2nd Annual Big Cypress Indigenous Arts and Music Festival
Festival Season is here! This week on the blog, we are giving you the inside details on the first of three back-to-back events from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The 2nd annual Big Cypress Indigenous Arts and Music Festival will be held on the Big Cypress Reservation February 2 & 3, 2024. Both days gates will open at the Junior Cypress Rodeo Complex at 9:30 am and close at 6:00 pm. Admission is FREE for this exciting event. This year’s theme is “Honoring Our Youth.” Stop by for Indigenous performers, speakers, vendors, and more from throughout the United States and Canada. Below, you can see comprehensive profiles on many of the musical artists, speakers, and more! Master of Ceremonies: Chance Rush Chance Rush will emcee the event both days. Chance travels throughout the United States and Canada to work with Native communities in effort to inspire, heal, motivate, and energize. He has
A Journey Through Payne’s Prairie
Welcome back to our Seminole Spaces series! In this series, we explore places and spaces important to Seminole culture, history, and tourism. Last week, we talked about Seminole Cowkeepers, and learned a bit about the legendary Seminole Cowkeeper Ahaya. Ahaya amassed nearly ten thousand head of cattle, and drove them on the Alachua savanna near Gainesville by 1775. But, how did this Alachuan savanna become known as Payne’s Prairie? This week, we will explore Payne’s Prairie. There, the Seminole relationship with the land, as well as the landscape itself, has shifted and changed over time. In our featured image this week, you can see a shot taken from the observation tower at the Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park in 2022. Around 300,000 people visit the preserve annually to take in the wide grassy vistas and marshy woodlands. Home to hundreds of species of birds, fish, alligators, and even bison, Payne’s Prairie
Florida’s Flora in Focus: the Photography of JK Small
This week, we will look at the images captured by renowned botanist John Kunkel Small, who explored Florida for decades documenting its plants and people.
Kickoff to Seminole Festival Season
This week, join us for all the latest details on festival season and three exciting, special events. Dance to the rhythm at the Indigenous Arts and Music Festival, immerse yourself in Native dance at the Seminole Tribal Fair and Pow Wow, and catch the excitement of the rodeo at the Brighton Field Day Festival.
Native American Heritage Month 2023
November is Native American Heritage Month! Join us for local events and resources.
Oh my Gourd! Seminole Pumpkins and Other Uniquely Cultivated Seminole Foods
Last month, we shared some sweet and savory Seminole treats and recipes that you can try at home. As we touched on previously, Indigenous cooking and harvesting represent acts of resistance to the pressures of colonization. Therefore, it is increasingly important to recognize, uphold, share, and support Indigenous cooking methods, patterns of subsistence, and what they represent. This week, we will look at several uniquely Seminole cultivated foods, and how they became important staples in the Seminole diet. We will look at Seminole pumpkins, coontie, and cabbage palm, as well as how Seminole gardens were uniquely designed to thrive in the Florida ecosystem and hide their important food resources. In our featured image this week you can see corn planted in a Seminole camp, probably early to mid 20th century. You can see chickees around it in the background (2007.46.27, ATTK Museum). Below, you can see a Seminole pumpkin. Seminole Foods Although Florida
American Indigenous Arts Celebration November 3rd-4th, 2023
It is that time of year again! This year’s American Indigenous Arts Celebration (AIAC) will be held November 3rd and 4th on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.
Sweet and Savory Seminole Treats!
Get a closer look at traditional Seminole treats, recipes you can try at home, and how and where you can taste some of these special foods.
Mystery at Fort Marion
This week, join us to explore the Mystery of Coacoochee's Escape from Fort Marion.
THPO Spotlight: Artifact of the Month
This week, join us as we talk with Samantha Wade, Senior Bioarchaeologist and Lab Supervisor for the Seminole Tribe of Florida Tribal Historic Preservation Office (STOF THPO) about the long-running Artifact of the Month program.