Anne McCudden, Museum Director

It is that time of the year again for me to write my assigned blog entry for the Museum and I am happy to do so.  I will again, however freely admit that I am still a neophyte when it comes to social media.  I have been told that I can take this opportunity to espouse on the past year and what the Museum accomplished, worked on, struggled with etc..  That being said let me say that 2011 here at the Museum has been an active and fulfilling year.  We welcomed a new Curator of Exhibits at the end of the year and we are working to get him settled into both our culture here and the culture and climate of south Florida, (I think he’s enjoying the warmer than Detroit like weather already).  We also took on some operational and housekeeping issues this year including a new initiative called “Fall Cleaning Days”, since Spring is too hot in Florida we opted for a fall version of the work and it went swimmingly as they say, we kept what needed to be kept and discarded what needed to be discarded, like any good museum would do.

2011 has also been a bit of a transitional period for the Museum as we continue our work and get acclimated to the newly elected Tribal Council that came into office in June.  So far we have had great interactions with the elected officials and they seem to be as excited as we are about what the Museum can do for and with the Tribal members.  They also understand the role that the Museum plays in the national front and they are proud of all that has been accomplished so far.

So here’s to a productive and healthy 2012 and maybe by the end of 2012 I’ll have mastered the art of online user defined information and will have even more to share in my new year’s blog of 2012!

Regards, Anne

In Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki’s Education Division, we find ourselves ending conference season. This year I had my first opportunity to attend several conferences, including FASA (Florida Association of School Administrators) and FRA (Florida Reading Conference).  I attended both of these as a vendor and learned all the tricks of the trade when it comes to preparing a booth, building our background displays, and setting up our table of freebies. Thanks to Florida’s wet season, I also learned how to rain-proof an open bed truck (or attempted to at least). Going into it, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was nervous. There is a lot of planning, packing, and unpacking that goes on, as well as meeting some really interesting people and getting the word out about our museum and the opportunities we provide for schools with different needs.

Emily Kubota, Pedro Zepeda, Greg Palumbo

                I also got to attend NAI (National Association of Interpreters) but I went as a member, not as a vendor. It was held in St. Paul, Minnesota during the month of November. As a girl from the north, I didn’t think the cold would get to me. But Florida’s climate was definitely something I had gotten used to.  For this conference instead of packing collateral, I packed sweaters, scarves, and boots. We spent the first day at the pre-conference workshop where my co-workers Diana Stone, Pedro Zepeda, and Greg Palumbo were presenters. They discussed what it was like working for a Native American tribe and some of the unique challenges we face here at the museum. We heard from other people who work with Native cultures and also from some of the local tribal members, like David Larsen, a Dakota elder.  It was a great experience and I learned about the contemporary problems tribes face today. Throughout the conference, I was able to attend a wide variety of workshops, like how to interpret slavery, interpreting nature, and even how to interpret Johnny Cash’s hometown.  There were lots sessions going on throughout each day, so attendees could pick and choose which sessions to attend.  NAI was unlike any conference I had been to before and I am definitely excited to go again next year.

Scene from Minnesota

                As conference attendees, we took several field trips. We went to historic Fort Snelling, which is located just outside of the city. This fort was built in the early 1820’s and was later site of an Indian concentration camp where they kept the Dakota people waiting to be moved to reservations further west. We also went to the Science Museum of Minnesota, where we got to see dinosaur skeletons and learn about natural disasters. They offered a trolley tour of historic St. Paul where we learned all about the city’s past and its people. Last but not least, we had time to squeeze in a trip to the Mall of America, where I got a head start on some Christmas shopping.

                Luckily for me, I am back in the warm Florida weather and have put my heavy coat away for now. Life at the museum has been busy, with hundreds of kids coming every week. Going to conferences is good way to explore ideas and hear about how other museums do things a little differently, which can help us expand our programming and grow as a division. And with all of our visitors this time of year, there is no better time to improve as interpreters.

Our newest exhibit is: Mosaic: The Art of Ahfachkee Students, Big Cypress Reservation; currently featuring works of the K – 2^nd grade students of Ahfachkee School in Big Cypress. The school’s art teacher Ivette Lopez used the work of Paul Klee and El Greco to inspire her students.  The beautiful, colorful results are framed and hung in the Museum.  The student art exhibition is an ongoing, collaborative project of the Museum and Tribal students from the Ahfachkee School and the Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School on the Brighton Reservation.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum tour guides were all recently certified as interpretive guides from the National Association for Interpretation.  The 4-day CIG training was equal to a college level course in museum studies. Having staff that have gone through this training moves us toward our goal of providing you, and all our guests a more informative and fulfilling museum experience.

