iCross-Cultural Citizen Project- The Everglades: Miccosukee Style: Personal Reflection

Monday, July 22, 2013

Personal Reflection

The Miccosukee education system is clever because they find a way to incorporate their own culture into their learning process. It all presents the sense of nationalism they have. Their love for their tribe and their culture is reflected through their nationalism in their school system when they teach students how to live as a Miccosukee Indian. But, what is really interesting is the struggle it took to get to where they are now. They are reinventing themselves through education. Although they were once forced to assimilate into American culture, they use their school system today to build as a community and teach future generations to carry on the Miccosukee culture.

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Mission

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized Indian Tribe residing in the historic Florida Everglades-an area referred to as a "River of Grass" by legendary environmental and social activist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. In their own Miccosukee language, the Tribe uses the word "Kahayatle" to refer to the shimmering waters of this natural treasure. In fact, Ms, Douglas traces the etymology of the word "Everglades" revealing that it originates from the same description of the quality of light glimmering on the grassy waters.

Vision

Values

The Miccosukee Tribe is looking towards the future with great expectations. However, Tribal leadership recognizes much remains to be done to ensure that the Miccosukee people can continue to be themselves in a constantly changing world. A key to this cultural survival is in the values and underlying philosophy of the traditional way of life. Values and traditions will not flourish unless they are constantly renewed and entered into wholeheartedly by the younger generations. For this reason, the Tribe has developed Miccosukee cultural studies at a higher level through a secondary curriculum and expansive studies.

Background

The Tribe has a proud history, which predates Columbus. The Miccosukee Indians were originally part of the Creek Nation, and then migrated to Florida before it became part of the United States.

During the Indian Wars of the 1800s, most of Miccosukees were removed to the West, but about 100, mostly Mikasuki-speaking Creeks, never surrendered and hid out in the Everglades. Present Tribal members now number over 600 and are direct descendants of those who eluded capture.

To survive in this new environment, the Miccosukees had to adapt to living in small groups in temporary "hammock style" camps spread throughout the Everglades' vast river of grass. The Miccosukees stayed to themselves in the Everglades for about 100 years, resisting efforts to become assimilated. Then, after the Tamiami Trail highway was built in 1928, the Tribe began to accept the New World's concepts. To ensure that the federal government would formally recognize the Miccosukee Tribe, Buffalo Tiger led a group to Cuba in 1959, where they asked Fidel Castro for, and were granted international recognition as a sovereign country within the United States. On January 11, 1962, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior approved the Miccosukee Constitution and the Tribe was officially recognized as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. This legally established the Miccosukees' tribal existence and their sovereign, domestic dependent nation status with the United States Government.

On March 6, 1971, the Miccosukee Corporation was formed to receive and administer funds from private foundations as well as county, state and federal agencies for a variety of educational, employment, housing and social programs for members of the Miccoksukee community. The officers of the Corporation consist of a President, Secretary and a Treasurer. The Chairman of the General Council is also the President and the principal executive of the Corporation.