Spotlight on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation

Welcome to the next chapter in our Seminole Reservation Spotlight series! In the past month we have looked at the unique communities and accomplishments of the Seminole Reservations of Immokalee, Brighton, Tampa and Big Cypress. Each reservation and community has a unique history, strength, and resilience that adds to the Seminole story. Thus, it has been an incredible journey learning about the different reservations that make up the Seminole Tribe of Florida!

Today, we are looking at a more urban reservation: the Hollywood Seminole Reservation. But it wasn’t always that way! So, follow along below to learn more about the origins of the Dania (now, Hollywood) Seminole Reservation.

In our featured image, you can see tourists outside the Arts and Crafts Center on the Dania Reservation. The Seminole man statue, based on the likeness of Jackie Willie, reaches out to place a hand on the open mouth of a large alligator. This iconic statue would grace the front of the Arts and Crafts Center, enticing visitors to stop just like the pointing man signs of the earlier decades. (2005.27.1229, ATTK Museum)

 

The Dania Seminole Reservation

The Dania Seminole Reservation, now called the Hollywood Seminole Reservation, was created in 1926. Along with Brighton and Big Cypress, it was created to shore up the Seminole’s economic struggles during the Great Depression. Although there was resistance to moving to the new reservation land, eventually Dania would become a well-populated reservation. One of the earliest, and most famous, residents of the Dania Reservation was Ada Tiger.

Accomplished cattlewoman Ada Tiger would sell her herd to fund moving her entire family to the Dania Reservation in 1927. Mother to Betty Mae Tiger, Ada would relocate to protect her family. Betty Mae was half white, which opened up the entire family, but especially Betty Mae, to danger. “The fear and hatred of the white men still ran hot in the blood of Tribal leaders and medicine men,” Jumper would recall later. “All half-breeds were killed” (08 Nov 1998, The Orlando Sentinel).

Ada sold what she could, abandoned the rest, and soon left Indiantown for the Dania Reservation. Her children, Betty Mae and Howard Tiger, would become incredible Seminole leaders. Both became Chairwoman and Councilman respectively and were instrumental developing the Seminole Tribe into what it is today.

Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Seminoles on the Dania Reservation would work in agricultural fields, work cattle, sell Seminole arts and crafts, or work in tourist camps. Many, like Ada Tiger, would also to fit into the white man’s world as the urban jungle grew up around them.

 

Okalee Seminole Village

Life on the Dania Reservation was not without struggle, but the community was growing. In the 1950s, Seminole leaders knew they needed to build a robust economic venture for themselves. Leaning into tourism, they would soon open Okalee Seminole Village in 1959 as their first official Tribal business venture. Originally just a tourist attraction, it would soon represent not only Seminole agency and sovereignty, but also share authentic Seminole culture. The Seminole Tribe would soon expand Okalee, building the Okalee Indian Arts & Crafts Center in Spring 1960. Below, you can see the Arts and Crafts Center at the Seminole Okalee Indian Village on the Hollywood Reservation under construction in the Fall of 1959.

 

Okalee Seminole Village would go on to be a cherished and valued location. Although the original structures are gone, Okalee still operates today. Interested in checking it out? Visit the Okalee Seminole Indian Village on November 15-16, 2024 to satisfy all your holiday shopping needs! The 2024 Seminole Powwow Marketplace offers a blend of north American Powwow, Polynesian, and Aztec exhibition dancing. Shop authentic Native arts and crafts, enjoy delicious food, and more at this cultural extravaganza.

 

The Council Oak

Today, the Seminole Tribe of Florida lovingly cares for the famous Council Oak Tree, located on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation. Its sweeping branches have witnessed incredible moments in Seminole history, such as federal recognition. But, its connection to the Seminole Tribe goes back much further than that! The land was originally a Seminole settlement before Hollywood was even a city. For example, the Council Oak, which still proudly witnesses history today, was part of a Seminole settlement back in the 1820s. The area, then known as Big City Island, was settled in 1828, with the tree already established. In the 1950s, it soon became a meeting spot, where “determined Seminoles would gather, regularly, to argue, discuss and ruminate on the creation of a unified Tribe. These were the sons and daughters of the last generation of Seminole Indians to live in the Florida outback, chased into hiding in the mid-1800s.”

Florida Seminoles “ratified their Constitution and bylaws by a ballot system of voting on Aug. 21, 1957. The Constitution received 241 votes in favor and only five against…. On the same day, the Seminole Tribe of Florida was issued a corporate charter, which was ratified by a vote of 223-5. The historic documents were all signed on long tables, beneath the spreading branches of the stately Council Oak.” The Council Oak was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

In 2017, the Seminole Tribe celebrated 60 years of sovereignty with an event under the Council Oak. In a Seminole Tribune article about the event, Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. shared that “Celebrating 60 years as a federally recognized tribe is nothing but a small feat compared to what will be possible in the near future. There’s not anything that any of us can’t say about how proud we are to be Seminole Tribal members and to be part of where we are today. We’re a huge family, a loving family, a caring family.”

 

Here, you can see a Black and white photograph of people lined behind a table under the Council Oak in the Fall of 1959. Seated are: Laura Mae Osceola, Bill Osceola, Virgil N. Harrington, Unidentified. Back row: Unidentified woman, Mrs. Jimmy Druit Osceola, Irene Toppin, Charlotte Tommie Osceola, and others not identified. The identification card notes it is related to the Okalee Village Arts and Crafts Center groundbreaking.

 

Hard Rock Hollywood and the Birth of Indian Gaming

But today, what most people think of when they think of the Seminole Tribe of Florida is the Hard Rock. In fact, most would be hard pressed to miss the giant, glittering Guitar Hotel during their South Florida morning commute. In 2004, in an incredible economic gamble, the Seminole Tribe of Florida would enter into a partnership with the Hard Rock, building locations on the Hollywood and Tampa Reservations. Their foray into the big leagues of the casino world would pay off in unimaginable ways. Only three years later in 2007, they would purchase Hard Rock International, cementing their status as a casino industry leader.

But, the story would truly begin decades earlier. The Seminole Tribe would build their first high-stakes bingo hall on the Hollywood Reservation in 1979. This, too, was also an incredible gamble. Then-Chairman James E. Billie shared how risky the venture was in a Seminole Tribune article in 2013. He stated that “Our attorneys gave us advice that we couldn’t open, but we tried anyway. We opened in December 1979 and didn’t know if we would survive. If we didn’t, we planned to make the building a skating rink.” Then-Broward County Sheriff Bob Butterworth immediately tried to shut the new bingo hall down. “Butterworth gave us two days’ notice that they would shut us down,” Chairman Billie said. “Thousands of people lined up to get in while it was still open.”

This would spawn a tense court case, which would drag out until a high court decision in 1981. The historic win would also pave the way for Indian gaming throughout Indian country and set precedent for the strength of Tribal sovereignty. What started with the Hollywood Classic Casino would reverberate throughout Indian Country, and lead to the Seminole Hard Rock of today.

Hollywood Board Representative Chris Osceola, who worked at the Hollywood Classic Casino for over 20 years, would also share his thoughts in the 2013 Seminole Tribune article. “The smoke was so bad in here, the paper in my office turned yellow,” he said, “This place should be a monument; it all started right here. Indian gaming has had an impact on all Tribes. I’m proud it started with my Tribe.”

 

Interested in visiting?

The Seminole Tribe of Florida hosts the annual Seminole Tribal Fair and Powwow at Hard Rock Hollywood each winter. Stop by January 31 – February 2, 2025 for a free, family-friendly event celebrating Native culture, art, dance, and more!

 

Seminole Scenes in Hollywood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.