Let’s Move, Museums & Gardens – 489 museums, zoos and gardens have signed on to include and promote healthy lifestyle choices in their exhibits and programs. Let’s Move is a program instituted by First Lady Michelle Obama and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – a federal agency.  The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is a Let’s Move institution. An upcoming exhibit at the Museum, Through the Eyes of the Eagle, comes along at just the right time as it coincides with the Let’s Move initiative.  The exhibit is a series of large watercolor paintings based on a series of children’s books written by Georgia Perez and illustrated by Patrick Rolo (Bad River Band of Ojibwe, Wisconsin) and Lisa A. Fifeld (Oneida Tribe, Wisconsin). It was originally developed by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the Tribal leaders Diabetes Committee and Indian Health Services. The exhibit runs February – April 2012.  We hope you can visit.   

Museum Store: In addition to our selection of Seminole patchwork, books, CDs and jewelry; we have just received our holiday ornament. A red ball with a band of patchwork, it comes boxed, ready for gifting. It’s just $12.95.  You can order this ornament by emailing rebeccapetrie@semtribe.com or calling the Museum Store at 877.902.1113 ext. 12224.

We hosted our first Birdwalk on the Boardwalk during AIAC. Hendry County Audubon Society and its members led the morning walks. Here is our AIAC bird list: Northern Perula, Grey Catbird, American Redstart, Blue Grey Gnatcatcher, Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Wilson’s Warbler (#255 on one watcher’s life list), Palm Warbler, Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Red Shouldered Hawk, Magnolia Warbler, White Ibis, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron.  Heard but not seen: House Wren and Indigo Bunting.  Pictured at right is a Red Shouldered Hawk I saw on Sunday morning.

The Museum has introduced our first volunteer program; providing unique opportunities for members and interested individuals willing to lend a hand and interact with staff in such exciting areas of the Museum as Collections, Membership and Education. Volunteers will help to fulfill the mission of the Museum and work to create a strong collaborative, community environment, as well as garner a deeper, first-hand knowledge and understanding of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. More information about the volunteer program is available by contacting the Museum Administrative Assistant at (863) 902-1993 and we hope to hear from you soon!

Add this to your calendar: Battle of Okeechobee – reenactment: February 4 & 5, 2012, hosted by Battle of Okeechobee Battlefield Friends.  This event commemorates the largest and fiercest battle in the Seminole Wars, fought on Christmas Day 1837.  We will have an informational and retail booth at the event so we hope to see you there. Visit http://www.okeechobeebattlefield.com/index.html for additional information.

To enhance your Museum experience we offer free tours on most days, check the calendar on our website for times and days.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum members are always admitted free.  If you would like Museum membership information, please email marybirch-hanson@semtribe.com or call 954.364.5205.

I look forward to seeing you at the Museum. 

Mary Birch-Hanson

Membership Coordinator

Hard to believe it is mid-October already. Preparation for our 14^th annual American Indian Arts Celebration (AIAC) is in full swing as the first weekend in November draws near. While excitement revs up for the event, Development continues to work to bring awareness and support to the Museum and its related events. The deft art of fundraising in stressed economic times provides the perfect learning curve for our Museum as we embark on a multi-tiered approach to expanding our membership base and other opportunities for community, corporate and philanthropic investment. Essentially a newcomer to this arena, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki is slowly albeit dedicatedly building a platform for recognition and support.

Working closely with cultural and community partners to design programs of interest at the Museum and elsewhere, including birdwalks, archaeological days, collections workshops, traditional arts demonstrations as well as exclusive store sales, we have enhanced our profile and brought more awareness to the Museum, its mission and the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

During AIAC weekend we will be hosting an early morning Birdwalk on the Boardwalk. For the price of admission to the festival, birding enthusiasts are welcomed and will gain access to the Boardwalk before the Museum officially opens at 9am. Beyond AIAC, the Museum plans to hold these early morning Birdwalks quarterly throughout the year. So in what appears to be a successful model, specific event planning can lead to overall programming thereby broadening the Museums reach, role and recognition.

Early November is sure to bring long awaited and celebrated cooler temperatures, typically the perfect backdrop for our annual fall event. Several meet-ups have been organized for birders, bikers and photographers. This year we welcome Native American performer Kevin Locke (http://www.kevinlocke.com/kevin/about) and a group of Native Hawaiian dancers called the Aloha Islanders (http://www.wehula.com) ; as well as the usual excitement of Seminole Stomp dancing, alligator wrestling, Critter Show, sensational Seminole and other foods. GET YOUR FRY BREAD HERE!

