The Seminole Indians and the Chesuwiskia Pumpkin

Clay County History

Note the thick skin and orange flesh. The pumpkins are ripe when they turn a tan color.

By CLAY COUNTY ARCHIVES CENTER STAFF

If you’ve ever tried to grow melons, squash, or pumpkins in Florida, you may have encountered all sorts of disease and vermin problems. Powdery mildew, caterpillars, snails, nematodes, rats and squirrels are a few that come to mind.

Frustrated gardeners, heed this advice: Grow the Seminole Pumpkin.

The Seminole Pumpkin is tough, resilient and thrives in the heat and humidity of Florida. It has a long history of being raised by indigenous peoples and settlers. Today, it is still being grown in gardens all over Florida.

“Chassa howitska” is what the Miccosukee called them. It means “hanging pumpkin”, which reflects how they were planted at the base of trees and the prolific tendrils would snake throughout the tree’s branches. The pumpkin was an essential part of the Seminole diet that revolved around hunting, spear fishing, foraging and gardening.

A long, long time ago, Clay County had a little tiny village called “Chesuwiskia”, which translated to “the place of hanging pumpkins.” This tiny village is not to be confused with the Chassahowtiska Springs in Citrus County, which the Seminole named “pumpkin hanging place.” They considered it their “refuge region.”

This is what the vine looks like.

And so, one might surmise that is why the Clay County version was called as it was, as there were pumpkins being grown there and it was considered a refuge. Our Chesuwiskia was located somewhere off the south prong of Black Creek.

Chesuwiskia appeared first on maps in 1874 and last in 1882, and the village had a post office in 1858 and 1859. It lost that post office in 1860 when nobody bid for Postal Route 6519.

Variations of the town name are found in county records, and they appear as follows: Chesuwiski, Chesuwiskia, Chesawiskia, Cheswiski and Chesowickie. There was also a Chesuwiski Road, but both the village and the road are lost to time.

Alanson Skinner, renowned anthropologist and author, visited the Seminole in 1910. He observed that “food, generally sofki, venison, biscuits, or cornbread and coffee, is always ready for the hungry. Twice a day, in the morning and evenings, Seminoles have regular meals, but eating between times is a constant practice.” Sofki is a corn drink served by southeastern tribes. The word sofki comes from the Creek word safke or osafke.

Seminoles took full advantage of the flora and fauna around them when it came to eating. Turtles were a particularly favored species, along with alligator, deer, catfish, gar, and other freshwater fish. Wild fruits and greens were foraged along with the cultivated plants. Pond apple, paw paw, beauty berry, persimmons, nuts, cabbage palm, plums, maypop, berries, cactus, muscadines, purslane, wild cucumber and ground cherry were there for the taking. The hammock garden would, of course, have the three sisters: corn, beans, and pumpkins.

Vines can grow to 25-foot-long or more, spiraling here and there. The pumpkins may occasionally fall off the vine, but due to their thick skin, they remain intact when they hit the ground. Seminole Pumpkins are considered an heirloom crop, and seeds don’t come cheap.

Interested in finding out more about this topic or anything related to Clay County history? Contact the Clay County Archives Center by calling (904) 371-0027 or stop by most weekdays between 8 a.m. to 5p.m. The Archives Center is located at 21 Gration Place in Green Cove Springs, inside the Old Jail.