Mikasuki Indians

Mikasuki Tribe – Meaning unknown.

Mikasuki Connections. These Indians belonged to the Hitchiti-speaking branch of the Muskhogean linguistic family. They are said by some to have branched from the true Hitchiti, but those who claim that they were originally Chiaha are probably correct.

Mikasuki Location. Their earliest known home was about Miccosukee Lake in Jefferson County. (See also Oklahoma.)

Mikasuki Villages.

  • Alachua Talofa or John Hick’s Town, in the Alachua Plains, Alachua County.
  • New Mikasuki, near Greenville in Madison County.
  • Old Mikasuki, near Miccosukee Lake.

Mikasuki History. The name Mikasuki appears about 1778 and therefore we know that their independent status had been established by that date whether they had separated from the Hitchiti or the Chiaha. They lived first at Old Mikasuki and then appear to have divided, part going to New Mikasuki and part to the Alachua Plains. Some writers denounce them as the worst of all Seminole bands, but it is quite likely that, as a tribe differing in speech from themselves, the Muskogee element blamed them for sins they themselves had committed. Old Mikasuki was burned by Andrew Jackson in 1817. Most Mikasuki seem to have remained in Florida where they still constitute a distinct body, the Big Cypress band of Seminole. Those who went to Oklahoma retained a distinct Square Ground as late as 1912.

Mikasuki Population. Morse (1822) quotes a certain Captain Young to the effect that there were 1,400 Mikasuki in his time, about 1817. This figure is probably somewhat too high though the Mikasuki element is known to have been a large one. They form one entire band among the Florida Seminole.

Connection in which they have become noted. The Mikasuki attained prominence in the Seminole War. In the form Miccosukee their name has been applied to a lake in Jefferson and Leon Counties, Fla., and a post village in the latter county. In the form Mekusuky it has been given to a village in Seminole County, Okla.


Collection:
Swanton, John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 145. Washington DC: US Government Printing Office. 1953.

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1 thought on “Mikasuki Indians”

  1. What is the DNA of a Mikasuki male? My grgrgrandfather was allegedly Native American.He was said to have gone to fight with them and never returned, and looking at photos of Billy Bowlegs……the photo could have been of my dad. I am most curious as when I meet another person who is clearly Native American they always….ALWAYS….remark to me “you are Native American too,aren’t you?” I always answer yes…hoping the old family tales are true, but I would be proud if I could prove it so!Perhaps I can find a direct male descendant from this family line who has been tested,or would consent to a DNA test and solve that mystery ! Thank you for any information that you may be able to share. Carmen

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