September 13, 2009

Seminoles don't match stereotypes

A Facebook album of Seminole images: old photos, paintings, museum exhibits, advertising displays, and more.

Leah Bowe's Photos--Seminole Images

Comment:  Perhaps the most notable thing is how these images present a culture that's totally different from the standard Plains culture. If you asked people the ethnicity of the people in the pictures, how many would guess "Indians"? Not many, I bet.

I can just imagine a survey on what Americans think about Indians. My estimation of the results:

  • Indians no longer exist:  33%.
  • The few remaining Indians resemble Plains chiefs and warriors:  33%.
  • The few remaining Indians are shifty-eyed casino owners:  33%.
  • Hundreds of non-Plains tribes such as the Seminoles continue to exist:  1%.

  • For more on the subject, see The Billie Swamp Safari, Seminoles Resume Gator Wrestling, and Why FSU's Seminoles Aren't Okay.

    Below:  "Watercolor of a Seminole village by an unknown painter, c. 1930."

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