50¢ Volume XXVI • Number 8 July 1 ...seminoletribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Seminole-Tribune-July-1-2005.pdfinauguration of the 2005–2007 Seminole Tribal officials was

By Adelsa WilliamsCOCONUT CREEK — On June

16, Warriors Boxing Promotions, Inc inassociation with the Seminole CoconutCreek Casino and Golden Boys Promotionsbrought “Thunderstorm at The Creek,”another successful promotional event for thedelight of the boxing fans.

Ironically, there was thunder andlighting that night due to the bad weathercausing a major flow of traffic at the casi-no’s valet and self parking lots, delaying theevent for over an hour. The storm alsocaused a Goodyear Blimp to crash near thecasino on Sample Road in early hours ofthat evening. Luckily no one sustained seri-ous injuries.

Regardless of the pouring rain, theboxing dome especially arranged adjacent tothe casino was jammed packed with anxiousfans awaiting the start of the first bout.

For starters, there was a four round-er exhibition fight where both boxers worethe usual boxing gear along with an addi-tional head protector. The exhibit warmed upthe massive crowd prior to the scheduledthunderstorm in the ring.

The night’s feature was anInternational Boxing Federation (IBF)Lightweight elimination bout betweenPuerto Rican Ricky “Showtime” Quilesagainst Javier Jauregui from Mexico.

During the first few roundsJauregui took the offensive role chasingQuiles around the ring. Quiles defensivelyreacted with more uppercuts until the fifthround where he began landing more bodyshots.

Brighton CommunityHonors Fathers

Page 3

Tribe Celebrates the 6thAnnual Sports Festival

Page 20

Congratulations, Graduates!

Page 8

By Iretta TigerHOLLYWOOD — On June 6, the

inauguration of the 2005–2007 Seminole Tribalofficials was held under the Council Oak on theHollywood reservation.

Betty Osceola led a group of Tribalcitizens in singing two gospel songs inMiccosukee. Tribal citizens from everywherecame to witness this event; the Sun-Sentinelalso covered the inauguration.

“After the installation today, it’s goingto be a brand new day for the Seminole Tribe,”said Chairman Mitchell Cypress. “I’m hopingwe can all work together for the next two years,and I hope that we accomplish what we strivefor.”

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)Superintendent Anna Townsend swore in theofficials.

Outgoing officials Roger Smith, for-mer Brighton Council representative and David

DeHass, former Hollywood Board representa-tive, thanked the Tribe for the opportunity inserving their respective past terms. The twoalso welcomed the incoming officials.

Each incoming official had the oppor-tunity to greet the Seminole Tribe. At the clos-ing of the ceremony Tribal citizens, Tribalemployees, friends and family shook handswith the officials both incoming and outgoing.

The 2005–2007 Seminole TribalCouncil is: Chairman Mitchell Cypress,Hollywood Representative Max B. Osceola Jr.,Brighton Representative Andrew J. Bowers andBig Cypress Representative David R. Cypress.

The 2005–2007 Seminole Tribe ofFlorida, Inc. is: President Moses B. Osceola,Hollywood Representative Gloria J. Wilson,Brighton Representative Johnnie Jones and BigCypress Representative Paul Bowers Sr.

By Felix DoBoszHOLLYWOOD —

On a hot June 17 afternoon atthe Seminole Paradise, a largetruck crane moved its hoistcloser to the massive metalglobe. Work crews connectedthe hooks, and the new Hard Rocksign made its six-story ascent abovethe Paradise midway.

The Art Sign Company of Ft.Lauderdale created and installed the

3,000 pound, 12-foot high, 3-D bluesphere with the Hard Rock logo ontop of the roof. This new eye-catchingattraction, attached to a tall metalpole, will be a landmark seen formiles in every direction.

It will light up in brightneon colors high above the newstate-of-the-art concert venue,the Hard Rock Live! The venueis expected to be completed andoperating in early July withmany big stars already sched-

uled to perform.In addition to the new Hard

Rock sign, the Art Sign Companymade all the signs at SeminoleParadise.

50¢ www.seminoletribe.com Volume XXVI • Number 8 July 1, 2005

Moses Jumper Jr. (top left) and the 2005-2007 Board and Council.Iretta Tiger

Council, Board Reps. Sworn In

Thunderstorm at The Creek

� See PHOTO LAYOUT, page 28

By Nery MejicanoHOLLYWOOD — On June 16 the

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino hostedthe “Improving the Quality of Patient Carethrough Best Practices and Patient Safety” con-ference. The Nashville Area Indian HealthServices (IHS) sponsored the conference,which addressed multiple health issues, includ-ing domestic violence, suicide, depression, car-diovascular diseases, women’s health, diabetes,and patient health education.

Allied Health Manager for theSeminole Tribe Suzanne Davis introducedChairman Mitchell Cypress to the audience.Davis delineated Cypress’ journey through hishealth problems, motorcycle accident and theindomitable spirit that helped him achieve hisrecovery and health to become a model to hispeople and a symbol of health and wellness toIndian Country.

Mitchell provided a very touching andrelevant testimony regarding his own struggleto overcome addiction, obesity and disease. Heimpressed upon those attending the importanceof having a comprehensive wellness program,a well-trained staff, and a personal commit-ment to one’s own health.

Upon concluding his talk, the audienceof mostly health professionals, applauded andpraised him for his courage and determination.

New Hard Rock neon sign seems to almost float high in the air above the Seminole Paradise.Felix DoBosz

Chairman Mitchell CypressNery Mejicano

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — Bryan Arledge and

D’anna Osceola have both been accepted into theFlorida State University, home of the Seminoles.Both students are from the Brighton reservation andhave always been very successful in school.

Arledge and Osceola recently visited theuniversity to meet with administrators of the CAREprogram, a program designed to serve as a safety netfor students during their studies at FSU.

The program is designed to ensure academ-ic success in such a large university and to make thestudents feel safe and secure in all aspects of univer-sity life. For those of who have not attended a uni-versity of this size, it can be an overwhelming andintimidating experience.

Thousands of applications are reviewed forthis program, but only 300 are accepted and theBrighton Education department is proud to let theBrighton community know that Bryan Arledge andD’anna Osceola are two of those students that willbe a part of this program.

Both students began their college career inJune and need all the support they can get. D’anna Osceola and Bryan Arledge

Emma Brown

Arledge and Osceola head to FSU

Chairman Speaks at IHS Conference

Javier Jauregui throws a strong left jab at Ricky ‘Showtime’ Quiles inthe headline fight at the Thunderstorm at the Creek.

Felix DoBosz

� See THUNDERSTORM, page 21

Council Approves FSUs Use of MascotBy Janice Billie

BIG CYPRESS — On June 17, theSeminole Tribe’s special Tribal CouncilMeeting was held at the Herman L. Osceolagymnasium. After all Council members, invitedguests and Tribal citizens were seated;Chairman Mitchell Cypress called the meetingto order. Joe Osceola Sr. gave the invocation.

After roll call, ExecutiveAdministrator Ken Fields announced that thefirst item on the agenda. This item was a reso-lution to officially grant permission to Florida

State University (FSU) to use the name“Seminole” as well as various Seminole sym-bols and images. The resolution was passed byunanimous vote.

It is a notable resolution, consideringthat many native Tribes are on the opposingend of this issue. Not to mention the NationalCollegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA)examination of FSU’s use of the nameSeminole.

It is attested to in the resolution that

� See FSU, page 4

For more information on thegrand opening of Hard Rock

Live, please see Page 17.

Hard Rock Live! Sign Installed

A letter of gratitude to my people,I would like to start by saying

that I’m very elated that my uncle AndyBowers won the election in Brighton forCouncil representative. To me, my unclestands for everything that our people dear-ly believe in, which is Integrity, moral val-ues, most important a voice.

With that being said, I feel I havea greater responsibility in my recovery, soI also can be accountable.

I would also like to thank GloriaWilson for winning her election. Gloria isthe new Board representative on theHollywood reservation. I’m very happy formy cousin Gloria; she is very deserving ofthis position. She’s honest, trust worthy,business minded, and most importantly Ifeel Gloria is one of the most down toearth person that I know.

But my Uncle, man! That meansa lot to me. This man has been able to liveboth sides of life–life in mainstream soci-ety, a lawyer by trade, as a father to hisson, and a husband to his wife. To theother side he is able to live his traditionallife proudly.

As Indians we are all very spiritu-al people. To being a Seminole Indian–likemy uncle, my cousin and myself–it is veryimportant that we carry our tradition andspirituality forward to those who comeafter us.

In closing, some people might saythat change is a brave thing to do; but Isay it’s the right thing to do. Especiallywhen you were brought up to believe oract a certain way. One thing that’s for sureabout change, it starts with you.

