Learning Targets
- I can identify the original Indigenous tribes of the Southeastern Tribes.
- I can discuss the issue of the lack of media coverage of missing and abused Indigenous women.
- I can discuss Betty Osceola’s role in Indigenous Peoples’ history in the United States.
Key Terms
- Chickee Hut
- Betty Osceola
- Choctaw
- Creek
- Hominy
- Shaman
- Hoklonote
- Mussels
- Natchez
- Hearth
Southeastern Tribes
Learn more about the original Southeastern tribes:
Homes
Seminole Chickee Hut
Artwork
Natchez Indigenous Peoples’ Pottery
Food
Deer, fish, mussels, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turkey, hominy, rabbit
Spiritual Practices
Fasting, hearth with fire burning, Animism, shamans
Folklore
Choctaw Kashehotapalo, Oka Nahullo, Hoklonote, Nalusa Falaya, shilombish
Issues in the Communities – Missing Indigenous Women
According to statistics cited in The Seminole Tribune by Florida International University professor Dr. Michaela Moura-Kocoglu, Indigenous women in the United States are more likely to experience sickness, poverty and lack of literacy compared to other ethnic groups in the U.S. Even worse, there is a very large number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, especially those who live on reservations. It is important these cases are addressed and recognized. Click here to watch a short film by Native Hope that emphasizes the social justice issue of missing Indigenous women in the United States.
Discussion Questions
- What is it so important for indigenous advocates like Betty Osceola to protect sacred lands like the Florida Everglades? What type of animals would be protected in the Everglades by these anti-pollution measures?
- What can you learn about early Indigenous peoples of the United States by studying their pictographs and petroglyphs like the ones found in Utah.
Damon Scott. “Indigenous Women Take Activist Lead in Face of Global Challenges • The Seminole Tribune.” The Seminole Tribune, 1 Nov. 2018, https://seminoletribune.org/indigenous-women-take-activist-lead-in-face-of-global-challenges/.
“Betty Osceola.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/swamp-place-to-remember-betty-osceola/.
Cobb, Daniel M. Say We Are Nations: Documents of Politics and Protest in Indigenous America since 1887. The University of North Carolina Press, 2015.
Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States. Beacon Press, 2015.
“https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Southeast-Indians/628075.” Native American Religious Beliefs and Practices – Native American Religion, the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Divining America: Religion in American History, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center, “MMIW.” Native Women’s Wilderness, https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw.
Tejeda-Moreno, Manny. “Indigenous and Pagan Leaders Heal the Water – News, Paganism, U.S.” The Wild Hunt, The Wild Hunt, 1 Feb. 2019, https://wildhunt.org/2019/01/indigenous-and-pagan-leaders-heal-the-water.html.
“Understanding the Issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.” Understanding the Issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, https://www.nativehope.org/en-us/understanding-the-issue-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women.
“Voting Rights for Native Americans : the Right to Vote : Elections : Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress : Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/elections/right-to-vote/voting-rights-for-native-americans/.
Williams, Amy Bennett. “Defending the Sacred: Indigenous Nations and Everglades Advocates Join in Prayer Walk.” Press, Fort News-Press, 15 Jan. 2021, https://www.news-press.com/story/tech/science/environment/2021/01/15/defending-sacred-indigenous-nations-and-everglades-advocates-join-prayer-walk/6608360002/.