The Rising Tide: Native American Heritage at Risk Due to Climate Change

 Archaeological sites provide us clues to the past. These clues provide us with information we may otherwise never know. For example, evidence at these sites can provide clues to what prehistoric indeginous people were eating, what their houses looked like, population size, how they buried and memorialized their dead, and what tools they used. Often, these sites are the only clues we have of these previous occupants. Many of these sites in Florida exist at or below the current sea level and many of these sites exist along the coastline, where resources would have been abundant. Statewide, more than 16,000 archaeological sites are at risk due to climate change. In the Big Bend Region, this includes over 540 Native American archaeological sites. These sites include occupation and encampment sites, middens (refuse piles), resource extraction sites, mound, and burial sites. 

Many people are under the impression that Florida doesn’t have much archaeology or that its history does not span far back. In fact, Florida’s history spans over 14,000 years from what archaeologists know currently! Indeginous cultures in Florida were constructing mounds before the Egyptians were constructing pyramids! We can learn so much from these sites, including how indeginous people coped with previous sea level events. Archaeologists know that climate change and sea level rise are not new phenomena, but what worries them is the rate at which we are seeing these changes happen now. Archaeologists are already seeing sites with cultural material eroding from them due to sea level rise. We have seen sites, even those inland, destroyed due to stronger and more frequent storm events. We recognize that we cannot save them all, but we can do our best to document them and save those that are significant both from an archaeological standpoint, but also from a Native American cultural standpoint. 

Heritage Monitoring Scout workshop in East Point, FL,
volunteers learning to monitor archaeological
sites.

Archaeologists, including those from tribal governments, are working around the state to document and find solutions to protect our state’s most vulnerable sites. Living shorelines are being installed in some instances, 3D models are being constructed, GIS data is being compiled, and sites are being monitored statewide. These efforts are not just taking place in Florida, but around the country and globally. In some instances, such as with FPAN’s Heritage Monitoring Scouts program, volunteers are being utilized to help with the workload. 50 million indeginous people died from disease, massacres, and slavery as a result of European contact. Many oral histories, traditions, knowledge, and language disappeared along with them, and so it is even more important that we work to learn from and preserve as much as we can from these sites because in many instances they are all that is left of past cultures. Many archaeologists believe strongly that this is the least we can do for the descendants of these ancient indeginous people. Scientific data shows that climate change disproportionately affects minority and indeginous communities, and their cultural heritage is also at risk due to climate change.

The Muscogee Nation of Florida: A People of One Fire

 

The Muscogee Nation of Florida's Tribal 
Headquarters in Bruce, FL (photo courtesy
of Walton Outdoors)

The Muscogee ancestral homeland consists of what is now south Tennessee, Alabama, western Georgia, and parts of north Florida. A large majority of the Muscogee (often referred to as Creek) people were forcibly removed from these ancestral homelands by the federal government in the 1830s during the Trail of Tears. Today, descendants of those removed reside in Oklahoma, where native populations were relocated during this time. That being said, there is a vibrant and active traditional Muscogee community that exists in Florida today, which includes several different tribal communities. Today we are focusing on the Muscogee Nation of Florida and one of the projects that they are developing in a rural community in the Florida panhandle. Our goal here is not to tell you the story or history of the Muscogee, as they can most definitely tell that better than we can. Our goal is to introduce people to the Muscogee and discuss a valuable contribution they are making to a rural community that is often overlooked. 

The Muscogee people have become a staple part of their communities in North Florida. One project that has caught our attention is the Muscogee Farm project of the Muscogee Nation of Florida. The Muscogee Nation of Florida is headquartered in Bruce, Florida. They have endeavored to establish an agro-tourism business that will increase the self-sufficiency of the tribe and create additional employment opportunities for tribal members. It will provide a new source of locally sourced food for the community and create an income stream for the tribe. The farm’s plans include over seven acres of land surrounding their tribal headquarters, and encompass everything from hydroponics to aquaponics. There are also plans for  a U-pick blueberry orchard! The farm plans include an educational aspect as well, with a learning center, nature trails with interpretive signage about native plants, and other educational components. The tribe also envisions this farm becoming part of the

Trail of Florida’s Indian Heritage.

Flooding of the Muscogee Farm from Hurricane 
Sally. (photo courtesy of Muscogee Nation of 
Florida)

 Projects like this empower the Muscogee tribal members, but they also provide for their surrounding community as well and create educational opportunities for all. We often think of Native American communities as living in isolation, but this is a great example of a tribal community creating opportunity for their members, while providing a resource for their surrounding community as well. Unfortunately, this area has been battered by hurricanes for several years now. Most recently, Hurricane Sally hit the Bruce area and Muscogee Farms experienced extreme flooding and damage. This flooding killed numerous fruit trees and indeginous plants and wreaked havoc on their structures. We encourage you to please learn more about how you can help the Muscogee Nation of Florida recover from Hurricane Sally  and reach their goals. We hope that if you find yourself in or near Bruce that you will visit their farm and educational center as well, as the best way to learn about our Native American culture here in Florida is from the source itself! 

Let's Celebrate! November is Native American Heritage Month

 Florida is rich in Native American history, culture, and heritage. Many people have heard of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, but there are also some people that are not aware of Florida’s indigenous people. The Seminole may be one of the more well known indigenous groups in Florida, but there are others as well. November is Native American Heritage Month, and so we thought it would be a great opportunity to share some information about Florida’s Native Americans. One thing we want to make absolutely clear is that there are still Native Americans in Florida and across North America that practice their traditions while living in a modern world. In fact, there are over 5 million people in the United States that identify as American Indian. While they have a rich history in our state, they do indeed play a huge role in Florida’s present and future as well. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s learn about the history and evolution of Native American Heritage Month and then go from there. 

Dr. Arthur C. Parker (photo 
courtesy of wikipedia.com)

We have celebrated Native American Heritage Month since President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 as such. Similar proclamations have been made every year since then. However, the celebration of Native American heritage goes back earlier than that. In 1911, Dr. Arthur Parker, a Seneca tribal member, archaeologist and historian, and Director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York, successfully persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for “First Americans”. It is also worth noting that in 1935 Dr. Parker, a Native American, was elected the first president of the Society for American Archaeology! Then, in 1915, at the Annual Congress of the American Indian Association, a plan for “American Indian Day” was approved. President Coolidge issued a proclamation on September 28th, 1915 declaring the second Saturday of May as American Indian Day. This proclamation is significant because it also contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Native Americans as citizens of the United States. 

After the 1915 proclamation by President Coolidge, several states subsequently started to celebrate Native American heritage on the fourth Saturday of September. More recently, several states have designated Columbus Day as  Indigenous Peoples Day, but it is also observed without being recognized as a national legal holiday. Columbus Day has long been seen by many Indigenous people and others as a day that glorifies a time in our nation’s history that was violent and oppressive towards indigenous cultures. This shift has not been without controversy, but there is a growing movement towards celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, with more states, college campuses, and municipalities choosing to celebrate it every year rather than Columbus Day.

Native American Heritage Month is a month for everyone to celebrate and learn about the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to our country's past, present and future. We invite you to take time this month to educate yourself and explore Florida’s rich Native American heritage. Each of our weekly blog posts this month will be dedicated to this subject and we will also provide additional resources if you would like to explore further. To get started, we urge you to check out the Trail of Florida’s Indian Heritage.