Simanoli

Simanoli likely derived from the Spanish cimarrón — meaning wild, runaway, or unruly — which the Spanish had used for cattle, pigs, and enslaved people who escaped into wilderness. In the Muscogean languages of the Southeast, the word was adapted as simanoli, meaning approximately 'separatist' or 'those who camp at a distance.' The Seminole formed in 18th-century Florida from a combination of Lower Creek bands who had migrated south, remnants of Florida's original Indigenous nations, and, significantly, a substantial number of escaped enslaved Africans.

The Black Seminoles — descendants of enslaved people who found refuge among the Seminole — were an integrated part of Seminole society by the late 18th century. They served as interpreters, warriors, and counselors. The United States government's demand that the Seminole surrender escaped slaves was a primary cause of the Second Seminole War, fought from 1835 to 1842. It was the longest and most expensive of the Indian Wars, costing the U.S. $40 million and 1,500 soldiers' lives.

The Seminole fought three wars against the United States — 1817-18, 1835-42, and 1855-58 — and were never formally defeated. A group of Seminoles retreated into the Florida Everglades and refused to sign a peace treaty. Their descendants, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, were legally in a state of war with the United States until 1934, when they achieved federal recognition without having surrendered.

The Florida Seminole negotiated the first tribal gaming compact in the United States in 1979 and now operate the Hard Rock International brand, which they purchased in 2007 for $965 million. The people who were cimarrón — wild, unruly, refusing to be tamed — now own one of the largest hospitality companies in the world.