Who you want to be. What mat-ters to you. What are you going to standfor?

Yours Truly,Norman A. BowersSnake Clan

Dear Editor,I am looking for Heather Burney,

a stated Seminole re-enactor. There is anevent in Winter Park, Fla., where a qualityre-enactor is desired.

Forest Gray Michael, PresidentCentral Park Foundation, Inc.

Dear Mr. Michael,I am unfamiliar with Heather

but there are several re-enactors acrossthe state who provide various forms ofprograms. The Seminole Tribe ofFlorida’s Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum has anexquisite community outreach programand they visit festivals and special eventsand set up their displays to educate thepublic about history and Seminole cul-ture.

Tina Osceola, Executive DirectorAh-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum

Dear Editor,My wife and I would like to visit,

and look around the reservation. We needto know who may be able to show usaround if or when we visit. I have an inter-est in the different Florida plants and theirhealing properties. I know that the plantlife on the reservation is more in its naturalstates, so that is where I would like to startlooking.

John and Gloria Wall

Mr. and Mrs. Wall,Thank you for your interest in

the Seminole Tribe of Florida and ournatural environment that we are sodependent upon. Currently, the SeminoleTribe of Florida does not have a formalprogram that provides the informationand/or services that you are looking for.The Seminole Tribe of Florida, however,does have a Tribal Museum, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, that is located in HendryCounty, Florida on the Big CypressIndian Reservation.

In addition to an extensiveamount of artifacts and information-sharing, the museum hosts a mile and ahalf of boardwalk through a pristinecypress dome. Along that walk, there arevarious plants that are marked withexplanations on their traditional uses andhistorical significance. For more infor-mation on how to get to the museum, youmay visit the Tribe’s website, www.semi-noletribe.com.


Dear Editor,What is the naming ceremony for

the Indian girls?Thank you,[email protected]

Dear [email protected],The details of Seminole cere-

monies are not for public dissemination.What we can say is that the “ceremony”for Seminole Girls is conducted by a tra-ditional medicine man and their name isnot shared with the non-Seminole public.


Dear Editor,I have children that are Tribal

members that stay on the Big Cypressreservation and I would like to submit acouple of things for them in your newspa-per. Their names are Precious LouiseJimmie and Barbra John Jimmie.

Precious Jimmie’s Birthday iscoming up May 22 and I would like foryou all to put something in from me, and Ialso wrote a poem for both of them. Iwould like to thank you in advance.

Donald Boyce

Dear Editor,I recently took a ride through

your beautiful reservation. I was amazed athow pretty your land was. I stopped to getgas, and found The Seminole Tribune.How wonderful and colorful this paperwas, and such a joy to read.

I am full Sioux Native American,born and raised on the rez. I recentlymoved to the Naples, Fla. area, and wouldlove another paper, could you, would you,be so kind to send me one? I have pur-chased the April 8 one.

Running WaterMedicine Woman

Dear Editor,Hello, my name is Ronna and I

am looking to learn from a Seminole theirways. I am not a quarter Seminole, nor doI have proof of it in my bloodline; mygreat-grandfather–so I am told–was aSeminole.

I read your FAQ’s about how to“claim” being a Seminole and the criteria.But I do not want to be on council ornegotiate or make decisions. I just want tolearn from an actual “human” because Ican read all I want, but it is not the same. Iwant to learn because of personal reasons.

Do you know how I can learnfrom someone? Maybe the governmentoffice for the tribe would have info? I liveout in California, and have had a hard timefinding someone. It is important becausethis has been weighing on my heart for avery long time, to the point where I haveto research harder.

If you have any ideas or advice,please email me back and let me know.Also, is it possible to have a mentor? Likethrough the e-mail? That might be easier,yes?

Ronna Alexander

Dear Ms. Alexander,Thank you for your interest in

our Tribe and our culture. What youseem to be looking for is a mentor to takeyou under their wing and teach you theways of our Tribe. Unfortunately, this isnot something that we can offer.

It is important to understand thatsearching for a mentor, especially fromNative Tribes, is not an easy task. Theseare usually opportunities that are afford-ed to folks who happen to cross pathswith someone willing to share their timeand their stories. That is usually whyseeking this information is called a jour-ney.


Dear Editor,Do you have progressive Mega

Bucks slot machines in your [email protected]

Dear [email protected],We do not have slot machines.

We have gaming machines that are basedon bingo, and we do have progressivepots. We do not have Mega Bucks.

Edward Jenkins, Director Compliance and Regulations, Gaming Department

Dear Editor,I am wondering if Buffalo Jim is

alive. I am working on a film on prophecyand I would love to make contact withhim.

Bruce

Dear Bruce,Thank you for your inquiry and

inclusion of one of our Tribal membersas a source in what sounds like anincredibly interesting project.

Unfortunately, Buffalo Jim, aresident of the Big Cypress reservation,passed away. If you need more informa-tion please contact us.


Dear Editor,I have recently learned that the

Florida black bear is considered an endan-gered species. Please tell me what theSeminole word is for this animal.

Thanks,Carl CordingCataloger, Neil Hellman LibraryCollege of Saint RoseAlbany, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Cording,The Seminole Creek word for the

black bear is No-ko-se lvs-te; that’sspelling it with our alphabet. Phonically,would be no-ko-see las-tee.

Lorene Gopher

Dear Editor,I am a public information coordi-

nator in the Collier County government’scommunication and customer relationsdepartment. I have been tasked to come upwith a couple of potential names for thenew North Naples water park. I thought itwould be nice to name it using aMuskogee word.

Do you have anyone who canhelp me translate the following words:bubbling stream, great falls, splash, grandrapids, hurricane harbor, powerful lagoonand pushing rapids?

Thank you in advance for yourassistance in this matter.

Sincerely,Sandra Arnold

Dear Ms. Arnold,Bubbling stream: Hvt-cu-ce mul-

lv, great falls: We-pa-lvt-kv rak-ko,splash: We-a-fes-ke-tv, grand rapids:Hvtce fi-nv rak-ko, hurricane harbor:Ho-tv-le rak-ko- we-wv, powerful lagoon:Hvk-ha-se rak-ko; and rushing rapids:Pvf-ne fi-nv.

Lorene Gopher

Dear Editor,Have I missed the Green Corn

Dance ceremony this year? When will itbe and at which reservation? Must I befull-blooded Indian to participate?

Thanks,Robert Rutherford

Oakland Park, Fla.

Dear Mr. Rutherford,Thank you for your interest in

our culture and religious ceremonies.The Seminole and Miccosukee people ofFlorida do not believe in advertising thedates that are chosen for the Green Cornceremonies in so much as the non-Indianpublic is not permitted to attend or partic-ipate.

To learn more about theSeminole culture please visit the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on the Big CypressIndian reservation. For directions pleasecall (863) 902-1113, Tuesday–Sunday.

Tina M. OsceolaExecutive DirectorAh-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum

Dear Editor,Will there be too many mosqui-

toes and deer flies to visit your facility inthe summer? When is the best time of theyear to visit–when it is not too hot, and notas many bugs?

Thank you for your time.Looking forward to hearing from

you,[email protected]

Dear [email protected],Thanks for your interest in visit-

ing the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum locatedon the Big Cypress Indian reservation. Imay be biased, but there is no “bad” timeto visit the museum.

Each season brings its own pic-ture of beauty to the Everglades. Themosquitoes are not bad during the dayand a bit of insect repellant will take careof those that are around. I would adviseyou to plan on being inside by dusk tobest avoid mosquitoes.

The deer flies are not an issueon the Big Cypress reservation. A greatitinerary would include a stop at theBillie Swamp Safari for lunch and an air-boat or swamp buggy tour. The Safari islocated three miles from the museum.

I hope your plans to visit are ful-filled and have a wonderful time.

Tina M. OsceolaExecutive DirectorAh-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum

Dear Editor,I am a graduate of Florida State

University (FSU), and recently read anarticle in which the NCAA is contemplat-ing instituting legislation that would eitherprohibit the use of American IndianMascots or would penalize in some fash-ion those schools that did use such depic-tions.

At first I was furious. But aftertaking some time to think about the issue Icame to the conclusion that since I am notan American Indian perhaps I did not havethe required perspective on the issue.

I have read much of the NationalCollegiate Athletic Association’s MinorityOpportunities and Interests Committee, orMOIC, recommendations and conclusions.In order for me to better understand thespecific issues involved in the controver-sies of American Indian mascots in colle-giate athletics, and to form an educatedopinion, I believe that I should at leastattempt to understand the perspective ofthose directly effected by the controversy.

Towards that end, I am interestedin how the Seminole Tribe views FSU’suse of Seminoles as the team nickname?And how the Seminole Tribe views the useof Chief Osceola and Renegade as TeamMascots? Is the nickname offensive? Is theuse of Seminole imagery as a mascotoffensive?

