Patchwork exhibit sews common thread through time Community by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — The exhibit "It’s Not a Costume – Modern Seminole Patchwork" at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum opened to a generous crowd Dec. 13, proving that ordinary things for one group of people can be quite exotic to others. "Every piece made is absolutely gorgeous," said Mary Ann Boucher, a snowbird
Restored 1950s film rekindles concerns, reignites art form Community by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 FORT LAUDERDALE — The question whether art imitates life or life imitates art went unanswered in Fort Lauderdale at a screening of a 1958 film that provides a 12-hour, neo-realistic view of young Native American adults living in a gritty, low-rent district of Los Angeles. Instead, when the movie "The Exiles"
Graduates climb career development program ladder Community by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 HOLLYWOOD — All eyes were on Ashley Santiago and Jimmy Hank Osceola III when a Christmas party for the Tribal Career Development (TCD) Program segued Dec. 11 into a brief graduation ceremony just as festive and fun. Osceola, after nine years in the system that mentors motivated Tribal members through job
Bug Out Car Wash aims for dirt-free drive Community by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — What began with a bucket and hope has become a growing business of soap. Brian Billie and best friend Mark Furlonge, co-owners of Bug Out Car Wash based in Big Cypress, say the business they founded just one year ago is successfully blossoming thanks to the semiannual, super
Poetry, painting, music to score Seminole performance art show Community by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 FORT LAUDERDALE — Watching a performance art piece develop from blank canvas to deeply layered expressionism is like watching a metamorphosis. "It starts off like caterpillars, you see, and ends up as butterflies," said Seminole artist Elgin Jumper. Case in point: On Dec. 5, Jumper rendered a portrait of his niece Stephanie
Video gamers cross Tribal lines to answer competitive spirit Community by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Race, gender, religion or political affiliation don’t mean diddly when it comes to video gamers. On Dec. 13, when 30 Miccosukee and Seminole youth pooled a sea of computer components for the second installment of BC Gaming Series: A Collaboration, all that mattered was what team would emerge
Runners tackle second annual Panther Prowl on Big Cypress Health by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — For serious runners, the second annual 10K Panther Prowl on the Big Cypress Reservation’s Snake Road was a training run with many benefits. Temperatures in the low 50s along the USA Track & Field-certified course of asphalt and pasture road near the Junior Cypress Rodeo Arena provided natural
Archery lessons on target at Junior Cypress arena Sports by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 8, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Jacob "Jake" Osceola grew up using a bow and arrow to hunt boar, deer and other creatures for meat. "But archery is different when it’s a sanctioned sport. For Olympian competition, it is refined system," said Osceola, site manager for the Recreation Department at Big Cypress. Archery, a projectile
Students dig first archaeology adventure Education by Eileen Soler - December 30, 2014April 7, 2015 BRIGHTON — Sixth-graders from Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School were introduced to archaeology with a down-to-earth experience in the heart of a Brighton hammock. "The most fun part was digging in the dirt. We got down, got dirty and discovered stuff," student Heith Lawrence said. Led first by bus and then on foot
Vintage Seminole doll collection now home sweet home at Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Community by Eileen Soler - November 25, 2014April 8, 2015 BIG CYPRESS — Phyllis Cofrancesco received her first Seminole doll in the early 1950s when she was a young girl living in Connecticut. Her parents gave her the doll as a South Florida vacation souvenir. "I had never seen a doll made of tree bark. The clothing on the doll was