Expect weekend-long fun for all ages with Raffles, the Children’s Craft Tent, the Archaeology Tent and the digital Scavenger Hunt. Be sure to stop by the Museum Information tent to visit with Museum staff and learn about current and planned exhibitions, programs, events and membership opportunities.

Look for more event details on the Museum website and the AIAC Facebook Page. And remember to set those clocks back on Sunday, November 6. We wouldn’t want you to miss a thing in our exciting lineup!  See you soon.

-Dorian Lange

You can already feel the change in the weather, as the days get shorter, the sunlight turns golden and our fine feathered winter visitors (both human and birds) are on their way south.

Our Exhibits Manager Greg Palumbo was showing us the new Microsoft Surface touchtable program called Camp Life.  It’s an interactive program, geared to kindergarten – 4^th grade children, that seeks to acquaint them with Seminole camp life in the 1890s.

Museum Store – New item:  generous 48″ umbrella with a clear acrylic shaft and a light-up center, just $24.95 (Museum members, take advantage of your member discount.)

Contact the Museum Store at (877) 902-1113 ext. 12224 with your questions about these items.

American Indian Arts Celebration (AIAC) – November 4-6.  Join us for a celebration of traditional and contemporary Native American art, music, and dance from across the country.   Delicious food will be available for purchase.

Friday is AIAC Youth Day, featuring crafts, animal shows and special archaeological programming. There is great programming everyday for school age children, including a “take-away craft.”

Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) will be demonstrating, providing hands on learning opportunities and daily talks about their work.

The full AIAC schedule will be posted by the middle of October. 

Current exhibits

Tools of War, looks at the changing technology of weapons and how these advancements shaped the Seminole Wars.  This exhibit features great items from our collection, including weaponry from 1817 -1858. 

From Surviving to Thriving: An Everglades Economy is also available for your viewing.  It is a chronological look at how the geographical area commonly known as the Everglades, has sustained the Seminole Tribe of Florida from the mid 1800’s to the present.  Learn how some of the deliberate attempts to change the Everglades have impacted the ecology of South Florida and how they have positively and negatively affected the Tribe.

To enhance your Museum experience we offer free tours on most days, check the calendar on our website for times and days.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum members are always admitted free.  If you would like Museum membership information, please email marybirch-hanson@semtribe.com or call 954.364.5205.

I look forward to seeing you at the Museum. 

Mary Birch-Hanson

Membership Coordinator

At last week’s Florida Association of Museum Conference an exciting new initiative was announced in relation to the nationwide Connecting to Collections initiative.  Connecting to Collections began back in 2005 with a report released by Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).   The report, titled “A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections (HHI),”, revealed that museum collections of objects, documents, and digital material are not only essential to America’s cultural health, but are imperiled and in need of swift protective action.

The study’s findings concluded that: 

•   190 million objects held by archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and scientific organizations in the United States are in need of conservation treatment;
• 65 percent of collecting institutions have experienced damage to collections due to improper storage;
• 80 percent of collecting institutions do not have an emergency plan that includes collections, with staff trained to carry it out; and
• 40 percent of institutions have no funds allocated in their annual budgets for preservation or conservation.  

Starting in 2008 Florida museums began participating in the program with regional meetings and symposiums being held to discuss the status of collections held in the state.  Meetings continued through 2009 and now in 2011 a new initiative has been announced that will partner not only Florida museums, but also libraries, archives, and archaeological collections across the state in order to answer the demand for regional emergency response networks. 

Being in the midst of hurricane alley has made the need for emergency response of utmost importance to us here at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum.  We look forward to working with other local museums to make sure these irreplaceable collections will stay with us for years to come. 

Please click here to read the full Connecting to Collections:  A Report to the Nation

Women’s Seminole patchwork skirt (2011.18.5), maker unidentified

By

James Powell

Associate Registrar

Recently, Nancy Niles Faesy and her daughter Margaret Faesy MacKenzie donated twelve Seminole patchwork textile items to the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. The items include women’s and girls’ skirts, a women’s matching sleeveless blouse and skirt, and men’s and boys’ jackets. These beautiful items are welcome additions to the Museum’s textile collection, and they carry the added value of having once belonged to Ethel Culter Freeman. Granddaughter Nancy Niles Faesy and great granddaughter Margaret Faesy Mackenzie tell the Museum that Seminole Tribal members made these textiles and then gave them to Ethel Cutler Freeman, who in turn gave many to members of her family. Nancy Niles Faesy wrote in her donation letter that she felt her grandmother would be pleased that these textile gifts have been returned to the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

This month the Museum again seeks your assistance. We are searching for information on who may have made these items and who may have given them to Mrs. Freeman.  This invaluable information will allow us to link these items directly to Seminole Tribal members and properly place the textiles in the Tribe’s history.  We are also searching for more specific information on the skirt pictured above.  Can you assist us in describing this item? Any information on skirt style, patchwork designs, and date would be helpful.  Please post a comment, or contact the Museum at 877-902-1113, to share your knowledge on this skirt, the textile items made and given to Mrs. Freeman, or any recollections or stories related to her.

