-Caveat Lector- http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/063824.htm Published Tuesday, August 14, 2001 State cautiously moves ahead as Native Americans watch MARTIN MERZER [EMAIL PROTECTED] Slowly, carefully, wary of further arousing the passions of Native Americans, a state task force finally is moving forward with plans to open the Miami Circle to taxpayers who bought the archaeological sensation for $26.7 million. SMOKE RITUAL: Bobby Billie, a Seminole, receives purification from Catherine Hummingbird Ramirez, of the Carib Nation. [Graphic: Learning from the Miami Circle] The 18-member Miami Circle Planning Group, formed in February but holding its first meeting Monday, examined samples of the signs that will guide and educate visitors to the 38-foot-diameter stone relic carved 2,000 years ago in what is now downtown Miami. The sketches include explanations of ceramics, tools, pendants and other objects found on the site since the Circle was discovered in 1998, and maps that illustrate the trading routes and territory controlled by the Native Americans who created the Circle. Scientists said Monday that more than 200,000 artifacts have been harvested from the Circle and surrounding area, and 1,000 are being closely studied. They called it one of the most exciting recent discoveries on the East Coast, and one that everyone soon will share. ``This is an important moment in the Miami Circle's evolution,'' said Janet Snyder Matthews, the group's chairwoman and director of the state's Division of Historical Resources. ``We are looking at long-term and short-term planning of the site.'' SOLUTIONS NEEDED Though many problems remain, including financing, some group members hope to have at least a temporary viewing site completed by next summer. More specific plans, including a proposal to protect the Circle from rain and other elements, could be announced during the group's next meeting in October. ``The objective is to provide the public with the opportunity as soon as possible to get to the site,'' said Michael Spring, director of Miami-Dade's Department of Cultural Affairs. Most experts believe that the Circle -- formed by 26 basins and other holes on the southern bank of the Miami River, just east of what is now Brickell Avenue -- was carved by the Tequesta tribe, which once ranged through South Florida. Many Native Americans object to any action that disturbs such discoveries. The task force absorbed punishing criticism from some who monitored the meeting and issued impassioned pleas to tread carefully or not at all on the 2.2-acre site -- pleas that reflected cultural tension and lingering anger over alleged offenses in the past. Those concerns could further delay plans to open the Circle to public viewing. ``We don't go out and dig up your burial grounds,'' Bobby Billie, a Seminole dressed in traditional clothing, told the group. ``We're not a tourist attraction. We're human beings. You need to respect us.'' The meeting was held in the Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel, flanked 50 yards to the north by the Circle and 50 yards to the south by Brickell Park, where archaeologists recently found a cemetery apparently used by the Tequesta in association with the Circle. As Billie spoke, the board members -- archaeologists, preservationists and community leaders -- sat impassively, as did nearly 35 interested observers. Easy listening 1980s rock music floated in the background. ``You have no idea what you are talking about,'' Billie told the board. ``This is a desecration of my way of life. It's disgusting to me. It's just not right. ``They have dug up our ground, left and right, and put what they found in museums. This is sacred to our land. If you remove it, destroy it, it never was there.'' Several scientists took exception to the comments. If not for them, they said, many historic sites would be buried under tons of concrete. THE MESSENGERS ``Archaeologists are the messengers of preservation,'' said Bob Carr, who helped discover the Circle. ``Without us, there is no preservation. So, for native people, we are a necessary evil.'' Billie also claimed that Native Americans were not represented on the board, but two -- James Billie of the Seminole tribe and Billie Cypress of the Miccosukee tribe -- are board members. Neither attended Monday's meeting, though James Billie was represented by Patricia Wickman, an anthropologist employed by the Seminole tribe. She said she was satisfied with the group's sensitivity to Native American concerns, though she also lectured board members. ``I don't want one cultural view to dominate,'' Wickman told them. ``I want to offer you our resources. I want you to see that the human element is not left out. This is not an archaeological site. It's a Native American site.'' After the meeting, the board walked over to the Circle for an on-site inspection. There, as jetliners passed overhead and trucks rumbled over the Brickell Avenue bridge, Catherine Hummingbird Ramirez bathed each member in the smoke produced by a hand-held ``smudge pot.'' ``This is sacred ground,'' she told them. ``We must purify your spirits.'' The Circle was unearthed in November 1998 as construction crews prepared to build a high-rise commercial development on the lot. Responding to a grass-roots campaign, the state and county bought the land in November 1999 for $26.7 million, including $8.7 million in a bridge loan from the Trust for Public Lands, a national nonprofit conservation group. That loan must be paid by Nov. 30. Spring said the county was still searching for the money. Among the options, he said, was a possible federal grant. State officials said they are trying to list the Circle on the National Registry of Historic Places, an action that could help attract federal funds. >From a draft of that application: ``The Miami Circle is significant in terms of its identity and context as a Native American archaeological site, as well as in its value to scientific research and the new knowledge that can be gained from it.'' Copyright 2001 Miami Herald ================================================================ Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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