Billy L. Cypress, veterans and the Seminole Tribe’s Color Guard during a grand entry at the Seminole Tribal Fair in 2001. (Photo courtesy Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum) BIG CYPRESS — The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum remains closed, but continues to serve the Seminole community, in part by cataloging thousands of photographic negatives. The project, funded
Community
MMIW gets more focus, including from podcasts
Indigenous people across the country – particularly women and girls – go missing and murdered at higher rates than other demographic groups. For example, the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force reports that Native Americans are 6% of the state’s population but comprise 27% of missing persons cases. The U.S. Department
Seminole Tribe granted ‘opportunity zone’ funds
The Seminole Tribe has been awarded funds to study the viability of an economic development project in Hendry County just outside the Brighton Reservation. The Indian Affairs’ Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) recently announced more than $760,000 had been set aside for 14 federally recognized tribes (and tribal
Seminole veteran Billie Micco was lifelong Brighton resident, longtime employee
Documentary ‘Halpate’ traces Seminole-alligator bond
A newly released documentary short examines the complex and colorful history of the Seminole Tribe and its relationship to the alligators of the Everglades. The New Yorker magazine is the thrust behind “Halpate” – which means alligator in the Mikasuki language. (The Seminoles and Miccosukee are culturally connected). The 14-minute film was
Toni Sanchez advocates for Native philanthropy amid pandemic
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to Indigenous communities has been an outsized one compared to other populations. It magnified Indian Country’s longtime deficiencies in infrastructure, health care, food security, housing, technology and more. A new report shows that the Native American philanthropic sector stepped up to fill in gaps in the
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum welcomes Durante Blais-Billie as new assistant director
Durante Blais-Billie is the new assistant director at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. (Courtesy photo) BIG CYPRESS — The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is excited to welcome Durante Blais-Billie, of the Hollywood Reservation, as the new assistant director. The position assists with the day-day operations of the museum, including oversight of educational and outreach programming,
Tribe gains control of BC wetlands, saving millions
BIG CYPRESS — Starting in the 1990s, the U.S. government aimed to restore the water system on the Big Cypress Reservation with a project that was supposed to rehydrate wetlands, improve water quality and enhance water storage capacity. Instead, the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation Water Conservation Project never worked
Seminole Tribe’s concerns noted in Everglades report
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently sent a required report to Congress on what it calls “Everglades restoration momentum.” The most significant part of the 144-page report, now available to the public, is the status of the multibillion-dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or CERP, which has been ongoing since 2000. The