I have read articles regardingother universities use of American Indianimagery and how those Tribal leadersviewed the imagery. There seems to be awide range of feelings within theAmerican Indian community regardingthese issues, from outrage, to honor, toindifference.

As a proud FSU grad, I am tryingto understand if I should also be a proudSeminole grad. For that reason I am tryingto find out if the Seminole Tribe has anofficial stand on this issue, and if thisstand has been communicated to FSU, andthe NCAA?

I thank you in advance for anyhelp you may provide me in this matter,

Very sincerely,John L. Burns

Dear Editor,Thank you! I am so proud of my

southern Seminole Indians for not allow-ing the National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA) or other outside asso-ciations attempt to remove the Seminolename from the Florida State University. Isee it as such an honor and show ofrespect to the great Seminole Indians to beable to carry their namesake as its mascot.

Sincerely, Shawn KilpatrickYucca Valley, Calif.

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Issue: July 22, 2005Deadline: July 15, 2005

�Issue: August 12, 2005Deadline: July 29, 2005

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�

Contributors:

Jaime Restrepo, Emma Brown, Judy Weeks,Kenny Bayon, Nery Mejicano, Susan

Etxebarria

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The Seminole Tribune 2 July 1, 2005

The Seminole youngsters seen hereare (L-R) “Ruggy” Jumper, “Rusty”Tiger DiCarlo and Scarlett Jumper.

Photo Quiz Answer

Can you guess who this man is? Find out in the next issue of The Seminole Tribune.

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Can you guess who this Brighton resident is? Find out in the next issue on July 22.


By Susan EtxebarriaBIG CYPRESS — Despite the summer

heat, Billie Swamp Safari was bustling with touristson June 16. The parking lot was full at noon. It washard to get a place to sit at the Swamp Water Café.The gift shop was busy.

On top of all that, the Brighton Recreationdepartment brought 43 kids to this famous EvergladesEco Tour for a day of summer fun.

Divided into groups, the kids and their chap-erones toured the outdoor exhibits such as the reptileenclosures, the alligator pit, the birds of prey, and the

herpetarium. On the topof their list of favoritethings to do, the childrenmentioned seeing thegators, the snakes, thepanther and red tailhawk.

“I like lookingat the nature,” said RosaUrbina.

After lunch, thekids boarded a giganticswamp buggy. They werereally excited that theywould see native andexotic wildlife and,according to thebrochure, discover a “fas-cinating world that hasevolved for thousands ofyears and see an authen-tic Seminole encamp-ment.” Recreation depart-ment staffer SalinaDorgan organized thefield trip.

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON— Lydia Child said, “Blessed

indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices callhim father.” A father is someone every child shouldbe thankful for.

On June 16, the Brighton community gavetribute to the fathers by cooking breakfast and invit-ing them to celebrate and thank them for being dads.It was a chance for many fathers to come togetherand shoot the breeze with long lost buddies they oth-erwise don’t have a chance to visit. Some fathersbrought their wives and some brought their children,and some came alone to enjoy the special meal andevent planned in their honor.

Brighton Council Representative AndyBowers and Brighton Board Representative JohnnyJones, along with other departments, staff members,and mothers did a great job helping to create a specialday for all of the dads from the Brighton reservation.

Fourty three Brighton youngsters got to ride the swamp buggy while at Billie Swamp Safari.Susan Etxebarria

Brighton Kids Visit Billie Swamp Safari

After their meal at the Swamp Water Café the kids toured the grounds.Susan Etxebarria

By Judy WeeksOKALHOMA CITY, OK — In

the early morning hours of June 2 Tribalcitizens traveled by charter bus and air-plane to attend the 2005 Red Earth NativeAmerican Cultural Festival and Pow-Wow.The group included approximately 42Tribal citizens and chaperones.

With two drivers, Mike and Joe,taking turns at the wheel, the charter buscarried the travelers as far as the SheratonHotel in Birmingham, Ala. by the firstevening. Picking up where they left off thenext morning, they continued on to theirdestination at the Crown Plaza inOklahoma City.

During the following days, thegroup enjoyed the exhibitions of the pow-wow dancers, who put on a terrific per-formance. The arena came alive as thedancers in their colorful and elaborateattire competed before an appreciativeaudience. One young, four-year-old per-former was a real show stopper and delighted thecrowd with his abilities.

Between performances the days were filledwith trips to the local mall and of course, the vastassortment of Tribal vendors. One afternoon they hadan opportunity to pose with some of the pow-wowdancers in a cultural setting.

An outstanding side trip took the group toIndian City USA in Anadarko, Okla. While there theyvisited the museum, gift shop and other culturalpoints of interest, such as a steep walk up the inclineand a herd of buffalo.

One member of the group stood out abovethe rest. Tommie Billie had fallen in a hole just before

leaving for Oklahoma. By the time they arrived,his foot was badly swollen and discolored andneeded medical attention; X-rays proved that hisfoot was broken.

In a cast and on crutches, Billie refusedto fly home. He completed the entire trip withoutmissing anything. That’s the kind of stamina thatwarriors are made of and his ancestors would beproud.

Big Cypress Seniors and Hot MealDirector Cecilia Solano did a wonderful job oforganizing and coordinating this adventure.Under her guidance everything ran smoothly,which is no easy task with a group of this size.

Senior Massage Therapist Tracey De LaRosa traveled as a chaperone and brought herportable massage chair. This was a welcomediversion for several of the seniors at the end of along, strenuous day of activities.

Happy, but tired, the travelers boardedthe bus for the long trip home and took advan-tage of the opportunity to catch up on some welldeserved rest.

By Iretta TigerHOLLYWOOD — June 7 was like any

other day at the Boys & Girls Club on the Hollywoodreservation. Austina Motlow and Cindy Adair wereplaying foosball. Several boys were playing pool.

Then in walked Litefoot.Litefoot is an actor, rap artist andNammy’s 2005 Artist of the Year.

Trail Liaison William Osceolaaccompanied Litefoot and it wasOsceola who helped to set up the sur-prise visit. Litefoot was a special guestat the preschool graduation a few daysearlier and it is his commitment tonative youth that brought him to theBoys and Girls Club.

“Inside you is a power that isstrong,” said Litefoot. “Don’t quit orever settle for second best or less. Someof you guys might be the next MiamiHeat player or Tribal leader.”

In his speech Litefoot remind-ed the children about our ancestors andwhat they had to sacrifice for the tribe.

Litefoot posed for pictures

with the children and hung out with them. RC Northplayed for Litefoot on an acoustic guitar.

Litefoot said he would like to return for avisit when his schedule will allow.

Brighton Community Honors Fathers

Albert Snow wtih his daughter Desiree Snow.Emma Brown

(L-R) Richard Osceola, Brighton Tribal CouncilRepresentative Andy Bowers Sr. and James“Magoo” Madrigal at the breakfast.

Emma Brown

(L-R) Ty Huff, Frank Huff, and dad John Huff Jr.Emma Brown

Litefoot (center) and Trail Liaison William Osceola (third from left) at the Boys & Girls Club.Iretta Tiger

RC North plays guitar for Litefoot.Iretta Tiger

This four-year-old (left) stole the show.Angie Arreguin

Seminoles Travel Cross-Country toAttend 2005 Red Earth Pow-Wow

(L-R) Linda Beletso and Mary Frances Cypress at lunch.Angie Arreguin

Boys & Girls Club Surprised by Special Visitor

By Janice BillieBIG CYPRESS — On June 17, the Seminole Tribal Council

received Florida State University (FSU) President Dr. Thomas Kent“T.K.” Wetherell. Accompanying him to BC were FSU Assistant VicePresident of Community Relations Donna McKuen, Co-Chairman of theBoard of Trustees Andy Haggard, Assistant Vice President of UniversityRelations & Director of Communications Frank Murphy and SeminoleBoosters Director Joel Padgett.

Wetherall came to address the council at what was called a his-toric and momentous occasion. The council passed a resolution to offi-cially give FSU permission to use the name Seminole, as well as the useof various Seminole symbols and images.

The resolution will put in writing a unofficial agreementbetween the Tribe and FSU. The resolution says that the Tribe does nottake offense to FSU’s practices concerning the use of the Seminole name.

In an interview with the Florida State Times, Chairman MitchellCypress stated, “We could give Tribal members tangible items that couldpossibly one day be taken away from them. But Florida State can giveeducation to our people and that is something that no one can takeaway.”

“One of the things that Florida State gives us is a sense of pride.FSU could have chosen anyone else to portray and use as its mascot. Weare proud that a university as prestigious as Florida State decided to useus,” Cypress said.

