MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians has lived in the Florida Everglades for 200 years. Members said that within a month they lost treasures that kept that had helped to keep that history alive.
Khadijah Cypress said she was devastated after a massive fire destroyed the tribe’s creativity center, a hub for preserving their heritage. The tragedy was about two weeks ago. Artifacts were lost.
The tribe estimates the repairs could cost up to $5 million. Nothing will bring back the artifacts that turned into ashes.
“It has just been sad; I’ve been sick to my stomach ... There’s just no words, if you could think how devastating a person can feel that, and a lot worse,” Cypress said. “That’s my history. That’s my culture, and it’s all gone.”
The tribe is also fighting Alligator Alcatraz, a detention center to hold immigration offenders that President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis both stand behind.
Cypress said it’s another violation at the Tribe’s ancestral lands.
“As much of a coincidence as it is that the fire happened as the detention center is happening at the same time, I see it as a test,” Cypress said. “How are we going to be as Miccosukee people?”
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