Seminole Tribe Of Florida Careers in Tampa, FL

When the Seminole Wars began, Abiaka was already a respected medicine man of the Mikasuki tribe. By the time the wars ended, he had helped guide the Seminole through nearly five decades of war. Called both Sam Jones and “The Devil” by the American soldiers; he was a medicine man, a warrior, a spy, a strategist, and a leader. His voice was the strongest in opposing removal, and when American leaders talked about forcing the Seminole to leave Florida, the words “Sam Jones and his group will never agree to leave” were a constant. During the wars he regularly stayed away from negotiations with the American military, instead sending trusted lieutenants such as Coacoochee and Osceola in his stead. He would then go into the American camps as a fishermen selling his catch, observing and learning all that he could while being comfortably overlooked. At the end of the wars, Abiaka led the last Seminole remaining in Florida into the deep wetlands, far away from American forces and settlers. The Seminole Tribe of Florida survives today because of him.