by Rev. Houston R. Cypress, Otter Clan
Board of Directors
Love The Everglades Movement

A pre-dawn fog swirl'd low along the Tamyami Trail.  February 23, 2010.  You gotta go slow.

You
Can
Feel
the presence of so many lives,
monuments to joy, the tender traumas
of dreams abandoned, medicine sprouting from
guarded soils -- you can feel all that pulsating
in the early morning, you can feel all
that ensconced in the subdivisions, you can also feel
the spirits that these people care for according
to their own traditions, You just can't see it.  Thick fog.
You can feel it in the thick fog.

You gotta go slow.  A shattering contradiction after
returning from HyperReal Scintillating DMT-Space.

Walkingbird at The Shaman Lounge hosted a DMT smoke session earlier that night.  She's the kind of Shaman Woman of Power who said she in-joys "Agape with a splash of DMT!"  A Walkingbird recipe.  When the artistic collaborators needed a safe space to re-calibrate their experience of the Universe, no finer spot existed in West Miami, or Turtle Island, or this quadrant of the Galaxy, than The Shaman Lounge.

In The Spiritual Ourstory of South Florida and the Greater Everglades -- which is already written in the celestial planes, glistening letters on parchment made of the sacred deer hide -- my favorite chapters celebrate the Set & Setting that Walkingbird continually re-created, remembering those choreographies of healing energy that catalyzed a spiritual renaissance.  Hippie, seer, artist, mother, and so much more -- she conjured a cozy chamber dedicated to good vibes that always throbbed with the best music from across the Universe.  "She Really Likes It."

What are you going to look at?
What are you going to listen to?
You can choose!

These heuristics are the result of decades of experience navigating the realms that are made accessible via entheogens.  From countless psychedelic trips.  From a lifetime of spiritual precociousness.  And from communion with the denizens of strange and sparkling dimensions.  Are you going to direct your attention to the creepy and scary?  Or are you going to focus on clarifying your experience of THE JOY INHERENT in so much of those colorful mandalas that life offers up to you as the situations of your days, and nights, and dreams?  Advice for tripping.  Advice for life.

Sentient geometry, arcane equations, and a pungent aroma blasting doorways open.  And may we all have Sweet Dreams and Ever!

Fast forward a Year or Two ...

A pre-dawn fog swirled low along the Tamiami Trail.  You gotta go slow.  Grey puffs shimmering in dark-to-light patches.  Cold.  The great biological vastness of the liquid heart of the Greater Everglades was implied.  You could not see anything around you in the misty whorls.  The crunchy road.  That's it.  Chuckling boys and girls somewhere in that cotton.  Swamp bugs clicking and buzzing.  Your own vibrating sense of excitement.  The swirling cloudy mystery.

A small production crew organized by Miccosukee Magazine TV joined the creative nexus of Agape Featuring Nadia Harris for roadside selfies in the heart of the River of Grass, amidst the traditional homelands of the Miccosukee and Seminole peoples.  The mission:  to record the visuals for the music video.

The creative energies harnessed by one of South Florida's most respected art communities -- today a nonprofit known as the Moksha Arts Collective -- brought me together with music producer and artist Erick Paredes.  Probably at one of the Moksha parties.  Or so we think.

Who knows for sure where we met? -- but I remember in-joying late-night phone conversations with Erick.  I was living in my studio chickee at Otter Ave. on the Miccosukee Rez.  Music, magic, psychedelics, opinions on the Universe, lucid dreaming -- we riffed on it all.

It fascinated me watching Erick and Nadia create musical joy.  Over time, we came to work together on a number of projects, not the least of which was for the 40th Anniversary of the United South & Eastern Tribes annual conference.

Miccosukee Magazine TV production offices were setup inside the Miccosukee Tribe's diplomatic building.  The mansion is located along a tributary of the Miami River, across from the original Port of Miami at Sewell Park, a couple of blocks from Marlins Park stadium.

We loaded our production gear in the dark of that early morning, and drove together as a caravan across the built environment of Miami-Dade County, before leaving that veneer of civilization for the River of Grass section of the Greater Everglades.  We met up at Tigertail Airboat Tours, and ventured forth into the moist sawgrass fields, poised to create portals between worlds.

Talking with Erick and Nadia, they wanted to create an audiovisual experience that exalts the landscapes of the Everglades, and offer an ascendant vision that embraces all people, especially the indigenous communities.  They felt it would fit in with a trilogy of videos they were working on -- a series of escapades that links the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, with the Art Deco boulevards of South Beach, amidst a psychedelic adventure that liberates the human spirit.

In a series of articles, I'll be chatting with the artists involved in the music video production for ROW, a beautiful song created by Agape Featuring Nadia Harris.  They've begun the process of sharing the video project with the world, so I thought it would be a great time to dive deep into their art, and the magic that infuses their music.  We're gonna jump into a revealing conversation with them, to start things off.

In the next article, we'll learn more about the journey of the music video throughout the world, and the accolades it's received from some of the best film festivals in the world, including the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, held every October in Toronto, Canada.  But, to really appreciate how this video popped into the world, I'm also gonna introduce you to the evolving nature of Seminole and Miccosukee film histories.

Wanna get to it?
Let's check-in with Erick and Nadia about their art, music-making, and the creation of the music video.

Houston R. Cypress:
Nadia, my sister, how are you?

Nadia Harris:
All is well, brother.  I AM here giving thanks for life, health, and strength.  ❤️

Houston:
We're living in interesting times, my friends, what's life like for y'all these days?

