From a Photograph
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CUSTOMS OF KICKAPOO, SEMINOLE, AND OTHER TRIBES
The Kickapoo Indians first lived in what is now Illinois. Their present home is in the Indian Territory. One of their peculiar customs is that they have a tribe whipper who makes his weekly rounds with his whip to punish children, and in this way the parents save themselves from the pain of inflicting punishment upon their children. Indians dislike rudeness or noisy behavior when there should be quiet. Fire-water, as they call whiskey, makes them forget the manners their parents taught them.
Many of the Seminole Indians live in the Everglades of Florida. They are a tall, dignified, intelligent race, and resent the visits of white people unless it is shown that the visitor is a friend, for they have been driven to these Everglades by reason of conquering whites. They live in roofed huts and cultivate several kinds of crops. They once owned rich lands in upper Florida and Alabama. Their language is said to be very musical. [[45]]
The Cherokee and Natchez tribes once lived in Mississippi and Louisiana. They were very wise in war and had many things which they manufactured in times of peace. They carved curious shell ornaments, which are often found in southern mounds.
The Flathead Indians of the west bind a piece of stiff board upon the forehead of their papooses. The child’s head flattens as it grows, and he carries his race mark through life.
The Blackfoot Indians were so called because during a retreat the burnt prairie grass stained their moccasins as black as the blackest cayuse or pony.