The Big Cypress Indian Reservation is one of the six reservations of the

Seminole Tribe of Florida The Seminole Tribe of Florida is a federally recognized Seminole tribe based in the U.S. state of Florida. Together with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, it is one of three federally recognized Semi ...

. It is located in southeastern Hendry County and northwestern

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...

, in southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. Its location is on the Atlantic coastal plain. This reservation lies south of

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwa ...

and just north of

Alligator Alley Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from the Hialeah, Florida, Hialeah–Miami Lakes, Florida, Miami Lakes border, a few miles northwest of Miami, to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie in the ...

. It is governed by the Seminole Tribe of Florida's Tribal Council, and is the largest of the five Seminole reservations in the state. Facilities on the reservation include the tribal museum and a major entertainment and rodeo complex. The land area is 81.972 sq mi (212.306 km²), including the 12th-largest cattle operation in the country."Red Barn, Glades County, Florida"
, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, accessed 26 December 2011 A resident population of 591 persons was reported in the 2010 census. The reservation is also called "Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation" or "Big Cypress Reservation". It lies adjacent to the north side of the largest section of the

Miccosukee Indian Reservation The Miccosukee Indian Reservation is the homeland of the Miccosukee tribe of Native Americans. It is divided into three sections in two counties of southern Florida, United States. Their total land area is 128.256 sq mi (332.183 km2). The M ...

in western Broward County.

Climate

Tourism and entertainment

The tribe owns two tourist attractions here: Billie Swamp Safari, and

Big Cypress National Preserve Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, becam ...

. The American rock band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

held their millennium concert at the reservation from December 30, 1999, to January 1, 2000. With 85,000 people in attendance, it was the earliest and largest sold-out millennium concert. Phish performed three sets of music on the 30th, an afternoon set on the 31st, and an unprecedented "Midnight To Dawn" set, which ran from 11:50pm until sunrise on January 1, 2000. The entertainment complex is surrounded by 350 acres for outdoor events, in addition to a newly renovated rodeo arena with seating for 3,000 people. Stables have stalls for 86 horses. The tribe constructed the

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki is a museum of Seminole culture and history, located on the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in Hendry County, Florida. The museum is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The museum itself was named in a Seminole langu ...

, which opened in 1997. In 2005 it was the first tribal museum to receive accreditation from the

American Association of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(AAM), and is a

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Affiliate.

Education

The tribal school is the

Ahfachkee School Ahfachkee School, also known as Ahfachkee Day School, is a tribal K-12 school in unincorporated Hendry County, Florida, on the Big Cypress Reservation, with a Clewiston postal address. It is affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). ...

Notes

References

* Eda.go

Big Cypress Reservation, Florida
United States Census Bureau {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Cypress Indian Reservation American Indian reservations in Florida Populated places in Broward County, Florida Populated places in Hendry County, Florida Indigenous topics of the Southeastern Woodlands Seminole Tribe of Florida