Nadia:
Well, life is transitioning and I AM simply allowing it to take shape and form.  Many shows have been canceled for us but we are ready to adjust while practicing social distancing to protect each other in full.

Houston:
How about you, Erick?

Erick Paredes:
I been making the best out of the pandemic.  It's given me time to reflect.  I was working a lot previous to the shut down and was wishing for some time off to focus on much needed studio work.  I just didn't anticipate having it be like this.  But I'm thankful for that nonetheless.

Houston:
Dub shines in so many ways, and I know it's a musical style that is central to your work as musical artists.  Can you open my heart some more to what Dub as a musical philosophy celebrates?

Erick:
I love Dub.  Well, I love a lot of different styles.  Kind of goes back to having a naturally eclectic nature and upbringing.  Not seeing too many distinctions between all forms of Art.  That goes for styles, too.  I love all kinds of music.  I love the fact that there is so much diversity and so much to discover always.  But Dub to me really seems to embody that.  Dub is so free.  And it has this playful, no-rules, experimental nature at its foundation.  It encourages fusion and blending styles.  Plus, it has this Deep Psychedelic Nature to it.  What's there not to LOVE?  Dub is love.  😁

Houston:
Your words sound powerfully in my heart, brother, just like your music.  Some artists prefer to have the viewers from their own interpretations about the artwork.  Do you feel the same way?  Because I'm curious to learn what you'd like to share about the story within the music video.

Nadia:
I AM fine with both options.  Yes, we are saying something, we are asking the world to remember Pachamama, to remember that we are living in a world that is filled with humans, animals and other living things that are filled with water.
If the waterways of the world are polluted we become that same polluted water.
In the video, we transitioned from living, dressing, and being a slave to power plants, living in the city while being and looking stressed simply to repeat our mistakes on a daily basis, adding to our carbon footprints on and offline.
The video then transitions to us being in nature, with beings who represent peace, love, unity, and a deeper connection with Mother Earth, while living off the land getting energy from the Sun.

Erick:
ROW is a blessing.  A reminder of our journey.  About the real journey.  The inner journey.  We are guided by nature and spirit on this journey.  Our ancestors are present in our very Being, Breath, and DNA.  Nature speaks to us at every moment.  Its beauty is present at all times.  We just need to be present also.  Sometimes we forget that and that gets us in trouble individually and collectively.  But it's not that complicated in reality.  It's self-evident in our very existence.  That's some of what I can say it means to me.  it's about realizing and letting go.  But the primary intent with ROW is that the viewer is free to interpret it however they like.

Houston:
How does music-making fit into your artistic practice in general?

Nadia:
Like canvas and paint, bees and pollen, we exist together and we are not balanced alone.  We are the practice that produces the songs that heal together or not so, we are music and the music is us.

Erick:
We are creative beings living in "creation."  With that being said, what is not art?  I would say art is our very nature.
It's my therapy really.  I notice that if I'm not making music I go through ruff patches.  I get a little depressed and feel a little off.  I only noticed this because the moment I start to make music again after being away from it for a bit, all of a sudden, the Sun will seem to shine brighter and I start to feel whole again.  It doesn't matter what's going on in my life.  I can be broke, in physical pain, or everything may be going wrong around me, but if I can tap into that zone and create something I vibe with ... I'm transported and forget all my problems and pain for those moments.  I will feel like a billion dollars!  Ancient wisdom says that music in its purest form is medicine.  I agree from personal experience 100%.

Houston:
How did this musical journey get started for y'all?

Nadia:
My love for music and writing started when I was 3 years old.  I also started reading and writing at the age of 3, but my introduction to music came through Chanting Nyabinghi and playing Kete Drum.
When I met Erick, I started watching him make tracks with Logic and ProTools.  He sat me down one day and explained the importance and freedom producing gives.  I only produce and record myself at the moment but if he ever needs me to write a song, riddim, or record some vocals, I AM capable and ready.

Erick:
I got into production from dancing.  When I was a child like 5 years old, I used to put on John Travolta / Saturday Night Fever dance routines at family parties.  Then, of course, I took to breakdancing like a fish to water.  It's all I would think about and do.
One day when I was around 14, I went to the house of a notable graffiti writer YANO who had infamously bombed the neighborhood's school walls.  When I got to his house it was the first time I was exposed to a proper DJ set up.  I think he had those early Technics 1800's, not 1200', a Radio Shack mixer, and mic with reverb.  It was also the first time I was properly exposed to cutting, scratching and beatboxing.
I think it was at that moment that I realized that what I really loved was music.  It was the love of the music that whole time that was making me dance.  It wasn't long after that I started to collect my own records and gradually had my first makeshift studio.  Turntables, a mixer, and then it was a little drum machine.  From there it progressed to synths, etc.  It all took off organically.

Houston:
I feel you, brother.  In my experience, and experiments, I'm always curious to see what comes of the ways we bring energies, communities, concepts, and rhythms together for projects and art.  I've been really appreciating how you and your musical family have been able to share what successful collaboration grooves like, as encoded in the music that y'all emit.  My friend Gustavo Matamoros is a badass sound artist and he always reminds us that "sound is the evidence of life."  Can you tell me more about the project known as Agape Featuring Nadia Harris?

