Popular beliefs about the Seminole Indians relegate them to a short one or two centuries in Florida, but the reality is much more complex – and much more fascinating. In research that has never before been accomplished – or even attempted, the author has traced nearly four centuries of the lives and adventures of one Indian leader, whom the English dubbed the “Emperor Brim,” and his Panther Clan lineage, all the way to their present-day equity in Florida and the lower Southeast, as citizens of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Dr. Patricia Riles Wickman has used her intimate knowledge of the people and their story, gained over two decades of living and working with them, to connect the stories and highlight their involvement with the land that the Europeans called “Florida.”

“My Tribe, the Seminoles, passed on histories by word of mouth. I've heard many stories by the campfire.  Unfortunately names and dates are not mentioned. It was only after going to school and learning to read that I learned about the historical figures of my Tribe.

When Dr Wickman brought to my attention the EMPEROR BRIM,  I was totally amazed at the findings about this man, and that he even existed back in the 1700s.

It's interesting for folks to know that Dr Wickman gave history classes, at my request, to Seminole Tribal citizens about their own people.”

                                                                                                       James E. Billie, Ex-Chairman Seminole Tribe of Florida Council