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.