Erick:
Agape Featuring Nadia Harris is the flagship project and production for my label Sustainable Music.  It started upon meeting my amazingly talented partner Nadia Harris around 2004.  It's primarily her and I, but we have a large rotating body of band members and collaborators that we have worked with through the years.
It's a very free project stylistically, where we explore many styles and fusions of styles.  The unifying thread among all our music I would say is Dub.  So, let's just say it's Dub to keep it simple.  Add to that a soulful and conscious approach to the music and subject matter and there you go.  That starts to describe Agape ... as I see it anyways.
It's Nadia's and I's baby.  We both approach this project with a lot of respect and integrity.  It seems like the music and what comes out will have it no other way.  Like it has its own life and we are just on the ride.  It's a beautiful and amazing ride.  But not without its trials and tribulations.  The music seems to demand certain love and respect at its own time.  And lessons need to be learned in the process.

Houston:
When the process of creation makes you a better human being.  I love that!  It takes a bold, playful, and hopeful spirit to be able to blend worlds together in a groovy, ass-shaking kinda festivity.  Which is what you've done by integrating ROW with your other video projects.  The opening of the music video indicates that this is part of a trilogy.  What can you share with us about the other parts of this overall project?

Erick:
Yes, it's part of an upcoming trilogy and short film.  We have had the blessing to have hooked up with very talented people such as yourself and a slew of other collaborators and friends through the years to make the music videos possible.
I always wanted for the videos to express a larger story when viewed together.  Kind of how the songs and subject matter create a bigger story as an album.  In this case, there is a narrative and conceptual movement between the 3 videos.
The first video "She Really Likes It" is The Illusion.  The second video "If Love" is The Realization, and "ROW" the third video is The Letting Go.  It's about waking, realizing the game is rigged, and dropping the game and heading towards The Real.
The videos are interlinked by recurring characters and specially made interlacing segments that tie it all together.  This whole process has been a labor of love that has been moving at its own time ... very slowly.  But I been feeling this tremendous urge to really push the release of this at this time due to recent events.  I think the time for these videos to finally be released was always meant to be now.

Houston:
I'm reminded of the concept of entrainment, which I understand to be the synchronization process of aligning with a higher frequency.  When 2 frequencies overlap, the rhythms tend toward the stronger signal.  What sorts of vibes would you like to leave us with, understanding that in the Miccosukee Universe, departure is never truly final ...

Erick:
Hopefully we can inspire the human spirit at this time and by the way bring some awareness to certain issues such as water and ecological emergencies in South Florida and around the world during these very special and trying times.

Nadia:
We are living in the repeat of mistakes we have been making for ages so, the time has come for us to take a deeper look within, for we would exist because of Mother Earth and Water.  All in all, I hope the viewers will share their views on what ROW means to them, because what we did is only the beginning of a great movement.  We have done our part.  Now I AM humbled to see and hear what the world has to say about ROW.

... Please In-Joy ROW ...

by Rev. Houston R. Cypress, Otter Clan,
Board of Directors
Love The Everglades Movement

What's most meaningful to me about supporting this gathering?  I have 2 reasons.

Originally, I was looking forward to meeting the communities that this gathering would have brought together; but, due to the public health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic, everything is going online, virtual.  Over the years that I've been watching the Integral Theory blossom in many realms, I've been motivated by the incredible and positive changes throughout the world initiated by the diverse practitioners inspired by this work.  So, I was looking forwrd to meeting the people.

Secondly, I was looking forward to the expansion -- expansion of my heart and mind.  I want to be moved by what people are achieving on the land, with/in communities, and throughout the cultural expressions of diverse peoples.  The incredible work done by communities implementing Integral Theory have also cultivated beautiful, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary artwork and coalitions.

These two areas -- community and culture -- combined with a decolonial attitude toward knowledge and wisdom, are some of the primary sites where the work of our nonprofit organization does very well.  And we are happy to be inspired by the cosmovisions and traditional ecological knowledges of the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (known by some as the so-called Americas).  The frameworks, ideas, and critiques offered by the Integral community of theorists and practitioners have given us a way to talk across the divides.

We are honored and privileged to be able to do this work on lands that have been cared for by many indigenous communities of the past, present, and future -- including our friends:

• the Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples,
  
• the Seminole Tribe of Florida,
  
• and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.
  

We encourage you to learn more about their environmental priorities, and to do your best to support policies that integrate their conservation principles on a local, regional, national, and international scale. We are happy to uplift the scientific and conservation efforts of the Miccosukee Environmental Protection Agency.

One of the many reasons it's important to acknowledge the indigenous communities of this land is due to the effects of erasure from mainstream narratives caused by (un)official policies.  We honor the value of other knowledge systems, and we are inspired to action by traditional ecological knowledge, the arts, and the insights gained through science and research and personal experience.  We encourage a broader understanding of the American context for Reconciliation.  To learn more about that, please look up the 2009 US Apology to Native Peoples.

By finding a balance between these paradigms -- the Circle of Life as upheld by the Miccosukee and Seminole peoples, and the quadrants and levels, etc., of the Integral Theorists -- the Love The Everglades Movement has been able to articulate protocols of joy that create conditions for a strengthened, and reciprocal, relationship with the natural world that we are a part of. The images in this article are taken from my presentation at the Creative Time Summit from 2018.  The link is provided below.

Ultimately, we want to be able to bring a sense of creative solidarity with the natural world, and also with our friends and family among the indigenous communities, the First Nations, the Original Peoples.

We look forward to connecting with the broader community to share ideas, and ultimately the joys of our gardens, with one another.

