TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) – There are many Native Americans right here in the Capital City.
This holiday season, some are blending parts of their culture and working with other traditions, like the big Thanksgiving feast.
Thelma Bowers left her Muscogee Creek tribe in Oklahoma to be with her husband, a Seminole.
"I didn't know what to expect moving to Tallahassee. Tallahassee is a creek word and there are so many mounds still in this area," said Bowers.
Like Bowers, Kathy Atkinson left her Iroqua tribe in Upstate New York.
"I had 4 children and I wanted them to see what the culture was outside of the tribe, so we moved," said Atkinson.
But despite leaving the tribe, Atkinson wanted her children to remember their roots.
"We do a lot of cultural work, a lot of cultural bead work. This is just an example, this is part of a moccasin I started," said Atkinson.
Atkinson also said "a lot of the different Native American tribes celebrate Thanksgiving and a lot of them don't because with the cultural changes in a lot of Native Americans not being recognized, for who they are, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving."
Bowers said she wants to continue to bring recognition to Native cultures and ideals.
"I don't doubt that the natives that did encounter those coming over and wanting to help them. You see your fellow humans coming over and dying. I don't think that's far from who we are as a people at all," said Bowers.
Both Bowers and Atkinson will celebrate this year, saying that being helping and giving thanks is a big part of every Native American's culture.
Both women work for the Florida Governor's Council on Indian Affairs and said that with organizations like that, they want to continue to shine a light on a forgotten group.