The Seminoles’ support of FSU will certainly impact the

National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) recent examinationof the school’s use of the Seminole name–to what degree remains to beseen. The NCAA is also looking at 30 other NCAA member universitiesthat use Native American names and nicknames.

Wetherell and his entourage were met in Tallahassee, Fla. bySeminole Tribe Liasion Steven Bowers and Education Director LouiseGopher. They flew to BC on the Tribal jet and ate at a luncheon beforebeing introduced to the council.

Wetherell is the first FSU president to be invited to a councilmeeting. In his address, he spoke of the longtime positive relationshipbetween FSU and the Tribe. He expressed his gratitude for the resolutionand the Tribe’s support.

On the plane ride back to Tallahassee, President Whetherellgranted The Seminole Tribune the following interview about the resolu-tion and what it was like to make this historic trip.

The Seminole Tribune: Would you talk more about the rela-tionship between the Seminole Tribe and FSU and the university’s con-tribution to the people.

Wetherell: We’ve had a long and what we consider a positiverelationship with the Tribe. It’s been very special for us in that we’vebeen allowed to share in the history and the traditions of the SeminoleTribe. To try and bring them into a university and expose their culture250,000 alums that have graduated and thousands and thousands ofalums around the world is something that we take seriously.

It’s a special ongoing relationship that has been going for 50years. We’ve always had this kind of informal agreement, therehave been a number of speeches and resolutions in the past butnever really formalized and we just thought it was time to dothat.

It’s important also that we highlight more than justsymbols and athletics. We try to point out the academic pro-grams that we’ve initiated and scholarship programs. There’s therelationships we want to build with the Tribe, for instance withthe Brighton school, as they move ahead with some of theirnegotiations with the state, we want to be helpful.

We try and highlight on campus the history of the Tribefrom their perspective through our Legacy Walk Program,through athletics, through having the Tribe at all official func-tions. So we try to build that kind of relationship and I feel itcontinues to improve.

Some of the problems that others have encountered wesimple have not had. We and I think the Tribe believe that whatwe do in terms of our relationship is our business and it isn’t thebusiness of the state of Florida or the NCAA or somebody else.We’re very happy, they’re very happy. We both want to exerciseour independent judgment and do what we believe is in the bestinterest of both and that’s our relationship.

The Seminole Tribune: Councilman Andrew Bowers,in so many words, said this decision did not mean we disagreewith others and their efforts to make their views heard. Is thatwhat you are saying also?

Wetherell: I think Andrew’s point was that we havedeveloped a relationship that is good for us in terms of the uni-versity as well as the Tribe. That’s our business and that’s theway we want to do it. If there are others, then let them work outtheir agreements or disagreements. We don’t disrespect someother people’s beliefs and we want them to respect ours.

The Seminole Tribune: There was a time in the past;Councilman Max Osceola mentioned this, when HowardTommie as chairman of the Seminole Tribe asked that a charac-ter being used by FSU be done away with. It was felt that thischaracter was offensive. Are you familiar with that reference?

Wetherell: At one point years ago, and this would havebeen back in the 70s, Florida State had a less-formal relationshipwith the Tribe and I don’t think they were maybe as sensitive asthey should have been. They created a symbol called “SammySeminole” and it was this cartoon character. The Tribe foundthat offensive as did some of us at FSU.

Part of this whole thing evolved with ‘Lets get togetherand say what do you like and what don’t you like.’ The Tribemade it real clear: we don’t mind a symbol if you want a symbolwhether it’s Osceola or Renegade or whatever but that one’s notthe one.

So the university in conjunction with the Tribe createdwhat we call a Seminole logo. That has always been accepted.

The Tribe appreciates it and we do too. We’ve gone to great lengths notto try and create variations of that. Whenever we did, we did it in con-junction with them.

Years later we created the pre-game show with Renegade andthe spear. We came down and talked with the Tribe, we got the officialdress, we got the official headdress and got a spear that the Tribe made.We chose an appaloosa because it was a native horse. The Tribe was all apart of that. So our commitment to them is to stay true to those thingsthat we agree on.

The Seminole Tribune: You mentioned earlier programs thatare in development and others already implemented like the scholarshipprogram, can you elaborate on some of those?

Wetherell: We’re doing a number of things, first is the scholar-ship program for any member of the Tribe that comes to Florida State. Itpays about 85 percent of the scholarship and really by the time you puteverything else to it, it’s pretty much a full scholarship.

We’re developing a course in Florida history that is written bythe Tribe’s perspective and we’re using them as our resource in terms ofhistory, etc. Parts of the history books portraying Desoto’s landing inFlorida is one thing, the written version if you will. The Tribe’s perspec-tive is a totally different deal. The books talk about a land they con-quered when there were a million people here. A lot of students grew upwith these history books that are inaccurate.

We have dedicated a room, a conference room in the president’ssuite, that has display cases of items such as Seminole clothing, head-dresses, etc. We are doing the same thing over in our Alumni Center. Atour athletic program we’ve obviously got the Seminole logos and we arededicating a wall over there with the history of the Tribe and our rela-tionship and what it’s all about. We also want to branch out into otherareas.

The Tribe is discussing building a charter school and we wouldlike to be involved in that, if you want us to. We could send interns andstudent teachers down. As far as the negotiations with the state and theSeminoles, I think we could be helpful in that as a partner in some of thephilanthropy issues. We try to do as many things as we can right nowand continue to develop others. We provide special counseling for thestudents.

As a result of our recruitment efforts, we will have four newSeminole students this fall. We hope Christine McCall will choose to goout for basketball.

The Seminole Tribune: Your visit to the Tribal Council meetingand the passing of this resolution was historic. Your remarks there werequite eloquent. To conclude this interview can you share a little of how itfeels to visit the land of the Seminole?

Wetherell: The hospitality today was just outstanding. We wereplanning to come down in a caravan, come down one day and go backthe next. Instead the Tribe sent a plane up, and not just a plane but theplane. We land and have a more or less traditional dinner. The food wasoutstanding and the company was outstanding.

We came down to thank you and we almost got overwhelmedwith your generosity, so it’s just been a great day for us and a very pleas-ant trip. Our board chairman came over from Miami to show his support.

We want the Seminole Tribe to know we were extremely hon-ored to be here and we thank them again.

the Seminole Tribe has an establishedconstructive relationship with FSUthat they wish to maintain and devel-op. The Seminole Tribal Council doesnot consider FSU’s tradition disre-spectful; on the contrary it is seen ashomage to their strength andresilience.

Preceding the vote on thisparticular resolution Director ofEducation Louise Gopher was calledto the podium to introduce to theCouncil to the FSU President Dr.Thomas Kent “T.K.” Wetherall. Onbehalf of FSU, he eloquentlyexpressed respect for the SeminoleTribe of Florida and appreciation forit’s support.

He spoke on the mutual

honor and trust in the longstandingrelationship between the Tribe andFSU, and the university’s commit-ment to build on this foundation.Before concluding his remarks,Whetherell presented the Councilwith a framed cast of the FSU.

Following a break, the lasttwo items on the regular agenda werevoted on and passed. The first ofthese two was a resolution to appointauthorized agents with respect to theexpansion of the Coconut CreekCasino.

The last was a revision of thealready instituted revenue allocationand per capita distribution plan. Thiswas in reference to the trust planimplemented for Tribal citizens underthe age of 18, incarcerated or mental-ly incapacitated.

The next council meeting isscheduled for July 15, in Hollywood.

Wetherell caught a ride to the meeting in the Tribal jet.Janice Billie

Tribune Interviews FSU President During VisitThe Seminole Tribune 4 July 1, 2005

FSU President T.K. Wetherell (third from right) with the Tribal Council.Janice Billie

�FSUContinued from page 1

The Annual Seminole Princess PageantWHEN: July 30, 2005 WHERE: Hollywood, Florida

If you are interested in running for the title of Miss Florida Seminole

and/or Jr. Miss Florida Seminole please contact Wanda F. Bowers at

(954) 966-6300, Ext. 1468, or your local Princess Committee Member.

Further information will follow.

Story by Judy WeeksIMMOKALEE — The

Immokalee seniors observed Mother’s Dayin a very special way this year. Joiningguests from Big Cypress and Brighton inthe gym, they were treated to a Mother’sAppreciation Day on May 20.

The Recreation department enter-tained the group with various forms ofbingo throughout the morning. Wal-mart

gift cards were awarded to winners: MabelJim, Tommie Billie, Pete Aguilar, MabelFrank, Violet Jim and Grand Prize LouiseOsceola.