By Dorothy Downs,
​followed by a conversation with Rev. Houston R. Cypress

​I invite readers to Canoe Back in Time, to visit a Miccosukee family living in the Everglades in the early 1920s. The people believe that Breathmaker, or Creator, made the world and shaped for them the great open grass and watery plain known as the Everglades, and put animals and humans on the land.
 
The people learned how to live and care for nature, the trees and plants, the clean water, and all that inhabited the river of grass. They were told what they should grow or hunt to eat. This story tells how the family lived then and honored Breathmaker at the annual Green Corn Dance.
 
Miccosukee founding Chairman, Buffalo Tiger, told me stories and said he wanted a book written for children, telling them the family values he was taught. He asked me to write Miccosukee Arts and Crafts, published by the tribe in 1982. I have written and illustrated this book for him and the Miccosukee people. Canoe is a work of fiction, strongly based on real stories told to me and on real people with my mixture of first and last Miccosukee names and clans. I thank everybody.
 
In the early 1920s, the Miccosukees were worried about what effect the building of the road across the Everglades to be known as the Tamiami Trail would have. I have included in Canoe a story of an event at Green Corn Dance, during a time when the men talked about business:

​Canoe is set in a Panther Clan camp. Each chapter cover aspects of family life, told through a very creative ten-year old girl, Sally Osceola. She wakes up, remembering "Today is my special day." Her parents are going by canoe to Miami to buy supplies, including cloth and thread for sewing.

Sally can't wait to get to her mother's sewing machine to learn how to sew her outfit to wear to Green Corn Dance ceremonies. Breathmaker has told Sally she will be an artist and she wants to honor Creator. The story follows her and her family's activities up to the big events.
 
As an art historian, I have written about all of the arts of Miccosukees and Seminoles. Once a creative girl and artist myself, my special interest is tracing the history of patchwork clothing and the women artists who sew it. Sally Osceola's excitement about creating art is the spark for the storyline.

​Chapters cover:  busy life in the camp, children being taught in the outdoors, how to treat company, and collecting plants and learning about healing from Grandma, the matriarch of the camp. There are games, daytime and nighttime activities. Singing, dancing, and stories told by elders by firelight finish off their nights. The families and friends celebrate together a Happy New Year at Green Corn Dance.
 
I hope the reader enjoys the trip back to the beautiful Everglades we Love.
❤🙏
 
(Published by IRIE Books, Santa Fe, NM. Available on amazon.com.)

​I visited Dorothy Downs at her home office.  Ensconced amidst a stunning collection of Native American art that includes pottery, baskets, sand paintings, wood carving ...

​The jaw-dropper:  EFFIE OSCEOLA’s array of fiery patchwork grandeur.  An Otter Clan mother of many generations, Effie’s virtuosity weighs forth as massive textile wall panels.  It screams forth in a fiery gradient cascading thru scarlet, jacinth, & neon-goldenrod, offering just a hint of refreshment with a pure turquoise dash, boldly sovereign in a lush white foundation.
 
We had just finished re-watching Patterns Of Power, an hour-length feature produced by Dorothy on Miccosukee & Seminole patchwork, and the community that created this unique sewing technique in the Everglades.  It’s captivating to listen to the music inherent in the cadence of the Miccosukee women, firmly situated in the various institutions of a tribal community after 2-and-a-half decades of federal recognition and self-determination:  Delores Billie and Virginia Poole in the Miccosukee Health Department, Jennie O. Billie in the Miccosukee Indian School.
 
Dorothy Downs contributed to the momentum of Miccosukee artist Stephen Tiger’s art career by giving him his first one-man exhibition at her Four Corners Gallery in Coral Gables.  Stephen, and his brother Lee, are the nexus of the Miccosukee rock-&-roll band TIGER TIGER – they brought a psychedelic indigenous force to the stage in their day.  Today there are other Miccosukee music bands like TALKING DOGS, but TIGER TIGER blazed the path.  These guys, along with their father, Hon. Buffalo Tiger, started the annual Miccosukee Arts Festival, which celebrates indigenous culture in the Everglades for one week after Christmas.

​Dorothy and I are in the process of reprinting a beautiful catalog that she produced for Hon. Buffalo Tiger, Miccosukee Chairman in 1982 when it was first published.  
 
Times have changed for the Miccosukee Tribe these days.  The newest Miccosukee publication comes from their Fish & Wildlife Department:

The wire bound booklet clearly states “For internal use only, not for commercial purposes.”  In 1982, back when a whole different generation of elders were in key leadership positions, the Miccosukee were proud to share such treasures of their cultural traditions and artistic innovations.  These days, the Miccosukee community are taking time to talk about the importance of Data Sovereignty — guarding scientific data generated from tribal research activities.  Even so, this department had quite a bit to report at the recent GEER 2019 Everglades science conference.
 
With important film events featuring indigenous stories coming this fall with Borscht in Miami, & at FGCU in Naples, exploring Dorothy’s newest work underscores the importance of creative solidarity between communities, and the enduring sexiness of cinema.  

​H:
I’ve had the pleasure of getting reacquainted with your work over the past couple of years.  I deeply appreciate how you always show us love when we setup at different tribal festivals.  I love how the land and the Everglades shows up in so much of what you’ve produced in collaborating with the indigenous communities. Let’s talk about you as a writer.  
 
