Photo by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
I'd never heard of a swamp buggy before but when I jumped aboard the rugged vehicle in Fort Lauderdale's Billy Swamp Safari, I discovered a whole new aspect of swamp life. Outfitted with a canopy top to shield against the harsh Florida sun and wheels that can chop through land and water, the buggy looked like the perfect way to experience swampland. The eco tour rolled along the 2,200 acres of wild Everglades terrain on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, while our guide Carlos explained the history and traditions of the land and the tribe.
The first unfamiliar sight on the bumpy ride was a pack of bison munching grass just inches away from the buggy. They didn't seem bothered by our presence but a couple of nearby deer weren't so thrilled. They sprinted away before we could grab a closer look. Under a spindly tree, we saw the unexpected sight of huge ostrich eggs laid neatly in a nest. The birds were introduced to the habitat by the Swamp Safari owners and we caught a quick glimpse of them running through the trees.
As the buggy dove into wetlands, we saw hogs lolling in the mud and pelicans diving for fish. A replica of a Seminole Indian camp illustrated the organization of a typical community. The chikees or huts were thatched with palmetto leaves and the stilts were fashioned from cypress logs.
The chikees were developed after the Indian Removal Act of 1835 brutally pushed Indians out of the Southeast territory and relocated them west of the Mississippi River so that white settlers could take over their land. The altered houses were quick to construct and provided disposable shelter when the Seminoles had to flee. The campfire held special meaning in a Seminole camp. The fifth log pointed to the direction that the community members followed if they went hunting or had to flee danger. If there was no fifth log, the members were all captured.
Driving deeper into the lush wilderness, Carlos pointed out key plants used in Seminole medicine that would develop into the foundation for the modern pharmaceutical industry. Stopping near a bush green plant, I learned that it was called a resurrection fern. The ferns can live 50 years without water and take on brown shriveled appearance when there's no water.
The swamp buggy tour ended back in the parking lot of the Swamp Safari but that wasn't the end of my experience. I walked into the Swamp Water Café, where my introduction to Seminole culture continued with a sampling of local swamp eats.
It seemed that many of the critters that I glimpsed on the tour were on the menu; alligator tails, frog legs and catfish were served with baskets of traditional Seminole fry bread. Although I'm all for trying out cultural delicacies, the fry bread proved the most appealing to my tastes.
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