526 SEMINOLE INDIANS OF FLORIDA. 
EDUCATION. 
The feeling of the tribe is antagonistic to even such primary education 
as reading, writing, and calculation. About ten years ago an attempt, 
the only attempt in modern times, to establish schools among them was 
made by Rev. Mr. Frost, now at Myers, Fla. He did not succeed. 
SLAVERY. 
By reference to the population table, it will be noticed that there are 
three negroes and seven persons of mixed breed among the Seminole. 
It has been said that these negroes were slaves and are still held as slaves 
by the Indians. I saw nothing and could not hear of anything to jus- 
tify this statement. One Indian is, I know, married to a negress, and 
the two negresses in the tribe live apparently on terms of perfect 
equality with the other women. Me-le goes and comes as he sees fit. 
No one attempts to control his movements. it may be that lopg ago 
the Florida Indians held negroes as slaves, but my impression is to the 
contrary. The Florida Indians, I think, rather offered a place of refuge 
for fugitive bondmen and gradually made them members of their tribe. 
HEALTH. 
In the introduction to this report I said that the health of the Semi- 
nole is good. As confirming this statement, I found that the deaths 
during the past year had been very few. I had trustworthy informa- 
tion concerning the deaths of only four persons. One of these deaths 
was of an old woman, O-pa-ka, at the Fish Eating Creek settlement; 
another was of Tiil-la-hiis-ke’s wife, at Cat Fish Lake settlement; 
another was of a sister of Téil-la-hiis-ke; and the last was of a child, at 
Cow Creek settlement. At the Big Cypress Swamp settlement I was 
assured that no deaths had occurred either there or at Miami during 
the year. On the contrary, however, I was told by some white people 
at Miami that several children had died at the Indian camp near there 
in the year past. Tiil-la-hiis-ke said to me, ‘‘Twenty moons ago, heap 
pickaninnies die!” And I was informed by others that about two 
years before there had been considerable fatality among children, as 
the consequence of a sort of epidemic at one of the northern camps. 
Admitting the correctness of these reports, I have no reason to mod- 
ify my general statement that the health of the Seminole is good and 
that they are certainly increasing their number. Their appearance 
indicates excellent health and their environment is in their favor. 