D:
At first I didn’t think I was literary.  But I guess I’m a writer HAH! look at all this.  (Gestures to her books.). The 1981 Miami Herald Tropic Magazine article, "Chickee Chic." It’s a nice big article.  I went to a high school reunion and a girl in my class happened to be an editor at Tropic.  "She said what are you doing now?"  I said," Oh well, I just finished my Masters Degree at UM in art history and I’m doing a little writing.“ She said, “Well write something for me.”  She called me in to The Miami Herald, and there was this room with a glass window.  There were people waiting, and I went in and she asked me questions.  She said, “There’s a typewriter, now go write it.”  I didn’t even type!  Much later, a friend told me, “I can’t believe what you wrote in the paper about Marjory Stoneman Douglas!”
 
H:
What has it been like learning from and learning with communities?
 
D:
I am so dependent on that and so fortunate the people would share with me so openly.  You saw in the video how Frances Osceola and all these people are happy to be able to share.  So I feel so fortunate that they are that open to me and I started this in 1976, a long time ago.  I didn’t bring gifts.  I’d just go in, sit down, say Hi, and start talking.  And they would just work.  Frances with Wild Bill.  Effie didn’t speak English, so Howard was there.  These people opened up to me and maybe they saw the importance of it, too.  The first person I interviewed was Howard Osceola, and I said, “Do you mind if I tape you?”  He said, “Oh no I tape my father-in-law all the time, Josie Billie.”  So I learned it was okay to tape, because they wanted this information saved, and I saw that I could help them do that.  I met Howard through the University of Miami, because he was working with Iron Arrow, the Honor Society at UM. 
 
H:
How has producing the film changed you since then?  Or how has it impacted you?
 
D:
When I would go out to interview people, I would leave the City of Miami and drive Tamiami Trail and suddenly things would change.  Suddenly you’re in the Everglades.  And I may have had some ideas and questions in my head, but I would get out there and let the people tell me what they wanted to say.  But just the environment of being out there, listening to them talk about what they love and do, but then coming back, just remembering what they said, not what I wanted to know.  And the beauty of the Everglades changed the whole thing.  Just going into it, experiencing it, and then coming back.  That was really important to my work.  I’d like to say how much I appreciate having this as a lifetime goal.  I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do and be accepted for it.
 
H:
What do you mean?  Tell me more.
 
D:
I believe that my mission in life is explaining the beauty of cultural diversity through art.  That is what I somehow recognize.  I feel chosen for that.  I don’t know why.  It’s just something I started doing and the path went on and on.  I met people. I met Miccosukee people.  I feel like that’s what I’m here for.  And yes it not only deepens me but it’s what I’m supposed to do.  Now I don’t want to sound strange about that, but, you know, sometimes you feel this is just right.
 
H:
You’ve had experience working with other indigenous communities, and I feel that my concerns are how traditional concerns and ecological concerns come together.  Do you have any experience with that in your relationships with other indigenous communities?
 
D:
I’m a Miami girl.  I was born in Miami and I so feel a love for the Everglades, for the whole thing, for the ocean, for the bay.  It’s very easy to be supportive of the Everglades.  The other communities I’ve worked with – say Navajo, or Pueblo potters – they’re different from here.  This is where I’m from, and to me that is really important, to tell the story of where I was born.
 
H:
Well, around here these days, in the circles I visit, people are concerned about the Environment, Climate Change, and Justice.  What’s the role of Art in this context?
 
D:
Making people stop and look and think.  Art is a way to introduce people.  This is the Everglades, this is how beautiful it is, and we need to take care of that.  Protect it.  And I think it can be done visually, more than any other way.  Or as equally as writing about it.  But visually you see the beauty of it.  That makes people stop and think, “Wait this is important, we can’t let go of this.”  And that’s the role art plays.

Brief commentary by Houston R. Cypress, followed by the Miccosukee Tribe's letter to SFWMD.

The Miccosukee Tribe is very skeptical of the latest plans put forth by the South Florida Water Management District resulting from Florida Senator Joe Negron's SB10 legislation.

First, there's the blatant disregard of the consultation process with the people living in the area that will be impacted downstream of this reservoir project.

The Miccosukee Chairman goes on to describe discriminatory policies and practices that the Miccosukee community have suffered and fought back against through litigation.

The Tribe objects to water storage in the Everglades Agricultural Area and advocates for storage north of Lake Okeechobee.  One reason for this is that the Tribe wants to see the water cleaned up, and this reservoir doesn't address the water quality.

The Tribe also points out the inaccurate and incomplete data, as well as faulty reasoning, published by the South Florida Water Management District.  Averaging data distorts the picture.  Leaving out monitoring stations distorts the picture.

The Tribe points to similar, big-ticket projects like the elevation of the Tamiami Trail, as a waste of taxpayer dollars that aren't effective on the ground, and he's wary that this is more of the same.

Billy Cypress has articulated the on-going discrimination that his community has been suffering for decades and he feels that the SB10 Reservoir project is going to lead to further loss of cultural practices and the continued degradation of the River of Grass.

Download the Miccosukee Letter to SFWMD using the link below.
Some mobile browsers aren't supported.  If you can't access it from your mobile device, please use a laptop or desktop.

Brief commentary by Houston R. Cypress, followed by news links, and primary documents.

The Miccosukee Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA) is made up of 3 departments:

• Water Resources
• Fish & Wildlife
• Real Estate (Land Management).

