To an outsider, the Big Cypress Preserve in the Florida Everglades may look like a vast stretch of wilderness, untouched by human hands. But to the Miccosukee Tribe, it is sacred land they have called home since Florida was a British colony.
That’s why the Tribe opposed a recent proposal by the Biden Administration to declare the 730,000 acres a wilderness.
“Wilderness as defined in this country historically has been a mechanism to erase Indigenous history,” William Osceola, the elected secretary of the Miccosukee Business Council, told WMNF WaveMakers with Janet & Tom on Tuesday (11/19). A wilderness means there’s been no human activity on the land. So, Osceola said, “if you’re trying to define Big Cypress as a wilderness you’re trying to erase our history.”
The designation would have made it difficult for tribal members to carry out ceremonies it has done for years, and even created roadblocks to rebuilding the traditional chickee huts where many Miccosukees still live.
The tribe’s efforts succeeded. The National Parks Service announced last week that it was dropping its wilderness proposal because it would have interfered with the tribe’s centuries of history on the land.
“Even people with the best intentions, they don’t [always] have the full story,” Osceola said.
The debate came as Big Cypress marks the 50th anniversary of the federal establishment of the preserve, the first in the country and the largest east of the Rockies. The tribe pushed for the establishment of the preserve in reaction to a failed proposal to build a giant jetport on the land. “The tribe has always advocated for Big Cypress just because of our presence there,” Osceola said. “We always try to do what we can to preserve it.”
While the tribe is very focused on its future and preserving its culture, it welcomes the outside world every year for a big arts and crafts festival, now in it’s 50th year. It’s set for Dec. 26-29 at the Miccosukee Indian Village along Highway 41 in the heart of the Everglades.
Hear the entire conversation by clicking the link below, going to the WaveMakers archives or by searching for WMNF WaveMakers wherever you listen to podcasts.
