Resistance, Resilience, and “Struggle for Survival: 1817-1858”
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum has worked diligently to curate exhibits that share, uphold, and honor Seminole culture and history throughout their 27 years of operation. In our first installment of the Exhibit Archive series, we looked at Rekindled: Contemporary Southeastern Beadwork, which highlighted a handful of dedicated artists and crafters working to reclaim Southeastern beadwork. This week, we’re revisiting one of the most powerful exhibits ever showcased at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum: Struggle for Survival: 1817-1858. First opened in December 2015, this exhibit explored Seminoles’ courage and resilience during the Seminole War period. This is a legacy still felt today, and a history of strength against insurmountable odds.
In our featured image you can see part of the original exhibit set up, featured in a blog post by the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum from January 2016. Struggle for Survival: 1817-1858 was also a virtual exhibit through the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum for a period of years. Some portions of this virtual exhibit, such as the war timeline below, are still available online.
The History
Previously, we have mentioned that the Seminole War period consisted of one long war. Although historians tend to split this period into three separate wars, the reality for the Seminole people is much different. The Seminole struggle and the beginning of war would break out in 1812. Soon, Andrew Jackson would begin his organized campaign against the Indigenous groups of the southeast. The “first” Seminole war began in 1817. The United States intended to seize valuable Seminole land and cattle, as well as stop the flow of runaway slaves to the relative safety of Florida. What followed was decades of war. The U.S. Army whittled the Seminole away as entire communities were killed or deported.
Officially, peace time existed between the three war-periods. But this too is the bias of the white perspective. Pioneers frequently attacked Seminoles during these “peaceful” periods. The U.S. Government offered bounties to pioneers who could capture or kill Seminoles.
Florida pioneer Jacob Summerlin wrote a letter to Governor Brown in 1852, asking for him to commission a captain to police the Seminole so they stayed within their “boundary”. The letter, which was included in the exhibit, outlined Summerlin’s brand of pioneer justice. Summerlin tried to trick and capture Seminoles, shooting to kill when they escaped. Interactions like this were frequent, with the Seminoles experiencing violence not only from organized military but also encroaching settlers. Additionally, there was no legal recourse. The Seminole had no avenue to seek justice for murder, theft, and other violence.
The Seminole Wars officially ended in 1858, with the United States abandoning their campaign due to cost and their inability to capture all the Seminole. But, the effects of this protracted war left scars, and distrust, wariness, and resistance to non-Seminole that could be seen well into the 20th century.
Resistance and Resilience
In Struggle for Survival the realities of this war-time period are explored from the Seminole perspective. In particular, a common thread throughout the exhibit was to highlight Seminole voices and acts of resistance in the face of insurmountable odds and violence. The exhibit featured oral histories and traditions passed down from the war-time period. It also explored the tools and tactics the Seminoles employed to survive in the Everglades. Approximately 4,000 Seminole were removed from Florida to Oklahoma. They would later become the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
Those who escaped and remained in Florida “survived through a superior understanding of their land, guerilla war tactics, and a deep, abiding understanding of what happen to them if they did give up.” But it did not come without an incredible cost. The exhibit underscores that “it was a struggle to survive – it took all their ingenuity. Ultimately the ravages of war that lasted over 40 years caused many to accept removal. However, the spirit of resistance and adaptability survived in all. Today, the Seminoles continue to show the resiliency of their ancestors.”
The Exhibit
The opening reception, held January 16, 2016, attracted more than 200 attendees. Speakers included the late Miccosukee Tribe’s Lee Tiger, Moses Jumper Jr., Chief Justice Willie Johns, former Miss Florida Seminole Destiny Nunez and Dr. Harry A. Kersey Jr. Kersey was heavily involved in Seminole and Miccosukee affairs for decades and wrote a book on the late Buffalo Tiger. The speakers all highlighted the Seminole legacy, and how the Tribe today benefits from the incredible sacrifices made by those who came before them. After listening to the speakers, attendees could immediately go through the exhibit space, and experience for themselves the resistance and strength that Seminoles exhibited during the war period.
“The display opens in an experiential environment where the viewer gets to feel like they are there. It makes you feel hunted; inside the horror that is about to happen,” said Annette Snapp, the Museum’s then-operations manager in a Seminole Tribune article about the exhibit.