Each guest received a raffle ticketto become eligible to win a vast array ofdoor prizes provided by the Recreationdepartment. Tickets were drawn at varioustimes throughout the day and the delightedwinners were: portable DVD player-MabelFrank, slim profile CD [layer-Mary Johns,foot massager-Mary Sanchez, digital cam-era-Louise Osceola, radar detector-MabelJim, camcorder-Elizabeth Oleo, jumbosocket set-Alan Jumper, combo tool set-Lucille Jumper and sewing machine-Delores Jumper.

After the games, ImmokaleeCouncil Liaison Elaine Aguilar took themicrophone and declared, “This Mother’sDay is dedicated to a very special womanwho has had an impact on the lives ofeveryone in this room. Tommie Jumper ispossibly the oldest living Tribal member atthis time and should be considered aSeminole treasure.”

Mrs. Jumper made one of her rarepublic appearances and was placed at thetable in the center of the room.Photographs taken during her lifetimewere on display as well as a large portraitby Guy LaBree titled “Oh, The Changes IHave Seen.”

At her one hundred-plus years,she is still very alert, has a generousappetite and appears extremely healthy forher age.

Following the blessing by ElaineAguilar, refreshments were served. Theluncheon banquet was comprised ofnumerous home cooked dishes which hadbeen prepared by women throughout thecommunity. Dessert was a beautiful cakedisplaying a picture of Mrs. Jumper andcarried the message, “In Appreciation ofOur Mothers.”

Following the meal, Elaine

Aguilar returned to the microphone.Laying a hand on Mrs. Jumper’s shouldershe began an afternoon of tributes by say-ing, “I know better than to offer thiswoman an apple pie. I dropped one off ather house one day and her daughter,Delores, told me afterward, ‘We have to becareful, she ate the whole pie.’ Despite herage we can’t say she’s lost her appetite forfood or life.”

“She was a very special part ofmy mother’s life in her advanced years.They would visit frequently. I asked ‘Whatdid you talk about?’ she replied, ‘People,the Bible and we prayed.’ After mom wasgone, she got up early, took her showerand said, ‘Today is the fourth day myfriend is gone. She was an important partof my life.’”

Feeling the emotion evoked bythe memories of her mother, Elaine foughtto continue.

“We need to take time out of ourbusy lives to visit people and learn to loveeach other. These are the important thingswhen life is over. Throughout my life, mymom didn’t say ‘I love you’ or give hugs,but I know she cared. She used littletokens everyday to show her love and Iwill carry these with me always,” she said.

Overcome with emotion, Elainereached beneath the table and withdrew a

silver plate engraved with a poem titled“Someone Special” written especially forthe occasion by Anna Puente. The poemsaid: I want to let you know that you willalways be a special person in our lives.From the first, so long ago, until this veryspecial day, I see you standing firm in aworld that’s changing everyday. To us youare a link between our past and our future,the wisdom of a friend, a teacher and a

mother, someonewe admire, respectand love. It’s qual-ities like these thatkeep up aware ofwho we are, hasmade us veryproud to havesomeone as pre-cious as you in ourlives.

There wasnot a dry eye inthe room, asthrough tears,Elaine attemptedto read the inscrip-tion. Everyone wasflooded with mem-ories of their child-hood, mothers andthe wonderfulwomen who hadinfluenced theirlives.

Jumper’sson, Alan, came tothe rescue. Takingthe floor, he talkedof his mother’slife.

“Mymother was born inthe woods east ofCopeland around

the turn of the century, 1900 that is, with awhole century gone, we have to be specif-ic. She was born Tommie Roberts andbecame the wife of my father, HarryJumper. Together they had twelve chil-dren, with seven still alive today.”

“All but two of her kids wereborn at home,” said her daughter,Delores. Pointing to her sister, Lucille,she added, “She is one of the youngerkids and probably one of the last bornin the woods. It has been so long that itis hard to remember.”

Alan continued, “My motheris of one language, one culture andone husband. Following availablework, we lived in Ochopee, while myparents worked in the tomato fields.Then it was on to Royal PalmHammock, back to Copeland andRock Island, which is near I-75 onSR 29. My father was the superin-tendent of the Indian crews for LeeTidewater Cypress for many years,working a railroad logging crew.When the logging shut down, heworked for the railroad along SR29, walking 12 miles in eachdirection from our camp inspect-ing the line.”

Mrs. Jumper motionedthat she had something to say.Translating for her, Delores said,“She wants you to know thatshe never smoked, no alcoholand only one husband.”

Delores added, “Sheis a member of the Pantherclan and has over 125 descen-dants spanning five genera-tions at this time.”

Indicating his moth-er, Alan said, “When our eld-ers speak, we should listen. Itis the traditional way. She,like all of our mothers andtheir mothers, have known

great happiness,stress, sadness andtragedy. With afamily as large asours, my mom hasseen sickness, bro-ken bones and theloss of some of herchildren and final-ly her husband.The strength tosurvive thesethings is what ourmothers pass on tous.”

Laughing,Alan said, “I havecaused some ofthose stresses. Imoved around alot and I knowshe worried. Istayed for a while

in Tampa and Naples. When Ihad trouble with my heart, Iwas in Naples and she was atBig Cypress. People wouldtell me she was botheredbecause she couldn’t be nearme, so I moved to BigCypress to be close to her.”Chuckling he said, “Almostimmediately she moved toImmokalee.”

“Everywhere I go,she is well known. They allsay, ‘How is Mom?’ Shehelped a lot of people. Theycame to her for medicine andherbs; comfort and under-standing,” Alan said withpride.

Nancy Motlowrecalled memories of Mrs.Jumper.

“As children wewould go to visit,” she said.“When the car turned intoTommie’s Camp, we werealways happy. We knew therewould be a lot of fun and shewould have food no matterhow bad times were. I wassent to Indian BoardingSchool with her daughter,

Delores, inOklahoma. We werethere several daysand she neverstopped crying. Thepeople were con-cerned and came forme in the night tocomfort her. Icouldn’t get her tostop. She wantedher mother but theywouldn’t send herhome. I didn’t seeher after that but Iheard they movedher to anotherschool, Sequoyah,to be with herbrother. Tommie’schildren werealways very close toher.”

MabelFrank remembering,said, “I would sitwith Tommie andthe other girls whenwe were young andtalk about Boys.We would hide, because this talk was notallowed. We would say what we wanted ina husband and how he would be. Then wemoved apart and when I saw her, she had aman and three children. I said, ‘Is this

what you thought it would be?’ She justlaughed. Now we are old women and whatdo we talk about? Boys and what becameof them.”

Matt Tiger from Oklahoma came

forth and said, “I know she is from the oldway and grew up with the Creek songs. Iam going to sing one for her.” She smiledas he stood beside her and chanted an oldfamiliar song. Finishing, he offered a

prayer in Creek. You could see she wasvery happy.

A succession of people tookthis opportunity to come forth andspend a few minutes with Mrs. Jumperand talk to her of their long forgottenmemories.

Alan said, “I would like toshare something else with you. We allknow how old people express whatthey see. When I played football, wetook her to a game. Afterward I said,‘What did you think?’ She replied, ‘Itwas all right, but I didn’t like theman that cheated.’ I couldn’t imag-ine what she was talking about untilshe explained, ‘Everybody wouldbend over and look at the ground orthe ball, but one man and he waswatching the others so he couldget a head start.’ She sure had it infor the quarterback.”

“She was a loving moth-er who always cared for her chil-dren. I came to visit once andremarked that I needed some newpants because mine had holes inthem. I went off to town andwhen I returned, she had patchedall the holes in my clothes. Thisis something that you do not seetoday.” Alan stated as he lookedlovingly at his mother.

In conclusion, BennyMotlow said, “I am so happythat Elaine and the communi-ty have honored Tommie heretoday. The Seminole Tribehas come a long way duringher lifetime and holds abright future. However, it isgood to listen to our elderswho remind us with prideabout our humble begin-nings.

ChairmanMitchell Cypressexpressed his Mother’sDay thoughts vividlywhen he said,“Unfortunately I wasunable to attend yourMother’s AppreciationDay because of a priorcommitment. However, Iwas present in the spiritof the moment and amhonored to have thisopportunity to show myrespect.”

“By dedicatingthis day to TommieJumper, one of the oldestmembers of the SeminoleTribe, you are placingspecial recognition on allof our mothers, who arethe roots of our culture.Tommie is representativeof the strong willed,determined, self-sacrific-ing women who havekept the Seminole Tribealive during the hardtimes. Our young peopletoday owe their existenceand future to thesewomen.”

“They bore theirchildren in the woods, fedand cared for them off theland and taught them howto be self-sufficient andresponsible. When I lookat Tommie, I see mymother, grandmother andgreat-grandmother squat-ting barefoot by the fire,preparing our food. Ameal from meat theycleaned themselves, veg-etables they grew andcorn they roasted andground by hand as theirmothers did before them.I see them hunched overa sewing machine, weav-ing a basket or carryingfirewood.”