In the past 35 years, the Miccosukee Community and MEPA have been working hard to record Traditional Ecological Knowledge and peer-reviewed data that is concerned with the environmental health of the Everglades.  The Miccosukee Tribe has been able to use their authority as a sovereign nation to promote and implement policies that aspire to a thriving Everglades.  There's still a long way to go.

One of the latest projects that MEPA has been working on for addressing Nonpoint Source Pollution on Tribal lands is finished.  The last step that the NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PLAN goes through prior to being approved by the United States EPA is a public comment period.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD:
November 30th through December 30th, 2017.

My favorite parts are the Introduction, and the Appendices.  LOL

The intro has a great overview that tells the story of the Miccosukee interests in protecting the Everglades, and how providing a healthy environment for cultural practices benefits the broader South Florida community.  It discusses water management challenges in balancing demands from many communities, and points to opportunities for partnership and teamwork on multiple levels.

I liked the Appendices because of the pictures and charts.  It really helps you to comprehend a complex situation in one glance.  What are the ways that the Miccosukee community use and interact with the Everglades?  Just how bad is the water quality throughout the Everglades?  All of that and more are effectively illustrated with charts.

And also in the Appendices, you can find specific Best Management Practices clearly organized.

I'm including 2 news reports that provide additional context.  You'll also find a download link for the Miccosukee Document, followed by the text from the Miccosukee Community Notice that was published a few days ago.

March 3, 2017 -- Miami Herald
"Water Managers Declare Everglades Nearly Clean; the People who live there say Not Yet"
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article136361188.html

September 25, 2017 -- Project Earth
"Of Sparrows and Men:  Native Culture and Extinction in the River of Grass"
Watch video here:
http://projectearth.us/of-sparrows-and-men-native-culture-and-extinction-in-t-1818732928 

Download the Miccosukee Document using the link below.
Some mobile browsers aren't supported.  If you can't access it from your mobile device, please use a laptop or desktop.

COMMUNITY NOTICE
 
REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF:
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PLAN
Posted: November 30, 2017
 
The Miccosukee Tribe’s Water Resources Department has prepared a draft of the Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program Plan, which is available for public review during normal business hours, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, at the Miccosukee Water Resources Department (2nd Floor of the Administration Building). Interested parties may request copies and submit comments by using the contact information below.
 
Public Comment Period: November 30th through December 30th, 2017

Julian Douglas, Environmental Specialist
juliand@miccosukeetribe.com
(305) 223-8380 Ext. 2223

Comments may also be delivered through the U.S. Mail to:

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Water Resources Department, Attention: Julian Douglas
P.O. Box 440021, Tamiami Station
Miami, Florida 33144. 

by Rebecca Coughlin,
​Photographer & Activist.

Some of us do not always think of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County as part of the Everglades, however, it is in fact the last intact portion of the northern Everglades.  Sadly, this refuge, established in 1951, is currently facing the threat of destruction.  It occupies 143,954 acres of land owned by the state as Water Conservation Area 1 and is the second largest national wildlife refuge in Florida.  A 50 year lease agreement, renewed in 2002, between South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) gives maintenance responsibility to USFWS.  At renewal time, thirteen performance measures were put in place.  Of those 13, USFWS was able to meet 12.5 of the measures.  They will not be able to meet the requirement to completely eradicate Melaleuca and Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium) by 2017.  The unique character of the refuge, particularly with its many tree islands, makes access to the areas most in need of care difficult and complicates removal of invasives more than just about any other area.  Not only is this the lone agreement of its kind in the state, but SFWMD has not been able to completely eradicate Lygodium from other holdings either, which makes it appear that the refuge is being singled out.

As a result of failing to fully meet the lygodium eradication requirement, SFWMD is threatening to revoke the lease and take over management of the refuge.  If this happens, there is a real possibility the land would be used to store polluted water discharged from Lake Okeechobee, flooding the refuge’s 5 distinct habitats, including tree islands and destroying the environment frequented by 250 species of birds, butterflies, deer, raccoons, river otters, bobcats, and countless reptiles and amphibians.  2016 saw a wading bird colony of over 7,000 nests, illustrating some of the value of this area.  Many of the creatures living on the refuge are endangered or threatened species.  Flooding the land with phosphorus-laden water would change the entire system and alter the habitat needed to sustain wildlife.  The priority for SFWMD would be water management, not protection and management of wildlife.
​
In addition to flooding the land with polluted water and destroying habitat, water management use of the land would very likely take away this precious opportunity to educate the 5,000 children who visit the refuge for structured science and environmental education, allowing them to learn about the Everglades and prompting many of them to become proactive in helping to protect it and inspiring some to pursue environmental studies.  Along those same lines, the refuge attracts 300,000 visitors a year, also allowing them to admire the wonders of the Everglades and to take an interest in preserving it while bringing jobs and tourist dollars to the area.  Additionally, loss of the refuge would deprive countless Florida residents the use of this part of the Everglades for recreational purposes, such as hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, and exploring the environment. 

Along with the loss of this unique setting, SFWMD’s limited financial capabilities and loss of federal funding through USFWS to maintain it would likely result in an added burden to Florida taxpayers.

Several organizations, included Audubon, Sierra Club, and Bullsugar.org are actively participating in trying to find a better solution, such as allowing the lease to continue and having SFWMD, USFWS, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and other agencies work together.  More Florida residents are becoming involved as they are made aware of this impending threat.

