Brent R. Weisman

Nativism, Resistance, and Ethnogenesis of the Florida Seminole Indian Identity

The Seminole Indians of Florida call themselves the “unconquered people,” referring to the years of the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) when the U.S. Army failed to remove them to Indian Territory. Although the Seminoles have diverse origins and a deep cultural foundation in the prehistoric Southeast, their modern identity can be traced to this era of military conflict. Nativistic resistance movements aided by a strengthening of clan ties formed an adaptive response to the threat of cultural extinction and fueled the process of Seminole ethnogenesis. Using the archaeological record in conjunction with historical and anthropological sources brings a new perspective to the study of ethnogenesis by identifying material dimensions of Seminole resistance and unity. Specifically, the presence and absence of aboriginal versus European American pottery, the presence of military buttons at Seminole sites, and evidence for the ceremonial exchange of wealth by clans are examined as material evidence for the process of identity formation.

The Archaeology of Pineland: A Coastal Southwest Florida Site Complex, A.D. 50–1710

The Archaeology of Pineland: A Coastal Southwest Florida Site Complex, A.D. 50– 1710. Edited by William H. Marquardt and Karen J. Walker. Institute of Archaeology and Paleoenvironmental Studies, Monograph Number 4. University of Florida, Gainesville. 2013. Distributed by the University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-881448-13-6 (HardcoverU.S.

Chipco’s House and the Role of the Individual in Shaping Seminole Indian Cultural Responses to the Modern World

125.00),viii + 935pp.,408 figures, 231 tables, bibliographic references, index.

Florida Archaeology Confronts the Recent Past: Four Case Studies from Tampa

The use of documentary sources resulting from late-19th-century interactions between Florida Seminole Indians and agents of the U.S. government reveals that individual Seminoles responded to the outside world favorably through the adoption of new technologies, housing styles, and other ways viewed as “progressive” by the government observers. Viewing these individuals as agents of cosmopolitanism allows archaeologists to consider the role of the individual as a source of cultural variation that can be expressed in the archaeological record. A theoretical perspective that sees the individual as a source of creative response provides for a nuanced and complex view of past human behavior; less abstract, and closer to the reality of the human experience. In the Seminole case, styles of house building labeled as desirably progressive are shown to have deeper historical roots and reappear in the late 1800s as a selective response to renewed contact with American society after a period of isolation.

Unconquered People: Florida's Seminole and Miccosukee Indians

ab]AbstractHuman activity of the recent past has resulted in an interpretable archaeological record that can be investigated systematically by archaeologists and serve the interests of people in the present seeking to define and connect with a history relevant to them. In Florida archaeology, academic and cultural resource management environments have not favored the development of archaeological research designs that bring problem-driven stratigraphic approaches to bear on specific deposits dating from the 1880s to the present, therefore, opportunities for a scientifically based public archaeology are being lost. In the young city of Tampa, understanding the depositional processes that contributed to the archaeological record can produce insights into the social, economic, and political forces that shaped the growth of the city into its present form. In particular, deposits resulting from demolition and fill need to be considered as legitimate subjects of archaeological research and understood as the loci for intersecting levels of political relations. Archaeology of the recent past can be immediately attractive to community interests seeking to develop or reinforce heritage identities, and the very act of archaeology can serve these purposes regardless of actual results. In a more traditional role, archaeology can partner with more visible historic preservation efforts to bring a community-based history to local architectural landmarks.