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Reel America: People Who Shape a Nation - AV Club
The Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes of South Florida
Saturday, November 14
3:30pm - 5:30pm
Miami Beach Regional
Auditorium2026 marks the United States' 250th birthday - and no celebration is complete without a look at those that first inhabited these lands. Join us for a screening of 16mm films that show the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes of South Florida in the second half of the twentieth century. For more information, please contact the branch at (305) 535-4219 or capleyb@mdpls.org. Ages 14 yrs.+
About the Series:
2026 marks the United States’ semiquincentennial – its 250th birthday! Join us to celebrate the big birthday all year long with a monthly film selection showing the people from the past and present that had a hand in creating these United States. Get a monthly cinematic glimpse of what America looks like!
About the Films:
- Seminole Indians, 1951, 10 mins.
This film is a short glimpse of the post-World War II life of Seminoles in the Everglades. Its tone is dated but provides a look at their life and work in their natural surroundings.
- A Boy of the Seminoles: Indians of the Everglades, 1956, 11 mins.
This educational short made for classroom instruction depicts the story of a young Seminole boy's (Naha) adventures with a baby alligator is used in dramatizing the life of the Seminole Indians of the past. Describes their swamp environment, their family relationships and their homes, food, clothing, and canoes.
- Unconquered Indians, 1974, 28 mins.
This film is a small social study of the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians of South Florida. After a brief history of their settlement in the early 1800s, the film presents the problems of housing, education, employment and medical needs on the various reservations at 40-mile Bend, Brighton, Big Cypress and Hollywood. Glimpses of schooling and headstart programs are shown, as well as views of the traditional and modern adaptations made by the Indians.
- Miccosukee Indian Friends, 1975, 6 mins.
This film made for children features a young narrator giving the audience a glimpse into his life. Pastimes in the Florida Everglades such as swimming and fishing are shown. Richard Sanders likes to fish by "gigging." Poised on the canal bank, he carefully aims his gig (spear) above the water, then hurls it in. When he pulls it out he's often caught a fish.
About the Film Collection
The 16mm film collection has been part of the Library's holdings for over 55 years. It began in the 1960s, and its first films were part of the City of Miami’s public library before there was a county library. When MDPLS was formed, the County supplemented its local funding for films with Federal LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) grants. Apart from leased feature films, all films were purchased for free exhibition for the life of the print. Subjects within the collection include experimental/avant-garde art films, non-narrated films, children’s films, Black history, Floridiana, and local history. Today, there are over 4,000 films within the collection.
About the Division of Special Collections & Archives
Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Division of Special Collections & Archives holds rare and irreplaceable historical documents for the benefit of the public and scholarly community. They oversee the Helen Muir Florida Collection, 16mm Film Collection, Cuban Collection of Rare Books & Ephemera, Genealogy Collection, The Vasari Project, and rare & antiquarian books from as early as the 17th century. The Division's primary goal is to provide the public with the contents of the vault at their request. Its collections include rare books, original manuscripts, over 18,000 photographs, prints, artifacts, audiovisual resources, and electronic media.
AGE GROUP: | Young Adult (12-18) | Older Adults (55+) | Adult (19+) |
EVENT TYPE: | Special Event | Special Collections | Movies | In-Person | History | Education |
TAGS: | Teen | Special Collections | Seniors | Movies | In-Person | Hobbies & Special Interest | Education | Community Event | America 250 |
Miami Beach Regional
| Mon, Aug 17 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
| Tue, Aug 18 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
| Wed, Aug 19 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
| Thu, Aug 20 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
| Fri, Aug 21 | 9:30AM to 6:00PM |
| Sat, Aug 22 | 9:30AM to 6:00PM |
| Sun, Aug 23 | Closed |
Miami Beach, FL 33139