Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum educators brought Seminole history to life for hundreds of history teachers at the annual conference of the National Council for History Education in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 21.

Museum education coordinator Abena Robinson moderated the panel “From the Seminole Eyes: Uncovering Local History Through Tribal Voices”, which featured museum educator Cypress Billie and outreach specialist Van Samuels. Kim Cunningham, Broward County social studies teacher, Native American education specialist and friend of Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki, invited the museum to participate in the
session.

The panel discussed key figures, events and their impact on Seminole history. Teachers in the audience participated by asking plenty of questions to the panelists. They included how did the Seminole war change the traditional tribal lands, did it influence the relationships between Seminoles and other Indigenous tribes, are there ceremonies or traditions to remember the war and what can teachers do to share the true story of the Seminole war.

“Everyone was engaged and wanted to learn about the Seminole War,” Robinson said in an email. “The main idea was the Native American perspective vs the American perspective. Natives view it as one
long war [while] the American perspective is three wars.”

The museum also hosted a booth at the three-day conference where teachers learned more about the Seminole education programs and upcoming events and activities at the museum. Robinson said the museum has been invited to present at next year’s conference in Montgomery, Alabama.