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- Collection: Photographs
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Aerial View of a Portion of the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, 1985
Out of three diverse communities, the original Seminole reservations—Big Cypress, Brighton, and Dania--would politically unify in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. From barely avoiding the termination of their federal supervision, the Seminoles…
Seminole Men From the Three Reservations at a Business Meeting with Superintendent of the Seminole Agency Kenneth A. Marmon at the Dania (Hollywood) Seminole Indian Reservation, 1953.
This meeting at Dania to discuss tribal business includes two of the twelve tribal members who signed the 1949 Seminole petition for monetary compensation from the Indian Claims Commission: John Henry Gopher and Junior Cypress, along with the…
Governor LeRoy Collins Meeting with Seminole Spokesman Mike Osceola and Miccosukee Spokesman Buffalo Tiger at the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee, Florida, 1957
Buffalo Tiger and Mike Osceola were two of the most prominent members of the “new generation” of young spokesmen for the South Florida Indians. Their fluency in English led them to represent their respective tribal interests with important political…
Seminole Indians Shown During a Meeting with Governor LeRoy Collins in Tallahassee, Florida, 1957
By meeting with state officials in Tallahassee, the Seminole leadership began building governmental relationships that would help in the reorganization process.
Deaconess Bedell with Medicine Man Ingraham Billie During Christmas Feast at Mission Village in the Everglades, 1960
Ingraham Billie was an early leader in the push to maintain the Miccosukee General Council as a separate governing body from the Seminole Reservation Indian Tribal Council. However, disagreements with the new generation of Miccosukee leadership led…
Florida Governor David Sholtz Meeting with Seminole Indians Living in Camps Near the Florida Everglades, 1936
Concerned about steady encroachment––especially from the National Park Service as the U.S. prepared to create the new Everglades National Park––the Indian delegation living on the Tamiami Trail wanted assurances that they would not be moved from…
Joe Dan Osceola (Seminole), Buffalo Tiger (Miccosukee), and Fred Smith (Seminole) in Conversation Outside of a Building, 1970
Despite having distinct agendas, the Seminole and Miccosukee tribal governments often shared common goals for their communities and understood the benefits of their combined political strength. Both groups eventually became part of the coalition…
Florida House of Representatives Speaker E.C. Rowell (left) Dressed in Indian Costume speaking during the Miccosukee Seminole leaders' Visit to the Florida House in Tallahassee, Florida, 1965
The Miccosukee Tribe Chairman, Buffalo Tiger, (center) presents House Speaker E.C. Rowell of Sumter County with a leader's jacket from the Miccosukee. Both Florida tribes interacted with federal and staff officials throughout the 20th century. Their…
Rosalie Tommey in Camp Standing in Front of a Sign that Reads "Seminoles Are Not Subject to the White Man's Laws; They Have Their Own Council and Make Their Own Laws"
The sign was most likely posted for dramatic effect for the benefit of tourists. Whether posted by an individual or by the community, the message reflects the ongoing tension between "outsiders'" law and Indian sovereignty.
President Richard M. Nixon Speaking to Attendees at Signing Ceremony for a Bill Deeding Lands to the Taos Pueblo Indians, 1970
In this image, President Nixon is signing the Blue Lake Bill, HR 417, which would return traditional Native American lands to the Taos Pueblo Indians. This and other laws worked to reestablish Native peoples’ control over their traditional…