Images of Florida Seminoles in the Sunshine State
The members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida are a central part of Florida's
diverse culture and extensive history. Today's Florida Seminoles are
the
descendents of the mound-building chiefdoms that once prospered throughout
the Southeast for over a thousand years in the EARLY
YEARS of Florida's human past. It was these societies that first
encountered the European explorers in the 1500s and 1600s. Ancestors
of modern Seminoles
adapted to the new social and biological challenges those Europeans brought,
and, in the process, transformed into the historical Seminoles many are
familiar with today.
By the 1800s, Seminole culture was firmly established in Florida, but
it was also threatened by the newly created United States, which desired
the removal of Seminole peoples from the territory. A period of RESISTANCE
and REMOVAL existed from the 1810s through the 1850s as the Seminoles
resisted forced removal, fighting three wars in the process, while also
moving progressively south. While thousands were removed to the West,
the remaining peoples survived in the southern-most portions of the state
during an extended period of ISOLATION. It
was during this period that they refined and fully adapted their culture
to the South Florida environment.
But by the 1920s, as development and modernization transformed Florida,
many Seminoles chose to participate in Florida's newest industry, TOURISM,
including cultural displays, souvenir stores, and crafts. They also played
upon assumptions and expectations of others though such manufactured “traditions”
as alligator wrestling and carved totem poles. Meanwhile, Seminoles also
entered a period of RESERVATIONS AND ORGANIZATION
as they organized into the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee
Tribe of Florida. Many families also chose to move onto newly created
federal reservations throughout South Florida.
Finally, in the MODERN ERA, Seminole society
managed to both preserve and balance its unique culture within present-day
Florida. From ranching, tourist attractions and hotels to Green Corn Dances,
ball games, and traditional dress and architecture, Seminole culture is
still an essential component of Florida life.
These images give only a brief insight into the vibrant culture and complex
history of the Seminole Peoples of Florida. The following brief visual
history was designed to coincide with the Museum
of Florida History’s newest exhibition, Seminole People
of Florida: Survival and Success.
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