“These tasks areno longer performedtoday. It is because of thecharacter and determina-tion they have passed onto us, that we can prosperin today’s world. No mat-ter how far we go, weshould always rememberwhere we have comefrom. Our past helps toshape our future.”

In Appreciation of Our Mothers

large portrait by Guy LaBree titled “Oh, The Changes I Have Seen.”

Tommie Jumper and therapist on the left Tracey De la Rosa Judy weeks

Tommy Jumper’s family (L-R) Alan Jumper, Tommie Jumper, Delores Jumper, standing Lucille JumperJudy Weeks

To Tommie Jumper in appreciation to our mothers.Judy Weeks


Story by Judy WeeksIMMOKALEE — When Guy LaBree paint-

ed his beautiful portrait of Tommie Jumper, heenhanced the background with scenes from her life.The painting’s title “Oh, The Changes I Have Seen”could not have been more appropriate.

Reflecting on Tommie Jumper’s lifetime, it isalmost impossible to imagine the changes she has wit-nessed. At the time of her birth, in the woods east ofCopeland, in Southwest Florida was an untamedwilderness inhabited by Seminole Indians and a fewvery small white settlements along the Gulf coastline.

Chokoloskee, Everglades, Naples and Survey,now called Bonita Springs, were small villages acces-sible only by boat. Allen’s Landing, now know asImmokalee, Corkscrew and LaBelle were reached bydugout canoe, ox cart or on foot.

As a child born circa 1900, Tommie Roberts’only contact with the white settlers would have beenan occasional trip by dugout to Smallwood’s Store atChokoloskee. The only other place to trade was BoatsLanding, later known as Brown’s, located east ofImmokalee. This trading post was at the head of canoenavigation on the western edge of the Everglades.

Travel to inland Immokalee, or the “frontier,”by 1909 was a sandy trail for horses and ox teams withwagons circling the sloughs.

When Tribal leader Charlie Tigertail started atrading post in 1910 on a canoe run at the head ofRock Creek, which joined Lostman’s River, tradegoods came much closer to the Robert’s camp. Lifewas going to make fast changes for Tommie’s familyand other Seminoles in the next 10 years.

Construction began in 1913 on the 14 mileDeep Lake Railroad through the swamp to Everglades,passing close to Tommie’s home.

A Ford automobile engine on a four wheelcarriage powered the train. Seminole Indians in thearea took their first jobs building this rail line throughthe swamps to provide a way to take produce and logsinto Everglades City.

The area was too remote and the road wasquickly abandoned. By 1917, the trail from Ft. Myersto Immokalee was graded for a short distance and logbridges were constructed to make way for the newModel T Ford automobiles.

In the wet season, travelers and merchandisestill had to go by boat on the Caloosahatchee River toFt. Denaud, and then overland by horseback or wagonto Immokalee.

Adequate transportation or communication inthe Immokalee area did not occur until the AtlanticCoastline Railroad finished its tracks from LaBelle in1921. The frontier was beginning to open. In 1923,Southwest Florida comprised the one single largestcounty in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.Dividing the territory into three parts, Lee Countybecame Lee, Hendry and Collier Counties.

Tommie Jumper became an adult, married andwas having children by 1927 when the Deep LakeRailroad reopened. Logging camps were established

and fields of produce planted for market. Economicchanges took a vast turn for the Seminole Indians.

Prior to this, Seminoles hunted, fished andraised a few cows and numerous pigs. Each familydepended on fields of corn, sweet potatoes, squash,melons, bananas, cowpeas and sugarcane planted inthe hammocks deep in the swamp. They had tradedskins, furs and feathers for iron pots, beads, cloth,thread, guns and ammunition.

Tommie’s family took jobs on the loggingcrews, working in the white man’s new fields, andhelping to construct roads and rail lines. After 13 longyears, the Tamiami Trail opened on April 25, 1928 fortraffic across the Everglades linking Southwest Floridawith Tampa and Miami; Florida’s frontier was begin-ning to disappear at a rapid rate.

As the Tamiami Trail provided new sourcesof merchandise, it also brought the tourists. Tommieand her husband, Harry Jumper, moved to a villagealong the Trail at Royal Palm Hammock to sell thesouvenirs she made. This brought Harry Jumper closerto available work.

They were no longer dependent upon growingtheir own food and were becoming more involved inthe commerce of the white man. With the coming ofroads, automobiles became prevalent.

The U.S. government established reservationlands in an effort to move the Seminoles off the piecesof land they had always inhabited, but which werenow being claimed by white landholders. The govern-ment encouraged Seminoles to send their children toschools with the thought that education would help toassimilate the Indians into the white society.

Moving his family back to Copeland alongthe Deep Lake Railroad, Harry Jumper went to workfor the Lee Tidewater Cypress Co., where he acted assuperintendent for the Indian labor force. Tommie andher family worked in the fields near Copeland, DeepLake and Ochopee as they strived to support them-selves.

During the 1940s and early 50s, the camp atCopeland, where the Jumpers lived, was the largestsingle off-reservation community of workingSeminoles in the state. Between logging and wintervegetable farming, employment opportunities wereabundant. This also allowed them to live close tonature, as they had always done.

When the logging and sawmill operationclosed, Harry took a job on the railroad which nowlinked Immokalee to Everglades and his family movedto Rock Island to be more centrally located for his job.Once a week, he would walk 12 miles in each direc-tion from his home to survey the tracks. Their campwas very close to what is now Interstate 75 orAlligator Alley interchange at State Road 29.

Since the birth of this little baby girl in theswamps of what is now Collier County, the Seminoleshave been acknowledged as U.S. citizens, incorporatedas their own entity and become self-sufficient withtheir own business ventures. Oh, the changes TommieJumper has seen!

Oh, the Changes Tommie Jumper Has Seen


By Rhonda RoffBIG CYPRESS — On June 1 the Seminole

Water Commission held a regular meeting at the BigCypress Family Investment Center. After establishinga quorum, the commission approved the April 19meeting minutes.

The first new agenda item was a new build-ing at the Big Cypress Rock Quarry. The commissionlooked at information for surface and sub-surfacewater considerations. The surface drainage will go tothe existing mine pit, which can accommodate thenew minimal addition.

The Seminole Water Commission approvedthe project after incorporating the recommendationthat the well and septic be placed on opposite sides ofthe new structure.

The second agenda item was the expansionof the Coconut Creek Casino.

Phase I will include a restaurant and admin-istrative offices with a drive up entrance. The newroadway will be along the edge of the existing lakeand require a retaining wall. A new retention pondwill drain to the existing lake.

The Water Commission approved the project.However, the Seminole Gaming Commission and thecity of Coconut Creek will both need to approve itbefore construction can begin.

The last new item on the agenda was theImmokalee lake drainage modifications. The originallake behind the existing homes discharges to a wet-land at the northeast corner with the help of a lift sta-tion. The pump cannot accommodate the heavierflows, so a gravity flow structure is proposed for thesouthwest corner which will handle heavy rain events.

A new 90 foot run of 18 inch culvert willcarry the primary flows to the existing discharge pointfrom the new drain. The lift station pump will main-

tain the lake level during less extreme events.The commission approved the project.

Following this, they tended to an old business–thenew Brighton Water Treatment Plant. UtilitiesDirector Susie Kippenberger presented information tothe commission regarding the treatment plant. A rep-resentative of Jordan, Jones & Goulding, the designengineers, joined Kippenberger.

According to the two, the new plant will belocated on the south side of Tucker Ridge Road, eastof CR 721. Groundwater will be treated by membranefiltration, as opposed to just current aeration and chlo-rination. This will provide drinking water with lesssulfur, iron and manganese to the community.

The two asked the commission to considerthe management of filtration byproduct, which will bediluted with three times its volume of canal water,then sprayed onto select native pastures in 12 zones.In the event the fields are too wet to spray irrigate, 21days of storage capacity is planned for the plant.

Overall design capacity of the plant is twomillion gallons per day with possible expansion tothree megagallons (mgd) per day. Brighton’s currentusage is 360,000–400,000 mgd.

The commission approved the project for theSouth Florida Water Management District review withthe following four conditions: placement of a pumpstation at the drainfield, placement of culverts alongthe rock road serving the plant to allow flow, maintainappropriate fencing that will not hinder cattle grazingof pasture and restrict the impact to nearby wetlandsto one foot of drawdown, as compared to the calculat-ed three feet at the edge of the wetland.

Once the plans are approved, Kippenbergersaid she estimates between one-and-a-half and twoyears to construct. She said she intends to continuethe planning process with the cattle owners.

