Long before the "white man" came to Florida, this land was occupied by several tribes of Native Americans. In our area of Florida, the two main tribes were first the Choctaw, later followed by the Creek. Choctaw Indians are a tribe that originally lived in what is now Alabama, Mississippi, and Northwest Florida. They hunted and raised corn and other crops. One of their chief religious ceremonies was a harvest celebration called the Green Corn Dance. In the 1500's, Spanish explorers, including Juan Ponce de Leon, led European expeditions through Choctaw territory. In 1830, the U. S. Government passed the Indian Removal Act which called for eastern Indians to be moved west to make room for more white settlers. The "Trail of Tears" followed as the Choctaw were resettled in Oklahoma. Many Indians died along the trail. A few Choctaw, refusing resettlement, remained behind in hiding.