<P> In the 1930s, the US government established a reservation at Brighton and tried to recruit Seminole to resettle there . The government fenced in the reservation and introduced cattle, which had been part of Seminole culture for three centuries . The first government shipment of cattle arrived from Arizona in 1934 and, by the late 1930s, the cattle business was a way of life for many Seminole . </P> <P> With the introduction of cattle to Brighton, the Seminoles were introduced to democratic ideas and tribal organization . The trust agreement established by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, on 12 September 1939, required that the tribe elect three trustees to transact the business of the cattle program . The first "election" was largely guided by the Florida Agricultural Extension Agent, Fred Montsdeoca, and a local missionary . They promoted men who knew English and were good at white - Indian cooperation, as opposed to allowing the tribe to select those most skilled in animal husbandry . Montsdeoca was extremely influential in making decisions regarding the cattle program and, next to the Indian Affairs official at the reservation, was the most important local white man for the Seminole . </P> <P> Given their success at Brighton, in 1941, the Seminole acquired 150 head of cattle from Florida for the Big Cypress Reservation . By 1944, the Big Cypress Seminole wanted their own trustees and drafted an agreement with the government . Approved by the Commissioner of BIA on 8 August 1945, this agreement called for the establishment of the Brighton Agricultural and Livestock Enterprise and the Big Cypress Agricultural and Livestock Enterprise, each with their own 3 - trustee cattle managers . It said that the tribal trustees would be appointed, with each of the cattle trustee groups and the BIA agent to appoint a tribal trustee . The three appointees on each reservation would also serve as tribal representatives . In essence, this requirement ensured that those adept at navigating between the Indian and white worlds would gain the positions . According to Covington, men who were adept at developing consensus decisions and had converted to Christianity were most likely to be selected . </P> <P> Although such tribal organization was relatively weak, the tribe used it as a basis for their team to file a land claim with the Indian Claims Commission, seeking compensation for lands taken by the federal government . </P>

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