Seminole Tribe garments on display at heritage museum

Close to 90 pieces of authentic Native American clothing and dolls from a private collection are being displayed in an exhibition through Dec. 31 at the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation’s heritage museum.

The foundation secured the loan from Becky Nix, an avid collector who obtained her first article of clothing in the 1980s after being enamored with the delicate stitching and bright colorful bands of fabric. The exhibition, “Seminole Attire: History and Culture Through Design,” features a history of the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes plus handcrafted outfits and doll figures.

The WGHF held a reception Oct. 17, and among the attendees were Nix, several members of the staff of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and a host of Seminole Tribe members who traveled from south Florida for the event.

“It’s a wonderful collection of early 20th- to late 20th-century Seminole and Seminole-inspired clothing,” said Tara Backhouse, curator of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. “It shows how the Seminole patchwork evolved.”

Gordon Oliver Wareham, Seminole museum director, was impressed with the exhibition, too.

“Our patchwork … is our stories; it’s who we are,” he said. “When I walked in the room, all I could see was stories.”

Jim Crescitelli, and his staff worked diligently on the exhibition, making sure the clothing was displayed correctly and the information on the Seminole Tribe was presented accurately.

“We’re so proud of this exhibit,” he said. “It’s not just a display of Seminole garb; it’s a display of a people.”

Nix, a former Windermere resident, came from Howey-in-the-Hills for the event.

“I had a fabulous time, and I was so thrilled that the tribe came up and they were answering questions, they were engaging,” she said. “In the past, they were always known as the shy tribe, (but) last night was different. They were lively, they were entertaining.”

Nix started her collection after seeing a colorful Seminole jacket in an international handcraft shop in Winter Garden. She began attending Seminole Tribe events and visiting trading posts on the reservation to buy more of the clothes. Along the way, she met many of the elders who created the stunning articles of clothing.

Soon, her Seminole collection expanded to include handmade dolls.

Creating the exhibition for the WGHF was a learning experience for Crescitelli, his staff and Nix.

“The tribe didn’t want me to include any pieces that weren’t made entirely by their makers,” Nix said. “I bought some of the bands, the patchwork bands you could buy, and I incorporated them and made skirts. They suggested those not be included.”

Nix and Crescitelli toyed with the idea of having non-natives attend the reception wearing the traditional clothing, but they were told the tribe was split on whether or not this would be appropriate. They decided not to and instead made plans to display the clothes on mannequins and on the walls.

The Seminole museum provided instructions on how to put the materials on display, too.

“Different chemicals are going to be a problem, so we had to put cotton on the clothespins where they touch the clothing,” Nix said. “There was all kinds of archival tissue underneath them, and I suggested getting the bamboo for hanging the jackets because they need to have air between them.”

When Nix wanted to include the names of the different patchwork patterns, Backhouse told her the tribal members don’t want “outsiders” to know their stories, which are told through the stitches and patchwork designs.

The staff at the Seminole museum also was helpful in finalizing the verbiage written by WGHF writer and curator Will McCoy. He created a timeline of the Seminole history starting in 1920 and continuing to the present.

“It was a far richer experience, and I learned so much by going through the tribe,” Nix said.