Floridian melting pot

Natural History, Oct, 2005 by Brent R. Weisman, Christopher M. Stojanowski

Christopher M. Stojanowski's article, "Unhappy Trails" [7-8/05], brings fresh perspective to the riddles of how, why, and when bands of historically and linguistically distinct southeastern Indians came to think of themselves as "Seminole." Mr. Stojanowski's results show that the Creek ancestors of the Seminoles were genetically diverse, but that finding still doesn't fully explain the complexity of the social, political, and economic processes that shaped Seminole cultural identity.

In the nineteenth century, well after the period discussed by Mr. Stojanowski, genetic relationships among the Seminoles became even more complex. For example, Osceola, the icon of the Seminole resistance, is thought to have had a white father, a trader by the name of William Powell. Some scholars also think that Osceola may have married a woman of African descent.

Brent R. Weisman

University of South Florida

Tampa, Florida

CHRISTOPHER M. STOJANOWSKI REPLIES: Brent R. Weisman is absolutely correct: the development of the modern Seminole identity was extremely complex socially, politically, and economically. My research adds a biological component to the existing literature and suggests that early "Seminole" bands may initially have emigrated to Florida, in part because they had biological ties to indigenous Florida groups (the Apalachee in particular) and to the area.