Seminole Tribe of Florida

"Florida Seminoles" redirects here. Not to be confused with Florida State Seminoles.

Seminole Tribe of Florida
Total population
4,244 enrolled citizens[1] (in 2019)
Regions with significant populations
 United States ( Florida)
Languages
English, Spanish, Mikasuki, Mvskoke
Religion
Indigenous religion, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Miccosukee, Muscogee people

The Seminole Tribe of Florida is a federally recognized Seminole tribe based in the U.S. state of Florida. Together with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, it is one of three federally recognized Seminole entities. It received that status in 1957. Today, it has six Indian reservations in Florida.

The Florida Seminole, along with the Miccosukee, speak the Mikasuki language, also spelled Miccosukee. The language has been referred to as a descendant of Hitchiti[a], a dialect of Hitchiti, and another term for Hitchiti.[2][3][4][5] Additionally, some Florida Seminole communities speak a dialect of the Mvskoke language called Florida Seminole Creek.[6][7]

In 1975, the Tribe established tax-free smoke shops and a high-stakes bingo operation that became one of the first tribal gaming endeavors in the United States. These ventures, particularly the gaming operation, have generated significant revenues for education, welfare and economic development. A 2005 tribal audit said it took in $1.1 billion in revenues that year.[8] The Seminole Tribe is also known widely for owning the Hard Rock Cafe as well as nearly all Hard Rock-branded properties including casinos, hotels, and resorts since 2006. The tribe requires members to have at least one-quarter Seminole blood quantum. As of 2016, the estimated wealth of the tribe is near $12 billion USD.[9]

  1. ^ Pritzker, page 389.
  2. ^ a b Martin, Jack B. (May 24, 2017), "Muskogean Languages", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.001.0001/acrefore-9780199384655-e-39?rskey=bq62pl (inactive November 1, 2024), ISBN 978-0-19-938465-5, retrieved December 4, 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  3. ^ Brown, Cecil H. (1998). "Spanish Loanwords in Languages of the Southeastern United States". International Journal of American Linguistics. 64 (2): 148–167. doi:10.1086/466354. ISSN 0020-7071.
  4. ^ Weisman, Brent R. (December 2007). "Nativism, Resistance, and Ethnogenesis of the Florida Seminole Indian Identity". Historical Archaeology. 41 (4): 198–212. doi:10.1007/bf03377302. ISSN 0440-9213. S2CID 53460080.
  5. ^ Hardy, Heather & Janine Scancarelli. (2005). Native Languages of the Southeastern United States, Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, pp. 69-70
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mahon201202 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Martin, Jack B. (2004). "Southeastern Languages" (PDF). Handbook of North American Indians. 14 (68–86): 15.
  8. ^ Sally Kestin, "FEMA paid tribe's hotel tab", Sun Sentinel, 29 November 2007, accessed 17 April 2013
  9. ^ Debter, Lauren. "An Alligator Wrestler, A Casino Boss And A $12 Billion Tribe". Forbes. Retrieved July 22, 2024.


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