In our featured image, you can see the opening section of the exhibit space. In it you see a fabricated, recreated swamp complete with foliage and cypress knees. Recorded swamp sounds, such as chirping crickets and rustling leaves, provided a sensory experience. The Museum team also recreated the entrance to the Grey Cloud, the steamer that transported Seminole captives north to Oklahoma. An interactive app let visitors understand what survival during this time meant for the Seminole. The exhibit also included a backlit interactive map and a reconstructed Seminole camp, all fabricated on-site. Letters, oral histories, and historic documents also helped paint the picture.
“We wanted people to understand the challenges that the Seminoles faced. Against those innumerable odds, they are still here. That is why they are Unconquered,” said then-Museum curator Rebecca Fell.
The Buckskin Declaration
Another highlight of the exhibit was the then-recently rediscovered Buckskin Declaration. The late Miccosukee Tribe’s Lee Tiger, whose father Buffalo Tiger translated and transcribed the document, read the declaration to the crowd at the opening reception and provided background information. Buffalo Tiger hand-delivered the original document to Washington D.C. on March 1, 1954. Addressed to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is “inscribed on a deer hide, signed by pre-Seminole and Miccosukee Tribe elders, and states that the Florida Natives wished simply to be left alone – with respect, dignity and honor – to live peacefully as they have for generations.” The document was on loan to the Museum for the duration of the exhibit from the Eisenhower Presidential Library.
Big Cypress Board Rep. Joe Frank described the document as being “comparable in the outside culture to the Magna Carta or the Constitution of the United States.” The then-unrecognized Miccosukee emphasized that they wanted nothing from the United States except to peacefully exist. “Feelings were projected from the Buckskin that were of peace, respect and dignity. They wanted to share with the white men that we were not inferior; they were not inferior; we were just all humans on the Earth,” Lee Tiger shared.
Tiger also shared his thoughts on what it would have been like if the declaration had been wider read. “Everyone in the world would have read it and the words would not have been hidden away for more than 50 years. But the message is just as important today as yesterday,” Lee Tiger said. “The men who said the words are gone, but their words are alive with the truth, breath, energy and heart of our spirit.”
The late Lee Tiger at the exhibit opening reception in 2016. Via the Seminole Tribune.
The Impact
The intention behind this exhibit, like many the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum has organized over the years, is to share the Seminole truth of their history. “People can bury the truth and for many years they did … I don’t think non-Indians know about the wars against our actual living families with children, aunts, uncles and grandparents. They were not warriors; they were families who had to hide silently under bamboo in the marshes or be killed,” Tiger said at the reception. “It was a long, terrible war that should never have happened.”
It also weaves a thread from Seminole history straight through to today. Recognizing the atrocities, acknowledging the Seminole resistance, and sharing these truths sheds light on the their legacy, and how the Seminole Tribe of Florida came to be. This is their family, and the Seminoles of today are the legacy left to flourish. Former Chairman Billie also attended the reception, sharing camp life prior to the Buckskin Declaration and Recognition. “Our grandfather, our fathers and grandparents were laying the groundwork for what we are today,” he plainly stated.
What’s Happening Now at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum?
We hope you have enjoyed this look back in our latest Exhibit Archive installment! Join us in the future for an inside look in some of the most impactful Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum exhibits over the years. Interested in visiting the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum? You can find some current exhibits and events below.
Taweekaache: Seminole Patchwork Exhibit in the East Gallery. This vibrant new exhibit celebrates the Seminole Tribe’s unique and iconic patchwork garments. Running through June 2025, the exhibit showcases more than 20 Seminole artists from five different Seminole reservations, including Trail and Big Cypress.
Miniature Marvels: Masterpieces Reimagined in the Mosaic Gallery
History Through Art – featuring newly acquired collection pieces in the Nook Gallery.
Planning a visit? Stop by the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum December 13-14th from 10:00am to 4:00pm for the 4th Annual Big Cypress Holiday Market. Check off those Christmas and holiday lists with authentic Native arts, crafts, clothing, and jewelry for sale. Additionally on site will be Seminole food vendors.
Author Bio
Originally from Washington state, Deanna Butler received her BA in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Washington in 2014. Deanna moved to Florida in 2016. Soon, she began working for the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office. Deanna was the THPO’s Archaeological Collections Assistant from 2017-2021. While at the THPO, Deanna worked to preserve, support, and process the Tribe’s archaeological collection. She often wrote the popular Artifact of the Month series and worked on many community and educational outreach programs. She lives in Lakeland, FL with her husband, two sons, and dog.
