Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki (Part 1)

Some call the casino derived wealth of Native Americans the red man's revenge.  There are about 3800 Seminole Indians in Florida now, all with lifetime paid health insurance and education/tuition.  Their casinos are in Fort Lauderdale.  We drove over to the Seminole reservation in Southwestern Florida to visit the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum, which means "a place to learn".  There is much to learn about this fascinating tribe ... much information on their website as well! 

The road to the reservation went through miles of flat Florida fields, many with cattle.  Seminoles, besides running their gaming businesses, are cowboys!

 In a state with so much urban sprawl on its coasts, this is refreshing.  Quiet.  More than 50 miles of not seeing another car on the road, until we came upon this ...

 John thought it looked like the Clampetts.

Met Eric at the museum ...

( My hair IS finally growing, albeit no bangs yet! )

Seminole history begins in the 1700s when the Creek Indians migrated (from Alabama and Mississippi) to Florida's Spanish missions.  Here they mixed with the area's native peoples.  By 1800 conflicts with the white settlers escalated into wars.  Most Seminoles were forcibly moved west of the Mississippi.  By the end of the century only 300 survivors remained in the Florida swamps.

The Seminoles masterfully conquered the difficult terrain of the Everglades.  Their natural ways sustained them and set them apart as a people - culturally, economically and environmentally.

Interestingly, they never surrendered.  (This definitely gives them legal advantage when dealing with the U.S. Government. ) The Seminole Tribe of Florida now governs itself, with its own laws and police department.  Its citizens are also U.S. citizens.   They look to be prospering.  The homes on the reservation are modern, some new, some double wides - all neatly kept with chickees in the yards.

Here are some photos from the museum.  We wondered how they stayed cool in the Florida heat and humidity in all those fancy clothes.  I suspect that this is not every day wear ...