Culturally
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
Thanks to the movies and reruns from the 1950s, we know more about Native Americans of the Old West plains than we know about the original inhabitants of the Sunshine State. But there are opportunities to learn more in our own back yard.
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum celebrates its 20-year anniversary in 2017. The museum―a designated Smithsonian Institution affiliate―opened in 1997 to commemorate federal recognition of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The museum is located on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, due east of Bonita Springs in Clewiston. “We are very excited that this coming year, the museum will be celebrating its 20th anniversary,” says Kate Macuen, the museum’s assistant director. “We continue to strive to be a living museum for our community that protects and shares the importance of Seminole heritage.”
The Big Cypress facility in 2004 added a second building to the museum complex that holds a conservation lab and a collections vault. Some artifacts are on loan from the Smithsonian. The museum also shares its collection through traveling exhibits and artifact loans.
Seminoles in the Everglades found isolation and a place to practice their traditions, although its members had to fight and evade capture to keep their territory, according to tribal historians. The Seminole Nation is the only tribe never to have signed a peace treaty with the U.S. government. The tribe also reportedly accepted runaway slaves. Theirs was a culture of storytelling, with tribal elders passing along the history of their people to new generations, schooling them around campfires and charging them to pass the information forward.
That tradition of holding values is what drives the museum, Macuen says. “Our hope,” she continues, “is that our visitors, who come from all over the world, can experience and help celebrate the enriching culture, strength and long-storied history of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.”
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum also operates an elevated boardwalk through a 66-acre cypress dome, all wheelchair accessible. The boardwalk offers educational
placards in English, as well as the two languages of the Seminoles, identifying 67 different plant species and traditional tribal uses for them. Additional signage highlights many native species of wildlife encountered in the Everglades. The boardwalk leads to a re-created living village where tribal artisans demonstrate the traditional arts and crafts of woodcarving, beadwork, basketry and the distinctive Seminole patchwork. The boardwalk “can really be a peaceful and unique experience that gives visitors a first-hand look at the beauty of the flora and fauna on Big Cypress, both of which are deeply embedded in the tribe’s culture and history,” Macuen says.
The museum’s collections contain items related to the Seminoles―as well as to Native Americans of the southeastern United States―including historical newspapers, manuscripts, patchwork clothing, sweetgrass baskets, artwork, dolls and other pieces produced during the 20th century. The museum, for example, acquired 24 watercolor images created in the 1980s by Seminole artist Mary Gay Osceola. Primarily known for her larger oil paintings and mural work, these smaller images are beautifully delicate and joyful in composition, Macuen says. The work is on exhibit at the museum through April.
The museum also houses a library and archives, and a conservatory to ensure exhibited items are displayed for longevity and safety. To preserve the Seminoles’ Miccosukee and Creek languages, the museum has amassed an oral history collection, in which native language interviews are translated into English. In cooperation with various tribal cultural departments and professional linguists, a Miccosukee dictionary was printed and is available to tribal members. A Creek dictionary is also being created. Mobile technology is being developed to make language learning more accessible to tribal youth.
“The Seminole people who survived in Florida were pushed deep into southern Florida, and this museum tells their story,” TripAdvisor blogger John T. wrote about his visit. “The museum is a fun place to learn about Seminole culture, both in the past three centuries and today … it’s a cool place to visit.”