William Buffalo Tiger
[Tom Wells (AP), "Lights of Miami Lure the Young Away From a Vanishing Tribe"](_blank)
''Los Angeles Times'', 23 February 1997, accessed 14 August 2014 (''Heenehatche''; March 6, 1920 – January 6, 2015 in
Kendall, Florida
Kendall is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida. At the 2020 census, the area had a population of 80,241.
While the US Census Bureau has set definite boundaries for Kendall as a CDP, the community has a highly ambiguous local ...
) was a political leader of the
Miccosukee
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is a federally recognized Native American tribe in the U.S. state of Florida. They were part of the Seminole nation until the mid-20th century, when they organized as an independent tribe, receiving fed ...
Nation based in the Everglades area of
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 ...
. He served as the first elected tribal chairman from 1962 to 1985, and before that was head of the General Council from 1957 and a chief. His
activism
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...
led to political organization of the Miccosukee and their gaining federal recognition in 1962 as an independent Native American tribe.
They wrote a constitution to govern their people.
In 1959 Buffalo Tiger led a delegation to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and secured formal diplomatic recognition from the government of
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
of the Miccosukee. In 1962 the US Government recognized the tribe. Under his leadership, the tribe in 1971 was the first to take over responsibility to operate its social and educational programs, as was later encouraged by the
Indian Self-Determination Act
The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (Public Law 93-638) authorized the United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and some other government ...
of 1975. Buffalo Tiger and the tribe have used their sovereignty to preserve their culture and traditions in their homeland.
With historian Harry A. Kersey, he wrote an autobiography, ''Buffalo Tiger: A Life in the Everglades'' (2008). From the late 1980s he ran an airboat tour company in the
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 ...
Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...
.
Early life and education
William Buffalo Tiger
was born ''Heenehatche'' in 1920 to Tiger Tiger and his wife in a traditional Miccosukee village in the Florida
Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...
. They lived in a "chickee," a house built raised from ground level. As a member of the
Miccosukee
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is a federally recognized Native American tribe in the U.S. state of Florida. They were part of the Seminole nation until the mid-20th century, when they organized as an independent tribe, receiving fed ...
his first language was
Mikasuki
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is a federally recognized Native American tribe in the U.S. state of Florida. They were part of the Seminole nation until the mid-20th century, when they organized as an independent tribe, receiving fed ...
, one of the
Muskogee languages. He grew up immersed in the traditional customs of the people. In the early 20th century, the Miccosukee were considered part of the Seminole, and the people maintained their relative isolation from the majority community by living within the Everglades.
When the
Tamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90).
The north†...
was built through the Everglades in the 1920s and 1930s, it cut through Seminole and Miccosukee land. The road brought tourism to the region, which provided some jobs and a market for Miccosukee crafts, but also encroached on their culture. Many of the Seminole lived closer to European-American settlements and adapted more to the majority culture. In the 1940s, the Seminole began to move into designated Indian reservations, but the Miccosukee stayed outside.
Chief of Miccosukee
In the 1950s, the Seminole were faced with new challenges; in 1953 the federal government proposed to terminate them as a tribe, which meant a reduction in certain benefits and, more tragically, neglect from the United States to honor their sovereignty.
The majority of Seminole in Florida organized to gather their political power, and in 1957 were federally recognized as 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 ...
. The process of gaining such recognition had pointed up cultural differences between the groups. Another dividing issue was making claims in the 1950s for land taken by the federal government in the 19th century; the Seminole of Oklahoma and Florida wanted to gain compensation for lands lost, but the Miccosukee and Traditionals did not want to give up their claim to have the land returned.
At this time, the Seminole and Miccosukee formally separated. Led by Buffalo Tiger, the Miccosukee gained state recognition separately in 1957, and federal recognition in 1962. The Traditionals or Independents did not affiliate with either tribe.
The Miccosukee preserved their more traditional ways and kept some distance from the majority culture. As a young man working as a housepainter, Buffalo Tiger had learned English. He began to represent his tribe in dealings with the European Americans. The modern world encroached on the Miccosukee and the Everglades, areas of which were developed, and he became an energetic and outspoken leader of the community.
Buffalo Tiger was chief of the Miccosukee in 1957; he was elected as the first tribal chairman after its adoption of a constitution, and served as chairman for decades.
To create publicity about the tribe's effort to gain federal recognition, in 1959 Buffalo Tiger requested recognition of the Miccosukee from several nations; only Cuba responded. He, Homer Osceola of the tribal council, and Morton Silver traveled to Cuba in 1959 and met with premier
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
of the new revolutionary government.
He worked with state and federal officials to implement reforms and to protect the community’s cultural and natural resources. Under Chief Buffalo Tiger's leadership, in May 1971 the Miccosukee signed a contract with the federal
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
to take over operation of the "comprehensive social and educational programs formerly run by agency bureaucrats.
He had worked closely with the tribe's attorney, S. Bobo Dean, who represented it in negotiations in Washington, DC. The Miccosukee were the first tribe to take such control, taking advantage of President
Richard M. Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...
's 1970 initiative of Indian self-determination prior to passage of legislation in 1975 to support this.
Their several parcels of lands are known collectively as 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 Mic ...
. Under a separate lease arrangement with the state water conservation district achieved in 1983, they have access and fishing and hunting rights in 200,000 acres of wetlands.
[Ewen, Alexander and Jeffrey Wollock. "Tiger, William Buffalo", ''Encyclopedia of the American Indian in the Twentieth Century,'' New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2014]
ItemID=WE43&iPin=ENAIT516&SingleRecord=True
American Indian History Online. (accessed August 14, 2014)
Chief Buffalo Tiger served on the Florida Governor's Council on Indian Affairs, established in 1974 as an advisory body to the state's chief executive. He and the chief of the Seminole served as co-chairs of the group, two-thirds of whose members were appointed by the two federally recognized tribes in the state.
Buffalo Tiger helped bring modernity to his people, including control of their programs, economic development, and improvements to medicine and education.
At the same time, Buffalo Tiger supported efforts to preserve the culture; the Miccosukee Indian Village Museum was founded in 1983. He was opposed by some traditionalists because of failure to gain more land under tribal control and finally voted out of office in 1985.
Later years
Since the late 1980s, Buffalo Tiger developed a business to take tourists on airboats through the Everglades. He used these occasions to educate people about the total ecology of the area and build support for its preservation, such as a planned airport. He opposed the construction of
I-75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
through the Everglades, a major freeway which was completed in 1993. He had developed a tourist business, Buffalo Tiger's Airboat Tour, for the Everglades.
Family members took over operation of the business in the 21st century.
Personal life
Buffalo Tiger was married three times, each time to a non-Miccosukee woman.
He lived in Miami. Among his five children are two sons from his first marriage, both of whom are active as Miccosukee. One has worked as an engineer with General Motors in Detroit, and Steven Tiger has led a rock group, Tiger Tiger, which has released several CDs.
Legacy and honors
*His autobiography, ''Buffalo Tiger: A Life in the Everglades'' (2008), written with historian Harry A. Kersey, Jr., won the Samuel Proctor Oral History Award and the James J. Horgan Book Award.
[Buffalo Tiger and Harry A. Kersey, Jr., ''Buffalo Tiger: A Life in the Everglades'', Indians of the Southeast Series, University of Nebraska Press, 2008]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger, Buffalo
1920 births
2015 deaths
Miccosukee people
Writers from Miami
Native American leaders
Chiefs of the Seminole
People from Kendall, Florida
20th-century Native Americans
21st-century Native Americans