Seminole Water Commission Meets

By Angel A. Torres, Acting HR DirectorFirst, thank you Editor-In Chief Virginia

Mitchell for granting the Human Resources (HR)department a permanent column in The SeminoleTribune. We promise to use this space in a judiciousand informative manner providing the latest informa-tion on HR issues that affect our valuable employees.In every issue we will bring to your attention andshare with you readers, exciting and new HR informa-tion.

I was pondering whether the role of HR, aswe are known throughout the Seminole Tribe ofFlorida (STOF) organization, is really known andunderstood. Considered by many to be a senior citizenor a dinosaur, in terms of HR years in the field, I cantell you that more often than not we are very misun-derstood.

Human resources has been evolving and con-tinues to do so. It has grown in complexity requiring acertain degree of specialization in employment, man-agement and administration.

Once considered cut and dry and a not veryexciting career, HR now is considered a full partner inall organizations that are successful and thriving likethe STOF. Even the name has been evolving. Babyboomers will remember the ole “Office of Personnelor the Personnel Office.” The very title was ominouswhen you were called and told to report to that office.Cold sweat would run down your back for you had aninkling you were being canned like a sardine that very

day.After some 40 forty years or more, we

changed the name to human resources. That soundedbetter but also sounded like some kind of miningoperation. Well, in essence that’s one of our func-tions–to mine for the best talent and the best mindsfor the money. I recall once a prospective employ-ment candidate asking me where the office of naturalresources was. After that, I decided not to hire thatperson. However, 40 years later I still wonder; did Ido the right thing?

Now in the 21st century we have changedour name again. Human capital is the politically cor-rect term to describe the ole human resources depart-ment and what we do. HR consultant, excuse me,human capital consultants like me dream of thesefancy names to impress the clients. The next namechange will find me in heavens HR office, I hope.

No matter the name change we still do thesame basic function. Our main function is to supportmanagement in all their human capital endeavors andby so doing ensure the prosperity of the organization.

What are some of the things we do? Werecruit, we staff the different offices, we train, weresolve conflicts through employee relations–the oleemployee removal office–we pay, we manage bene-fits, we classify positions, i.e. determine what youshould get paid. And yes, Virginia there is a SantaClaus, we are also the folks that provide the employeelunches for the birthday celebrations.

From Your HR ConsultantsINVITATION TO BID

RFB OT060643

CANAL EMBANKMENT SIDE SLOPE MOWING SERVICES

The Procurement Department of the South Florida Water

Management District will receive sealed bids at the Second

Floor, B-1 Building, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach,

Florida, 33406, for side slope mowing of grassed and/or vege-

tated embankment areas with conventional high production

style mowing equipment in the Miami Field Station service

area in Miami, FL on July 27, 2005, at 2:30 p.m. local time, at

which time bids will be opened and publicly read.

An optional PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held July 15,

2005, at 10:30 a.m. at the Miami Field Station located at 9001

NW 58th Street, Miami, FL 33178. All bids must conform to the

instructions in the Request for Bids and include a properly exe-

cuted Contract Compliance Disclosure Form.

Solicitation documents will be available June 24, 2005 in the

SFWMD Procurement Office, at the above address, by down-

loading a free copy from the District’s website at

www.sfwmd.gov, or by calling (561) 687-6391. Interested bid-

ders may also call the 24-hour BID HOTLINE (800) 472-5290.

The public is invited to attend the RFB opening. Information on

the status of this solicitation can be obtained at our web site,

www.sfwmd.gov.

For more information, please contact Don Hill, Contract

Specialist at (561) 682-2045.

By Adelsa Williams HOLLYWOOD — On June 15, the

Hollywood staff congregated at the Hollywood audi-torium lobby to celebrate the June and July birthdaybabies’ special day.

Building and Groundsassociate Joann O’Connell gave aword of prayer prior to the groupmeal. Ken Bonawitz, also from theBuilding and Grounds department,then welcomed everyone to thenewly-renovated lobby, which wasclosed down during constructionfor a few weeks prior to the cele-bration.

Among the birthdaybabies were: Denise Carpenter,Director of the Purchasing depart-ment; Brian McLees from theUtilities department; and SandySelner from the Chairman’s office.

Many smiles filled up theroom during the convivial celebra-tion. Everyone got a chance tobreak out of his or her routinedaily lunch hour.

After a few months with-out birthday luncheons, theHuman Resources (HR) department took on the com-mitment.

“This is one way that the Tribe shows theirappreciation and makes sure that employees under-stand that the Tribe appreciates what they do forthem. Is also a morale booster, our employees are oneof the richest assets,” said Acting HR Director Angel

A. Torres.“The Tribe is very caring of the needs and

welfare of its employees,” he continued. “Anotherreason is that it brings together employees from dif-

ferent departments to get together and converse andgives them a chance to meet the face behind thevoice.”

The HR department also coordinates andconducts staff birthday luncheons at the otherSeminole reservations.

HR Dept. Sponsors Birthday Luncheon

Employees dined on delicious chicken francese at the luncheon.Adelsa Williams

Pre-Kindergarten, Mrs. HummingbirdEthan Balentine: Perfect Attendance forthe Year, Perfect Attendance for the FourthQuarterJazrnine Billie: Perfect Punctuality for theYear, Perfect Punctuality for the FourthQuarter, Letter and Sounds Recognition,Counting AwardElisah Billie: Counting Award, Letter andSounds RecognitionTroy Cantu: Letter and SoundsRecognition, Perfect Punctuality for theFourth QuarterDayra Koenes: Letter and SoundsRecognitionTrinity Williams: Letter and SoundsRecognitionMazzy Robbins: Letter and SoundsRecognitionAnnabelle Whiteshield: Perfect Punctualityfor the Year, Perfect Punctuality for theFourth Quarter, Letter and SoundsRecognition, Most Improved PenmanshipJared McInturff: Most ImprovedPenmanshipAbraham Tigertail: Most ImprovedPenmanship

Kindergarten, Ms. SchyvinchRoderick Bert: Excellence in Math andReadingCorbin Billie: Excellence in Math andReadingGraySun Billie: Excellence in ReadingJothaniel Brooks: Excellence in Math andReading, Perfect Attendance for the FourthQuarter, Perfect Punctuality for the YearDasani Cypress: Excellence in Math andReadingStanley Cypress: Excellence in Math andReadingAhnie Jumper:Excellence in Math andReading, Perfect Attendance for the FourthQuarterTrevon Marks: Excellence in Math andReadingJohn Robbins Jr.: Excellence in Math andReading, Perfect Attendance for the FourthQuarterIgnacio Rodriguez: Excellence in Mathand Reading

First Grade, Mrs. ParishArnold Billie: Most ImprovedTyrus Billie: Good Citizenship AwardSierra Bowers: Perfect Attendance for theFourth Nine Weeks, Perfect Punctuality forthe Fourth Nine Weeks, All A’s and B’s forthe Fourth Nine Weeks, Perfect Attendancefor the Year Perfect Punctuality for theYear, All A’s and B’s for the Year, SuperReader AwardChanncy Curry: All A’s and B’s for theFourth Nine Weeks All A’s and B’s for theYear, Perfect Punctuality for the Year TopPoint A.R. Award with 73 pointsMichaela Cypress: All A’s and B’s for the

Fourth Nine Weeks, All A’s and B’s for theYear, Super Reader Award, Top Point A.R.Award with 75 points, Super SpellerAwardEthan Hummingbird: Perfect Punctualityfor the Fourth Nine Weeks, All A’s and B’sfor the Fourth Nine Weeks, All A’s and B’sfor the Year, Top Point A.R. Award with 70points, Super Reader Award, MathExcellence AwardOalton Koenes: All A’s A B’s for the Year

Second Grade, Mrs. GibsonLeauna Billie: A Honor Roll for the FourthQuarter, Perfect Attendance for the FourthQuarter, A/B Honor Roll for the YearGloria Brooks: A Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theyearMichelle Timmie: A Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Punctualityfor the Fourth Quarter, PerfectPunctuality for the YearMika Lopez: A Honor Roll forthe Fourth Quarter, PerfectAttendance for the FourthQuarter, Perfect Punctuality forthe Fourth QuarterKaitlin Osceola: A Honor Rollfor the Fourth Quarter, PerfectAttendance for the FourthQuarter, Perfect Punctuality forthe Fourth Quarter, A/B HonorRoll for the YearSabre Billie: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Attendancefor the Fourth Quarter, A/B HonorRoll for the YearCandy Landin: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth QuarterSilver Wolf: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theYearKatherine Bert: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter

Third Grade, Mrs. IglesiasRashaun Jim: Perfect Attendance for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Punctuality for theFourth QuarterQuenton Osceola: Perfect Attendance forthe Fourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth QuarterSarah Osceola: Perfect Attendance for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theYearSavannah Tiger: Perfect Attendance for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Punctuality for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Punctuality for theYearEcho Wolf: Perfect Attendance for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Top A.R. Points, with 56.4points

