Chikee or Chickee ("house" in the Creek and Mikasuki languages spoken by the Seminoles and Miccosukees) is a shelter supported by posts, with a raised floor, a thatched roof and open sides. Chickees are also known as chickee huts, stilt houses, or platform dwellings.

Feb 21, 2025 · A chickee “is the open-sided, thatched-roofed Seminole dwelling made from palmetto and cypress trees” (Dilley 10). While they may seem like merely structures, chickees themselves represent a culture of artisanship and learning passed down for generations.

Sweetwater Chickee wilderness campsite in Everglades National Park . NPS / Jane Gamble. Plan Your Wilderness Trip. Wilderness permits are required for all overnight camping in the backcountry. Campers can make advanced reservations through Recreation.gov. Advanced reservations are available on a rolling basis, three months in advance of the ...

Each home was called a chickee. The Seminole Chickees - sounds like a rock group, doesn't it. But they were very well built homes. They had to be, to survive hurricanes, sleeting rain, and wild animals. Chickees were platform houses, made of logs.

Due to the efficiency and visual charm of the Seminole chickee, they can be seen all over South Florida, from poolside cabanas to unique camping experiences. A well made chickee structure should last about ten years and needs to be re-thatched every five years.

"Chickee" is the word Seminoles use for "house." The first Seminoles to live in North Florida are known to have constructed log cabin-type homes, some two stories tall, with sleeping quarters upstairs.

A chickee is a shelter constructed from logs and a steep roof. It is supported by posts, with a raised floor, a thatched roof, and open sides. The traditional chickee was constructed using cypress logs to support the roof, which was then thatched by weaving together palmetto palm leaves with vines or thin ropes.

Seminole Indian Tribes living in Northern Florida had been well known for having built these log cabin-style structures or homes they called chickees. The chickee style hut was constructed with a palmetto thatch over a log frame made from cypress trees.

Feb 21, 2025 · This week, we highlight the top 5 off-reservation chickees you and your family can visit this summer. Not only can you beat the heat under the breezy open sides, but you can also learn a little bit about Seminole history and culture!

The Seminole Chickee was constructed in May of 2009 by James Billie, former Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as a tribute to the history of Seminoles people in this area and their trade relationship with early settlers and Lighthouse Keepers. The large Chickee is called a “place to learn something” or an “a h-tah-thi-ki chickee.”