catherine's creek, 400-500 people in village, more in great village (belonging to great son), 30-40 cabins per village, chief's cabin would be bigger, each chief answered to great son, great son's cabin very large and located on top of mound- considered to be focal point of government and center for religion, little son was war chief (great sons brother)

had 13 month year- 13 different foods emphasized during different seasons: ex. deer, strawberries, little corn, watermelon (spanish import crop), peaches (spanish import crop), mulberries, great corn, turkeys, nuts, bison, bears, cold meal, chestnuts (<last 3 are more difficult months)

farming food: maize, beans, pumpkins, wild rice, watermelons, peaches

gathering food: grapes, berries, nuts, edible fungus

famine foods: chestnuts and roots

grew some tobacco

salt came from cattle country (salt very important for survival)

planting: men readied fields, all planted, women weeded, all harvested fields

fished (but were not big into fishing)- catch with nets or shoot with bone-tipped arrows

hunting used: bow and arrow+ cane spears (for big game)

used garfish scale points on bows in battle

cooking of food: roasted or boiled; cooked: ducks (migrant fowl), turkeys- used dogs when hunting turkeys *also ate dogs

men made houses boats, weapons

women made pottery, baskets, and nets

body decorations: (17th century ), infant head flattening (sign of beauty was a flat forehead)- place boards on heads of children, use tattoos, teeth blackening, wore robes in winter, children typically wore nothing, women skirts

girls raised by mothers; boys trained by mother and older sisters and then by the men

all nantchez children learn to swim by 3

boys played lots of games

premarital sex was accepted, but were strict of post marital sexual relations

girl who si not free with sexual favors would not be accepted into heaven

mother could strangle child if it was before married

some polygyny (typically only 2 wives)

matrilineal kinship system

divorce was very rare

two classes: nobility and commoners (majority): 3 classes in nobility- comprised of sons, nobles, and honored

nobility referred to commoners as "stinkards"

great son was person in power over entire natchez, mother of great son was called "white woman" (term used before they even knew of white people), second son as called little son- war chief, and her eldest daughter was the next white woman

son of great son is a noble, grandson of a great son is an honored, and great grandson of great son is a commoner

both: ascribed and achieved statuses

commoner could become honored (typically by acts in war), and honoreds could become nobles

could move up also by throwing (sacrificing) a child into the great son's cremation

great son, white woman, little son- had power of life in death over all overs

son always had to marry a stinkard- this spouse would not work but would run the house

ex. husband of white woman was a commoner- he would die with her

great son and little son led in war> but not actually in battle as they had little experience- they were lead by old warriors

shamans very important

when french came into natchez area- "ripped apart their world", killed many of them- others taken and sold into slavery into the caribbean - french caused extinction - luckily information was preserved from this time

early european contacts: 1539-1543 de soto: florida- through southeasts, stopped in etowah- said population was around 10,000 (probably not this big), french, and british- all competing for area

1580- sir walter raleigh established colony in virginia > destroyed by a hurricane (or so it was said- others say it was destroyed by supernatural forces of some type+ other outlandish explanations)

jamestown: 1607-- powhatan indians

Powhatan:

principal chief- knwon as king powhatan- very powerful leader, just before contact he had formed large coalition, was in change as paramount chief of powhatan confederacy - then jamestown was discovered and established- chief powhatan did not go in and wipe them out even though he would have been capable

was head of nations because he had respect and kin ties> did not have power to make people do things, more suggest and lead (less power than a european king- king in a different since), notice english were not good at keeping their word and did not quite trust them- but did not go after them- things probably would have turned out better

pocahontas married john rolfe- went back to england and died at 22 there,

death of king powhatan led to problems because king powhatan kept relations with english in good terms- situation changed when he died and power was switched over to his brother who was more war oriented and did not lie europeans

at this time indian population is decreasing while europeans' was increasing

after king powhatans brother took over and attacked europeans- europeans burned villages etc.. then a treaty was signed - soon after kind powhatans brother killed some of the british who in term went back and nearly exterminated them- in the end the brother had been captured and taken back to jamestown where he was shot and killed by one of the guards- as he was dying (clearly this contributed to the falling apart of the confederacy)

Caluse: hunting and gathering in southern florida

timucus: northern florida- maize beans and squash agriculture

at this time of european contact, Indian people of south east are being forced into trading

traded deer hides

indians who were not cooperating well with colonizers were typically sold into slavery (sold to caribbean and west indies)

(northeast indians were also sold into slavery or became indentured servants)

according to the papacy- native americans were considered human beings, could be catholic and should not be treated as slaves (yet this still happened) and (according to the papacy) when they worked on plantations: were supposed to be protected, educated, fed, and given a home >encomineda

1790-19th century> indian land covered by euro-americans, indians were becoming westernize, cherokee oriented towards european life- farming- growing cotton and tobacco, federal agencies introduced western ideas- commercial agriculture, animal husbandry, etc, federal government funded missionary groups to christianize indians

many ways government took land from them

us government eventually went after them when they became too much like the europeans (writing, printing press, coming up with a constitution, etc)

Louisiana purchase drastically changed things in south east

May 20, 1830: Indian Removal Act- authorized president of united states to facilitate the exchange of native american land on the east of the mississippi river for the west of the mississippi river- basically moving the indians west: andrew jackson was president at this time and sign it that very day- felt it was beneficial for economic and military reasons- was controversial- andrew jackson had the armies and would not stop even with the supreme court decision and the very marginal votes of the house

cherokee mansions- some bigger than white plantation owner houses- cherokee has black slaves and servants, are making a great profit, had lots of land, walking down the street in the most stylish fashions from europe, etc.. >> doing very well, europeans envious

TRAIL OF TEARS:

cherokee, choctaw, chikasaw, creek, smeinole (referred to as "the 5 civilized tribes")

chikasaw removed first and got best deal of all groups and the shortest trip- moved into the plains area (oklahoma and part of texas)- were met by hostile plains indians- still suffered

choctaw were next- lived in south, central mississippi and alabama, moved in bad conditions, were escorted by military, were charged high prices from roadside merchants, bandits were not stopped by army, about 1/4 died on this trip, face food shortages and hostile indians upon arrival - few stayed and hid in their homelands

next: 1836- creek- around 9,000 men, women and children died on this trip, if a woman was pregnant and had to give birth were left behind, old people that could not travel further would be shot

cherokee- possessions were plundered and places/ things destroyed by europeans, moved cherokee in a very hot summer, and in bad conditions in other seasons, provided with in adequate food, not protection from bandits, 1838-1839, trail of tears is technically only a term for the cherokee

1841- this movement was inestigated- and it was revealed that this was an atrocity by the american government - this report was suppressed for a number of years

Seminole:

florida, composed of timucua, creek, calusa,

were taking in black slaves who had escaped, he would be adopted in as a free man, became a target for white plantation owners in southeast, slave hunters were sent out, and often unsuccessful

*andrew jackson went into seminole area when he was a general and was very unsuccessful

1835-1842: seminole put up a fight against US troops trying to take land, were lead by Osceola- was a very good military leader- creek by birth- left and joined seminole, led successful resistance for quite a bit of time, 3000 seminoles moved from florida to the new indian territory, Osceola eventually got malaria and Gen. Thomas Jesup imprisoned seminole leaders, osceola was imprisoned and died in prison

billy bowlegs and alligator took over and were also good military leaders

today: seminole now in florida, oklahoma and have been very successful with casinos

moving the 3000 seminole it costs the us government 40 million dollars and 2 soldiers to every indian moved died in the removal