Seminole Voices: Reflections on Their Changing Society, 1970-2000

Conclusion

Conclusion Over the thirty-year span between 1970 and 2000, members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida underwent an extraordinary sociocultural, economic, and political transformation . By the opening decade of the twenty-first century, the tribe had created a workable governmental system and had established itself as an economic powerhouse. Gone forever were the days of having to wrestle alligators or selling patchwork and basketry to tourists to eke out a living. All of the tribal members interviewed understood and fully appreciated this dramatic improvement. By 2000 the tribe had enjoyed more than twenty years of steadily increasing prosperity. Nevertheless, on their journey to security and prosperity, the Seminole people realized that many of their old ways and values were being challenged or, in some cases, had already disappeared. They faced the difficult task of maintaining the languages and folkways that uniquely defined them as Indian and passing these along to succeeding generations while at the same time coming to grips with life in a new century. Most of the interviewees recognized that it was exceedingly difficult to remain a traditional Indian in the modern world, and they pointed out many ways in which their culture had changed in a mere three decades. Although individual opinions occasionally varied widely, a broad consensus emerged on some issues, and these are presented here in no particular hierarchy. Virtually all of the Seminoles interviewed agreed that it was important to preserve their languages and culture as markers of both personal and group identity, but there was no consensus on how this could be achieved. They generally supported the elaborate Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum as a place where Indians 202 conclusion and non-Indians alike could learn more about Seminole culture, although a few individuals held it was no substitute for traditional ways of learning from the elders and medicine men. They acknowledged that many societal forces were working against language retention among the young. For the most part, except for the Ahfachkee School at Big Cypress, Seminole youngsters attend public or private schools where their teachers and classmates primarily use English, and that is what they hear on television and in public places. In the 1970s and 1980s, observers acknowledged that the Miccosukee Tribe was more successful with its bilingual education programs in creating language fluency and self-esteem than were the Seminoles. This was largely due to the fact that all Miccosukee children attended the tribal school, where Mikasuki was a central language of instruction. Furthermore, it was a living language spoken by all members of the community at home and in daily discourse. Seminole children did not enjoy the same extent or degree of language reinforcement. Moreover, English had become the primary language in most Seminole homes. Even in reservation homes where one parent is fluent in one of the two Indian languages, it is not always transmitted to the children. This is certainly true where the other parent or partner is non-Indian or speaks a different Indian language from his or her spouse. In such cases English is usually employed as a compromise. Even a consummate Mikasuki-speaker like Jeannette Cypress, who was raised by her grandmother (the venerated medicine woman Susie Jim Billie) and knew both the archaic and modern forms of Mikasuki, admitted that her own children were not learning the language of their people as well as they should. Thus language maintenance depends on the individual family’s ability and willingness to reinforce Indian language by speaking it at home and, in the case of Big Cypress, supplementing what is taught by native -language instructors at the Ahfachkee School. conclusion 203 Preservation of such cultural artifacts as patchwork, beadwork , basketry, carving, and storytelling lies in the hands of an ever-shrinking number of individuals. Interviewees acknowledged that fewer and fewer young people, even though they might have learned the requisite skills, choose to practice these traditional folk arts. The Seminole oral tradition is at particular risk. When the older generation, some in their eighties and nineties , has passed away, their collective wisdom will reside primarily in written materials, such as Betty Mae Jumper’s Legends of the Seminoles (1994), which contains stories handed down by her grandmother. Another of Jumper’s works, And with the Wagon Came God’s Word (1985), is a personal account of her youthful interaction with Indian Baptist missionaries and her acceptance of Christianity. She also coauthored an autobiography...