[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 203 (Tuesday, November 23, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA FOR NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN 
                             HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 23, 2021

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, Seminoles have called Florida home for 
thousands of years. Their ancestors met the Spanish when they touched 
down on Florida's shores in 1510 and created a refuge for those who 
sought to escape slavery and oppression. In 1830, when President Andrew 
Jackson broke the treaties he signed with native peoples and ordered 
those east of the Mississippi River be ``removed'' west, the Seminoles 
resisted and fought for their freedom alongside their neighbors. They 
kept their ways and traditions alive in the Everglades of Florida, 
where they remain free and unconquered to this day.
  Facing the threat of the termination of services and Federal 
assistance in the 1950's the Seminole Tribe of Florida organized to 
develop a constitution, advanced through meetings under the old Council 
Oak Tree on the Hollywood Reservation. Federal recognition in 1957 
reinforced the inherent sovereignty and necessitated a new form of 
self-governance for the newly organized Tribe. As more outsiders came 
to Florida, the Tribe adapted and developed new economic opportunities, 
including tourism enterprises and cattle operations.
  Today, the Tribe counts over 4,000 members. They are a sovereign 
government, with their own schools, police, and courts. Members 
continue their traditions of sewing, patchwork, chickee building, and 
alligator wrestling but the Seminole Tribe also adapted to a changing 
world. Today, they run one of the largest cattle operations in the 
United States and own the Hard Rock Hotel & Casinos, an international 
business with locations in 74 countries.
  The Seminole Tribe also gives back to its community and is actively 
helping to protect the Everglades they call home. The Seminole Tribe 
has been actively involved in the Everglades restoration effort since 
its inception and has contributed significant resources to ensure that 
the overall restoration effort is successful, while protecting its 
sovereignty and unique way of life. For all this and more, we honor The 
Seminole Tribe of Florida for National Native American Heritage Month.

                          ____________________