'Children of the Everglades' exhibit celebrates Seminole tradition

"Children of the Everglades" is on exhibit at Southwest Florida International Airport as part of the "Art in Flight" program. The public exhibit, which will be on display until May 2010, includes photographs of Florida's Seminole Miccosukee Indians and artifacts on loan from the Hanson Family Archives.

Airport passengers and visitors will be greeted in the terminal building with largescale photographs from the W. Stanley Hanson and Robert D. Mitchell Collection of Seminole Indian Photographs, which is currently archived at the Smithsonian Institution's National Anthropological Archives. The airport exhibit depicts the lives of the Seminole-Miccosukee Indian children, as well as authentic artifacts including patchwork dresses and jackets, sweet grass or pine needle baskets, palmetto dolls and historical documents.

The son of a turn-of-the-century Fort Myers doctor, W. Stanley Hanson, better known as the "White Medicine Man," grew up among the Seminole- Miccosukee Indians and became a trusted friend and advocate. Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly to defend the tribe's traditional way of life and land, served as a translator, and provided

food and medicine to the tribe. In 1937, Mr. Hanson became a Seminole guide and interpreter under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration.

The photographs and documents in the Hanson Family Archives provide a unique insider view of Seminole Miccosukee Indian life and the fascinating relationship between these American Indians and the "White Medicine Man."

Art in Flight is a partnership between the Lee County Alliance for the Arts and the Lee County Port Authority, which brings art to public spaces at Southwest Florida International Airport.

Additional sponsors for the exhibit include the Smithsonian Institution, Family Thrift Center, Carter-Pritchett Advertising, Scott Carter Signs, Owen Studio and MMT Printers.

For more information on the exhibit, the Hanson Family Archives and the "White Medicine Man," visit www. Seminole-Lodge.com or www.ArtIn- Lee.org.