Seminole Deathways and Resistance at Fort Brooke

Summary

Initially excavated in 1980, the historic cemetery at Fort Brooke (1824-1883) contained the remains of 146 soldiers, white settlers, Seminoles, and African Americans. Very little analysis of these burials exists beyond identification to determine group affiliation, age, and gender. This paper looks at Seminole deathways, which persisted and represented a discord with the Anglicized burials of white settlers and soldiers. An analysis of grave goods might provide insight into the organization of Seminole society and identity construction during a period of duress. Specifically, the inclusion of certain kinds of grave goods can represent a form of resistance in the process of identity construction. This paper examines the results of this analysis and how deathways were used in the processes of resistance,  in the formation of a Seminole identity within the confines of the fort, and the ways that deathways may have functioned as a from of resistance to dominant culture. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2017   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 383