We would like to thank the family of Ethel Cutler Freeman for this and all their past donations to the Museum, each item forms a clearer picture of Ethel Cutler Freeman, her relation to the Seminole Tribe, and the culture and history of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.  To view these textiles, additional items related to Ethel Cutler Freeman, or any museum materials, please call the Museum at 877-902-1113 to make an appointment.  Thank you!

Ethel Cutler Freeman, January 1946

 Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Willard Steele, who made the initial discovery when he spotted the tooth protruding from spoil piles left over from recent canal dredging, estimates the bones date back around 10,000 years to the Pleistocene Era. During this time, Florida had a much drier climate, and due to lower sea levels, was actually much larger in terms of land mass than it is today, almost twice its current size. Instead of being covered in rivers, lakes, and wetlands like the Everglades, the dry climate produced a savannah covered by hardy grasses and scattered oaks, which would have looked very similar to the African savannah of today.

I didn’t make it very far that day without proper footwear, but the memory has lasted and driven the way I work with the Tour Guides to give visitors a memorable experience. I have had many walks on the boardwalk since that time; each experience has given me a deeper appreciation for where I work. However, boardwalk itself isn’t how my understanding and appreciation for Seminole culture has grown; being a part of programming that takes place on it, the exchange thoughts and ideas about life and the world around us. Some days I go out talking with Tribal members, colleagues, and visitors, which left me with a feeling that we had just solved the world’s problems. Other days I walk out there to clear my head or to get in some exercise. Much of the time I’m out there, I’m working to keep the plant information fresh in my mind or am brainstorming ideas for a new program.

My advice for a person planning a trip to our Museum is to make sure you have enough time to walk the boardwalk. It’s just over a mile long so bring some water and good walking shoes. Bug spray is a must especially during the summer time. It’s hot and muggy this time of year with rain. Dry season is nice time to walk the boardwalk the humidity drops and the temperature in mild and cooler (75 to 80 degrees on average). In the wet season, with almost daily afternoon down pores, the rain gives life to the cypress dome plants that are dormant in the dry season come back to life in the wet season.

Need to take a break, about half way through the walk is our village and ceremonial grounds. It is a great place to cool off under a chickee, get a drink of water, and visit with Seminole crafters.

It’s more than just plants that come to life in the summer animals are more active, too. All staff seems to be aware that more animals are around and to keep a distance between us and them. The animals we see on a daily basis are wild and roam freely through our grounds. We see raccoons and turtles, alligators and otters, and on rare occasions a black bear will wander through. At this point many of you are thinking, “Isn’t it scary working in place with so much wild life?” Not at all. I feel safe out here knowing all the staff is trained in first aid and we have numbers on our boardwalk along with call boxes to send help quickly if something were to happen. The best part of all is we’re across the street from the police, fire, and EMT building; average response time in my experience about 5 minutes.

Maybe it’s the heat or any of the other unique experiences I just described, but we don’t get much visitor traffic during the summer time. I say, “Come prepared and you’ll have a great adventure.”

-Diana Stone, Education Coordinator

Of special interest is this photograph of an unidentified signing event.  Museum staff believe this photograph is related to the Tribe’s cattle program and was taken on Big Cypress in the mid to late 1940s.  Big Cypress Agricultural and Livestock Enterprise trustees Morgan Smith and Jimmy Cypress are shown seated at a table.  Joe Bowers, Fred Montsdeoca, and others stand encircling table.

Photograph (1999.40.15) of unidentified signing event. Can you help us identify what is happening this photograph?

Further information about this group of Seminole cattle program photographs can be found in the next issue of the Seminole Tribune (http://www.semtribe.com/SeminoleTribune/AboutUs.aspx) and the Fall 2011 Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Quarterly, our membership magazine.  A subscription to the AQ is one of many benefits of joining our membership program.  To find out more about our membership levels please contact, Mary Birch-Hanson, Membership Coordinator, marybirch-hanson@semtribe.com. 

If you would like to view this group of photographs, additional items related to the Tribe’s cattle program, or other Museum materials, please contact the Museum at 877.902.1113 to arrange an appointment.

-James Powell, Associate Registrar