Seminole

Seminole

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A Seminole mother and her children from the Brighton Reservation in Florida. (1948)
Total population
est. 18,600 Seminole Nation of Oklahoma 15,572 enrolled Seminole Tribe of Florida 4,000 enrolled Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida 400 enrolled
Regions with significant populations
United States ( Oklahoma and Florida)
Languages
Main: English Cultural: Mikasuki, Muscogee, Afro-Seminole Creole Historical: Spanish
Religion
Protestant, Catholic, Green Corn Ceremony
Related ethnic groups
Ethnic origin: Choctaw, Muscogee, Yamasee, Yuchi, Gullah Subgroup: Black Seminole, Miccosukee, Mascogos

The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, as well as independent groups. The Seminole people emerged in a process of ethnogenesis from various Native American groups who settled in Spanish Florida beginning in the early 1700s, most significantly northern Muscogee Creeks from what are now Georgia and Alabama.^[1]

Old crafts and traditions were revived in both Florida and Oklahoma in the mid-20th century as the Seminole began seeking revenue from tourists traveling along the new interstate highway system. In the 1970s, Seminole tribes began to run small bingo games on their reservations to raise revenue. They won court challenges to initiate Indian gaming on their sovereign land. Many U.S. tribes have likewise adopted this practice where state laws have gambling, in order to generate revenues for welfare, education, and development.

Since the late 20th century, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has been particularly successful with gambling establishments, attracting many of the numerous tourists to the state. In 2007 it purchased the Hard Rock Café and has rebranded or opened several casinos and gaming resorts under that name. These include two large resorts on its Tampa and Hollywood reservations; together these projects cost more than a billion dollars to construct.^[2][3]