Learn the Seminole Culture

Last month, we shared some sweet and savory Seminole treats and recipes that you can try at home. As we touched on previously, Indigenous cooking and harvesting represent acts of resistance to the pressures of colonization. Therefore, it is increasingly important to recognize, uphold, share, and support Indigenous cooking methods, patterns of subsistence, and what they represent. This week, we will look at several uniquely Seminole cultivated foods, and how they became important staples in the Seminole diet. We will look at Seminole pumpkins, coontie, and cabbage palm, as well as how Seminole gardens were uniquely designed to thrive in the Florida ecosystem and hide their important food resources. In our featured image this week you can see corn planted in a Seminole camp, probably early to mid 20th century. You can see chickees around it in the background (2007.46.27, ATTK Museum). Below, you can see a Seminole pumpkin. Seminole Foods Although Florida

Before Barbie…there were Seminole dolls! Dolls are having their cultural moment right now. But, did you know they have been an important and celebrated part of Seminole culture much longer than Barbie has even been around? This week, we will be exploring the beauty, simplicity, and impact of Seminole dolls. Seminoles have been making them for their children for generations. But, as Seminole tourism began to take off in the early 1900s, Seminole dolls and other crafts became important tourist commodities. We will also be shining a spotlight on the University of Florida Seminole doll collection and other South Florida collections. Much of these are online for your perusal! In our featured image this week you can see a young Seminole girl with a very early cloth head doll, circa 1900 (2001.32.1, ATTK Museum). Before the recognizable palmetto dolls you can still find today, Seminoles would make simple cloth or wooden