A few years ago, while on a search for Seminole materials and music recordings at institutions around the globe, I came across records too important to dismiss – the Bureau of Indian Affairs Seminole removal records. The National Anthropological Archives in Washington, D.C. holds these documents from the Seminole War

Dennis Banks, a revered Native American activist of the 20th and 21st centuries, passed away at age 80 on Oct. 29. A member of the Ojibwa Tribe, Banks was laid to rest where he was born in 1937, at the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota. Banks died from pneumonia he contracted

BIG CYPRESS — It was easy to see that the 20th annual American Indian Arts Celebration was a success by expressions of the event’s 1,679 visitors as they experienced Native American culture first-hand. The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum festival, held Nov. 3 and 4 in Big Cypress, drew record crowds and featured a

BIG CYPRESS — The early days of Big Cypress First Baptist Church could have never predicted the impact the church would have on the community. A small gathering that once convened at the Big Cypress Day School is now a large following that, 65 years after the church’s beginning, has

November may be Native American Heritage Month, but most Seminoles celebrated Indian Day in September. “It’s Indian Day every day for us; today is just a day the government decided to recognize us and give us a holiday,” said Chairman Marcellus W. Osceola Jr. “It’s a chance for us to fellowship

BRIGHTON — Smutgrass is the bane of cattle ranchers throughout Florida, who spend a lot of money trying to eradicate it. The invasive grass, originally from Asia, has a strong foothold in Tribal pastures in Big Cypress and Brighton. Aaron Stam, federally-recognized Tribal extension program agent, knows that most ranchers, academics

Hurricane Irma’s devastating blow on Everglades City did not keep the small town down for long. Only weeks after destruction hit, the city’s historical society plans to rebuild a town that’s better than ever. Marya Repko, president of Everglades Society for Historic Preservation, explained that a 4-foot storm surge left numerous