On Monday, December 5, 2016 a community forum sponsored by Audubon Florida was held at FAU Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in West Palm Beach.  A panel with representatives from Florida Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Discover the Palm Beaches (tourism), Wellington Community High School, National Wildlife Refuge Association, and Audubon of the Everglades shared information and heard concerns and ideas from citizens.  There was much enthusiasm and plans for action to further inform the public and to alert all involved agencies, including Governor Rick Scott, of the distress it would cause the Everglades, the refuge, and the public to have the USFWS lease revoked. Future activities will be announced soon.

Today, December 8, 2016 a rally was held at the SFWMD Headquarters in West Palm Beach to express support of Florida Senate President Joe Negron’s plan to buy land to store and clean water in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).  It was attended by approximately 75 people representing the Sierra Club, River Warriors, the refuge, and others.  There was media coverage from several sources, including WPEC (CBS) and WPBF (ABC).  Speakers expressed outrage over the condition of water from Lake Okeechobee discharges and directed Rick Scott and pertinent agencies to buy the land south of the lake instead of discharging to the east and west coasts or into the Everglades through the refuge.
​
The refuge is, indeed, part of the Everglades.  It provides a magnificent opportunity to expose residents and visitors to this truly unique gem.  The more people know about the Everglades, the more they will love it and want to protect it.  Here is an opportunity for all of us who love the Everglades to work together and present a united front to state agencies and the governor, declaring that we will not let it be taken apart piece by piece and destroyed. 

Statement by Mr. Bobby C. Billie dated 9/5/16.

9/5/16       Statement by  Bobby C. Billie, Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples, the Original Nation.

The Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples, the Original Nation has great concern what they are going to do to us, and the Natural Areas, Natural Systems, and Wildlife with this so-called Sabal Trail Pipeline,

We have a prophesy telling us what is going to happen in the future.  Today is the Future what the Elders were talking about.

Since the discovery of oil and gas, they have been drilling and pumping gas and oil, or drilling for water or digging up rock and minerals from pits, or digging for gold, diamonds, or other so-called precious stones.  These actions are changing the Layer of the Earth or Layer of the different Energies of the Earth, and changes also occur after they get it out, and they are in the Air, which means, burning of oil and gas in power plants, burning of gas in vehicles, and airplanes, and in different industries - creating a so-called economy that is destroying the Future of the younger unborn human peoples’ needs.

If you are a parent, grandma, mother, aunt, brother or sister, uncle, father or grandpa, you should not let these things happen - just because you need money.

Lot of those so-called rich people need their big corporations.  How much money do they have to have in order to become human beings because what the Creator (God) has said: Do not kill, do not lie, do not steal, but that is what most rich people and big corporations are doing.

Aboriginal Indigenous Peoples understand that the Creator’s (God’s) Creation is more important than the dollars. If, we do not disturb the Natural Creations, the Natural Life, which is who we are, and do what he has said to us: Love and Take Care of All Things, and Respect me, you will live longer in my Creation which is Earth.

Sometimes Aboriginal Indigenous Peoples say the Mother Earth, which means, to us, like taking care of your Mother.  When you are younger, when you are first born, you are helpless and your mother will take care of you, feed you, wash you, and will always give, all that she can give, to help you grow to be healthy.

This Mother Earth, we call her, if we do not abuse her, she will give us the food, the Water, and will give us the healthy children, and healthy young unborn ones yet to come.  But, the Mother Earth has been abused so long, and the Mother Earth needs our help especially from the so-called rich people, who have always been abusing the Mother Earth, they need to put their money back into the Healing process of the Mother Earth.  Because more and more disturbances are taking place, even now, lot of us are struggling, but also, a lot of people do not feel it because most of the people just stay in their own little world inside the buildings, but if you go out and look, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist or expert to see the World of Life is in trouble – Floods, heavy winds, fires, mudslides, earthquakes, all kinds of new threats to survival on Mother Earth.

​There are many things to be said, but you need to take a look and see, that the Sabal Trail Pipeline is another problem, another human creation that must be stopped.  The mothers and the fathers must wake up and say NO.

Contact:  Ancientrees@hotmail.com      904-654-0200

by Robin Haines Merrill,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement;
Curator, Upper Room Art Gallery.

ABOUT THE DESIGN CONCEPT:

From the Everglades to the ocean, water connects us all.  Underneath our feet, in the fragile aquifer of South Florida, water runs through limestone and supplies our daily needs.  In Fort Lauderdale, we are surrounded by canals, rivers, swamps, Intercoastal waterways and the ocean.  These painted intersection designs are an imaginary glimpse of what it might look like if we cut out the asphalt of the intersection.  It’s a traffic calming measure, but also a request to respect the water that surrounds us, seen and unseen.

The crosswalks reflect the vintage architecture of the local area, a retro review of styles and colors from the past that make us truly unique.

I’d like to invite you to participate in a community art event in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, May 15, 2016.
 
The City of Fort Lauderdale is part of a growing movement in cities across America that engages communities in public safety projects using artistic methods. This project was made possible in part through an "Art of Community" grant from the Community Foundation of Broward.
 
On Sunday, May 15th, the public will be painting in the Crosswalk sections of the design.  The center water design will be completed at a later date. Our hope is that this public artwork will help make the community safer and more mindful of traffic safety for all.
 
You can learn more about the PAINTED INTERSECTIONS PROJECTS by visiting the City’s website here:
 
http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/2936/2312?backlist=%2F
 
http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/departments/transportation-and-mobility/transportation-division/building-community-today/painted-intersections-project

by Houston R. Cypress, Coordination Circle,
Love The Everglades Movement.

