PERDIDO BAY TRIBE

SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MUSCOGEE CREEK INDIANS, INC.

Native Paths Muscogee Creek Cultural Heritage and Resource Projects

January 26-28,2004 Pensacola Beach, FL.  Perdido Bay Tribe members gathered in Pensacola to help demonstrate and explain our educational activities, community outreach and goals to a meeting of Southeastern Regional NRCS leaders. Speaking at a dinner meeting on Monday evening, Chief Bearheart touched on the past, present and future goals and needs of PBT. He thanked the NRCS for past support and recognized the ongoing friendship and cooperation between PBT and Three-Rivers RC&D .

Dedicated tribe members from four states juggled pressing work responsibilities, sleep-deprivation and snow-delayed travel plans to do their part in a general presentation on Wednesday, Jan 28th, held at the Naval Live Oaks Center at Gulf Breeze, FL. PBT gratefully acknowledges Mr. John Harper and his staff at Three-Rivers RC&D for their assistance in facilitating this effort of tribe members.

Pictured L-R Front: Chris Johns, VC Robert Johns, VC Stan Cartwright and Tim Hayes; all from Georgia. Standing: Edna Dixon, Tennessee; Buck Woodard, Virginia; Chief Bearheart, Selina Todd, VC John Hartley and Marian Johns; all of Pensacola.

Displays set up around the room highlighted the educational outreach and museum quality art reproductions of PBT teachers and artisans. Comments from tribe members and a slide presentation designed by staff members at Three Rivers RC&D, presented an overview of past and current activities while pointing toward future goals as we work to establish permanent and ongoing community service and educational outreach programs serving the Southeastern Creek homeland.  

A beautiful performance by the Flying Eagles Dance Troupe and a display set up by a representative from University of West Florida Archaeology Institute served to entertain and illustrate the strength found in working cooperatively with other groups and organizations within the community to focus a positive light on modern Native American populations as well as the ancient legacy of the region's original people. 

A special thanks to the fine people at the Naval Live Oaks Center, headquarters of the Gulf Islands National Seashore for the use of their beautiful facilities. This is a must-see visit for nature lovers and history buffs. The Live Oaks Center is on the site of the nation's first 'tree farm' where live oaks were preserved and grown for maritime use. We found in our audience, not only visitors from the NRCS, but a number of general visitors as well and we all enjoyed a film about the natural and human history of the National Seashore.

Niles Glasgow, State Conservationist, Florida NRCS, invited Perdido Bay Tribe's participation in this regional meeting. To honor this opportunity, Mr. Glasgow was presented with a ceremonial pipe made especially for him by Chief Bearheart on behalf of all PBT members.

Native Paths Cultural Heritage and Resource Projects

Mobile Office & Educational Unit Becomes A Reality

August 31, 2004

The Three Rivers Rural Conservation and Development Council hosted a delegation of USDA and Natural Resources Conservation Service officials for a presentation ceremony on behalf of Perdido Bay Tribe's community outreach programs. During the ceremony held at the Three Rivers RC&D offices at 5230 Willing Street, Milton, FL, representatives of USDA/NRCS presented keys to a 34-ft. government surplus Winnebago field office vehicle to Chief Bobby Johns Bearheart. 

Left:  Niles Glasgow, Florida State Environmentalist, Florida NRCS makes presentation to Perdido Bay Tribe's Chief Bobby Johns Bearheart.

Right: L - R, John Hartley, Vice Chief, Perdido Bay Tribe, Jeff Norville, District Manager, Florida NRCS, John Harper, Project Coordinator, Three Rivers Resource Conservation & Development Council, Niles Glasgow, Chief Bobby Johns Bearheart, Sharon Griffith, President, The Able Trust.

The multi-purpose vehicle is being  outfitted to serve a variety of interrelated community service programs. For many years, PBT has taken cultural programs to schools and community groups throughout NW Florida.  Planned with assistance from the Florida Humanities Council,  the unit will serve as a traveling museum, library, classroom and resource center which will  greatly enhance PBT's educational and community service outreach. 

A compact mobile office onboard will further facilitate services of PBT's program to assist Native Americans with disabilities established with a supporting grant from The Able Trust, Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities. “Paths to Creative Living for Native Americans with Disabilities,” is a program designed to assist applicants in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties with job training and employment opportunity. 

With this carefully planned mobile unit, PBT will be able to take educational programs and services directly into the communities where they are needed. 

Work In Progress  

A sincere "thank you" goes to Jeremy Reichmann for his skills and hard work freely volunteered in the conversion and set-up process. Jeremy is a woodworker, Native American flute maker & player and a student at University of West Florida. He is also a very good friend to Perdido Bay Tribe.

A Preview 

When the exterior graphics are completed and installed, this lovely painting by Perdido Bay Tribe's own Maribeth Lewis will dance along the sides of our beautiful new Mobile Cultural Center as we take our educational and service programs to communities all over Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in the greater Pensacola area. 

Educational Book Published

    "Life Ways of the Early Southeastern Muscogee Creek People"   

PBT was awarded a mini grant by the Florida Humanities Council, The state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities to publish the booklet and assist PBT in our goal of offering this much-needed resource to teachers and other educators all over our Southeastern homeland at low cost. Quantities are limited and we will be offering some copies for sale to the public to help perpetuate the program.  

The 'Life Ways' project has been a long process of ongoing collaboration and refinement to create a simple, accurate resource to positively influence the way children are taught about the history and way of life of our Muscogee Creek ancestors.  PBT member, teacher and artist, Buck Woodard provided several excellent additional illustrations and we owe a great debt of gratitude to John Phillips, Senior Archaeologist, Archaeology Institute, UWF who reviewed the manuscript and offered his input as our humanities scholar.

Our mission has remained steady -- as modern-day people of Creek heritage, we have a responsibility to help assure that the age-old story of Indian People and their lasting contributions to Southeastern culture are properly recognized, honored and remembered.  

PBT Member Initiative  Sharon Hartung used her skills to help expand our educational outreach by putting our 'Life Ways' booklet onto CD as a pdf file.  This will enable us to offer more options for educators and extend our outreach well beyond the limits of the print version.  (See Ongoing Programs)

Major Grant Awarded by The Able Trust  PBT applied for and was approved for a second grant from The Able Trust to resume our previous program of assistance for Native American's with disabilities in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.  The new program, to be called, "Paths to Creative Living for Native Americans with Disabilities" will focus on assessing needs, arranging for appropriate job training and seeking employment opportunity.