Neamathla (1800s)
Speaker for the Seminoles
Neamathla (nee uh MAHTH luh) was a Miccosukee (mih kuh SOO kee) chief in northern Florida in the early 1800s. The Miccosukee are a Seminole Indian group.
During the time Neamathla was a chief, many white settlers were moving to Florida and taking over Seminole farmlands. Fighting between settlers and the Seminole was common. The United States government sent soldiers to fight the Seminole. In 1817, soldiers attacked and destroyed Neamathla's village.
In 1823, Seminole leaders signed the Treaty of Moultrie (MOHL tree) Creek. They agreed to move to lands in central Florida. The new land was not good for farming, and the Seminole were soon starving. In the 1830s, the United States government forced the Seminole to move to lands in present-day Oklahoma. Neamathla urged his people to fight back. After resisting for several years, he was captured by soldiers and forced to go west. Neamathla is remembered today as a strong voice for the Seminole.
Critical Thinking
Why were the lands in central Florida not a good place for the Seminole to live?