On June 22, 2015, the Miccosukee Tribe submitted Initial Comments that begin to explain some of their major concerns regarding the so-called "River Of Grass Greenway" project -- a 76-mile, multi-use, asphalt bike path that is proposed to extend from East Naples to West Miami along the Tamiami Trail, as it cuts through protected lands, National Parks, State Parks, and other areas that are sacred and culturally-sensitive to the indigenous sovereignties known as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples.

In their Initial Comments letter, the Miccosukee Tribe requests an extension of the Public Comment period because the amount of time originally given is insufficient to adequately translate and convey the message to the Community Elders -- many of whom do not read or write in the English language.

Some other concerns include the following:

• Negative Cultural Impacts;
• Risk of exposure of Miccosukee cultural, historical, and archaeological resources to loss, theft, and vandalism;
• Invasion of Privacy;
• Negative Wetland and Habitat Impacts;
• ROGG fails to adequately address how the bike path might influence the Spread of Exotic Species;
• Use of herbicides to maintain grass strips impacting Native Species;
• Water Quality Impacts;
• Miccosukee Tribal lands have stringent Water Quality Standards which Must Be Met;
• Water Quality Certification Responsibility;
• Miccosukee Tribe sees no reasonable alternative that do not impact Tribal lands or waters and therefore will deny Water Quality Certification for any portion of the project within Miccosukee jurisdiction;
• Health & Safety Concerns;
• ROGG places more demands on the limited fire resources of the National Park Service;
• ROGG will also divert fire rangers and and fire management resources from saving lives.

The Miccosukee Tribe also goes on to enumerate the many laws that must be followed.

• All Applicable Laws Must Be Followed, including:
• National Environmental Policy Act;
• Endangered Species Act;
• Federal Advisory Committee Act;
• Clean Water Act;
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA);
• Big Cypress Enabling Act;
• Big Cypress National Preserve 2014 Superintendent's Compendium;
• Miccosukee Reserved Area Act;

Quote from the letter:
"The ROGG Draft Plan does not comply with all applicable laws, does not meet the requirements of NEPA, and does not comply with Tribal policies and practices."

Outside of the scope of the letter, I would like to remind folks what a separate indigenous sovereignty has been saying for quite sometime.  I'm referring to Bobby C. Billie of the Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples.  One of the messages that he's been repeating is that burial sites would be disturbed if this project were to move forward.  He's been reluctant to specifically identify the locations of these burial sites.  I empathize, because I know very well how the sacred and holy can be open to violation, parody, or satire, once this information becomes public knowledge.  His concerns are definitely serious enough that they would have NAGPRA implications.  A lot of times, though, these areas are a taboo subject for public discourse, and that also complicates matters

I would personally like to take this time to remind the public of the difficult and contentious histories that indigenous communities across this continent have had with colonial powers, and governments like the USA.  Treaties signed and disregarded, broken promises, genocidal policies, forced removals of children, forced relocation of communities, wartime atrocities, assimilation policies, prohibitions on freedom of religion.  And yet, our indigenous communities have also found shining moments of cooperation, collaboration, and mutually-beneficial accords which contribute to the revitalization of indigenous communities and strengthened sovereignty.

There is a way forward where parties on all sides can express respect and appreciation for each other's customs and ways of life.  And what we must first do is pause, and listen, and reflect.  So let's take this opportunity to listen to and appreciate what this particular indigenous sovereignty is saying about how negatively this project will impact a way of life that has already been threatened by massive and prolonged environmental degradation.

And what is it about this particular way of life that is so special and unique that they are using all legal, moral, and spiritual avenues to express their concerns?

Well, in my opinion, it's about a garden, it's about a cooking fire, it's about the stories told at night by family and friends, it's about the stars twinkling overhead, it's about that Milky Way above, it's about knowing your place in the Universe.  It's about healing, and balance, and songs.

Read the Initial Comments by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida below.  (Document only visible on laptop or desktop computer.  Click the icon in the lower-right corner to read the document Full Screen.)

by Jean Sarmiento, Coordination Circle,
Love The Everglades Movement

What we’re doing in the Everglades:

• efforts to raise awareness;
  
• get people involved;
  
• thru their own media;
  
• the Responsibility belongs with us all;
  
• being here and supporting our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
  

There are parallels that exist throughout the world.

In Northern California, for example, the Indian Nations there that are going through the same struggles, now amplified by the States Drought.

So we do our part here in South Florida contributing to the well-being of our Environment. The further into the future we go the more prevalent the issue of Water will become and we see it already in more and more publications. http://www.nationofchange.org/2014/11/18/water-wars-21st-century/

"It is easier to flush toxins from the river valleys than to remove toxic ideas that cause them from human minds. In the order of healing, it is human consciousness that must first change." 
- Ken Carey, Return of the Bird Tribes

And as far as I’m concerned healing and recycling are the biggest jobs.

We are ALL made of this Water, whether you like it or not.  And because of that, this Water ties us all together.  And so it is through these Waters that we can transmit and deliver this message of Love – appreciation penetrating the very core of our beings

This Love is the highest principle of cohesion and surely trumps any draconian system of control we are under. Allow this force to be our guiding light.

May the boundaries that impede humanity be dissolved!

And on the Strength and Authority of Universal Law we act to steer this planet to its deserved harmonious state.