Lariah Balentine: Perfect Punctuality forthe Fourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theYear, Top A.R. Points with 48.1 pointsAndre Landin: Perfect Punctuality f or theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth QuarterDerrick Tiger: Perfect Punctuality for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth QuarterTerri Baker: A Honor Roll for the FourthQuarter, A/B Honor Roll for the Year, TopA.R. Points with 60.4 pointsJustin Roff: A Honor Roll for the FourthQuarter, A/B Honor Roll for the Year, Top

A.R. Points with167.4 points

Malari Baker: AHonor Roll for the FourthQuarter, A/B Honor Roll for the Year, TopA.R. Points with 51.8 pointsLevi Billie: A/B Honor Roll for the FourthQuarterDestiny Robbins: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, A/B Honor Roll for theYear

Fourth Grade, Mrs. GrismoreTequesta Tiger: A/B Average for theFourth Quarter,Perfect Attendance forthe Fourth Quarter,Perfect Punctuality forthe Fourth Quarter,A/B Average for theYear, PerfectAttendance for theYear, PerfectPunctuality for theYearBradley Osceola: A/BAverage for the

Fourth Quarter, Perfect Attendance for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Punctuality for theFourth Quarter, A/B Average for the YearRodni Mercer: A/B Average for the FourthQuarterCypress Billie: Most ImprovedKorliss Jumper: Highest A.R. Points with43.4 points

Fifth Grade, Mrs. LeeJessica Lopez: A Honor Roll for the Year,A Honor Roll for the Fourth Quarter, MostOutstanding StudentMalachi Baker: A/B Honor Roll for theYear, A/B Honor Roll for the FourthQuarterAnthony Balentine: A/B Honor Roll forthe Fourth Quarter, 110% AwardJalen Cypress: A/B Honor Roll for the

Fourth QuarterNauthkee Henry: A/B Honor Roll forthe Fourth Quarter, Top Reader Award

Mario Osceola: A/B Honor Roll forthe Year, A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Best Attitude

Award, Most OutstandingStudent

Sixth Grade, Mrs. MartinezAlfred Billie: PerfectAttendance for the FourthQuarter, Perfect Punctualityfor the Year

Dannee Billie: PerfectAttendance for the Fourth Quarter,Perfect Punctuality for the YearKahna Jumper: Poetry AwardEagle Billie: Poetry AwardTony Micco: Science AwardAshley Escobar: Most ImprovedAward A.R. AwardTia Osborne: Most ImprovedAward

Catlen Tommie: A.R. Award

Seventh Grade, Ms. HagerJon Ross Billie: Perfect Punctuality for theFourth Quarter, Perfect Punctuality f or theYearChebon Gooden-Harden: PerfectPunctuality for the Fourth QuarterKelcie Jumper: Perfect Punctuality for theFourth Quarter, B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter

Keifer Bert: B Honor Roll for the FourthQuarterBreanna Robbins: B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter

Eighth Grade, Ms. HagerBrittany Huff: A Honor Roll for the FourthQuarter, A Honor Roll for the Year

Ninth Grade, Ms. WhitesideBenny Hernandez: Perfect Punctuality forthe Year

Twelfth Grade, Ms. WhitesideMeredith Bullard Billie: B Honor Roll forthe Year

Mrs. Grotsky’s ClassAnthony Cypress: Straight A’s in Math AllYear, A/B Honor Roll for the FourthQuarter, Excellent Story Writing AwardJon Ross Billie: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Spelling Excellence AwardTrisha Walker: A/B Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Math Excellence AwardRonnie Billie: A/R Honor Roll for theFourth Quarter, Math Excellence AwardRickyJoe Alumbaugh: A/B Honor Roll forthe Fourth Quarter, Perfect Attendance forthe Fourth Quarter, Straight As in Reading,Language and Spelling for the YearSteven Frank: Math Excellence Award,Perfect Attendance for the Fourth Quarter,Spelling Excellence AwardLevi Billie: Reading Excellence AwardBionca Acosta: Straight A’s in Reading AllYear, Math Excellence Award

Culture, Ms. Lenora Roberts and Ms.Jeannette CypressProud Generation Award: Tony Micco,Rashaun Jim, Meredith Billie, BreannaRobbinsSeminole Culture Dedication Award:Jessica LopezBest Manners: Savannah Tiger, AndreLandinGood Conduct: Kaitlin Osceola, MichelleJimmie, Jazmine BillieBest Indian Humor: Cypress BillieFastest Stickball Players: Karen Cypress,Justin WillisCertificate of Appreciation: Miss LottieJim, Miss Cara Tiger


Ahfachkee School Awards, 2004 – 2005


By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — Stevie Brantley

was a shining star in the 2004–2005school year. Stevie is the daughter ofTheresa Boromei from Brighton and hasjust completed the fifth grade at CentralElementary in Okeechobee, Fla.

Brantley has always been anexcelling student with this year being oneof her best. She finished the school yearwith a 3.8 GPA and was accepted to com-pete in the Jr. Miss Pre-teen pageantbecause of her outstanding GPA. Brantleyalso received a letter from PresidentGeorge W. Bush and was honored with thePresidents Education Award for her overthe top academic performance.

Stevie’s family wishes to congrat-ulate her on all of her accomplishmentsand let her know how proud they are ofher.

Other awards earned by Steviefor the 2004-2005 school year: student ofthe week, two red awards, two silverawards, one gold award, safety patrol hon-orable students, student council presidentoutstanding student, two good behaviorawards, Earth Day appreciation award,jump rope for heart certificate, first placescience fair, first place Tropicana speechin class, second place overall Tropicanaspeech for school.

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — Howard Madrigal is the son of Leah Minnick from the

Brighton reservation. Not only is Howard succeeding at fatherhood, but he has recentlyreceived his associate of arts degree from Indian River Community College with anoverall GPA of 3.4.

Madrigal was interested in the University of Miami (UM) and visited the cam-pus with Higher Education Advisor Dora Bell. Next thing you know, Howard’s perse-verance paid off with an acceptance letter to the university.

As many may know, being accepted into a university such as UM is no cake-walk and you are up against a very competitive group of students hoping to be acceptedas well. The Brighton community and Howard’s family are proud of Howard’s accom-plishments and wish him all the best.

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — Desiree and Mckayla Snow had an outstanding school year

this year and walked away with several awards to show for it.Desiree, the daughter of Albert and Judy Snow, just completed fourth grade at

South Elementary School. Desiree has made leaps and bounds in her reading this yearand has astonished her teachers and parents.

Mckayla, the granddaughter of Albert and Judy Snow, and Laurie Snow, justcompleted second grade at South Elementary School.

Both girls have worked with great diligence this year and the grades andawards they achieved for the year serve as proof for their hard work and dedication. Thefamilies of both girls are extremely proud and wish to share their children’s success.

Desiree’s Awards: Perfect attendance, two homework hero, three write onawards, two terrific kid awards, principals award, Kiwanis terrific kid award, citizenshipaward, two music awards and eagles award; Mckayla’s Awards: Computer award, twowrite on awards, terrific kid award, music award and social studies award.

Graduates D’anna Osceola and Bryan Alredge with their mothers.Provided by Emma Brown

Madrigal is Accepted to UM

Willie Preparesfor College

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — Alyssa Willie is

due to wrap up her associate’s degree thisDecember. How is that possible if she justgraduated?

Alyssa has been participating indual enrollment classes with Indian RiverCommunity College while in high schooland has earned enough credits to nearlyhave her associates. Willie is currentlyattending Indian River CommunityCollege and plans to transfer to theUniversity of South Florida since she hasearned her associate’s degree.

Alyssa has received a BrightonFutures Scholarship and has won severalother scholarships and awards for her per-severance in education.

Snow Girls Receive Academic Awards

Congratulations, High School Graduates

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON— The Brighton

Education department wishes to congratu-late all of their high school seniors forcompleting their final year of high school.This year’s graduates: Bryan Arledge,Adam Osceola, D’anna Osceola andAlyssa Willie.

The four of them have achieved

a goal that they have worked for nearlytheir entire life. Each one of them have set

an example for the students of theSeminole Tribe, and have sent the mes-sage that it can be done.

All four students are unique intheir own way and have so much potentialto offer this great big world. Good luckgraduates! Your community andEducation department are proud of youand support your success.Adam Osceola

Provided by Emma Brown

D’anna OsceolaProvided by Emma Brown

Bryan AlredgeProvided by Emma Brown

Have afun and safe4th of July!

Howard MadrigalProvided by Emma Brown

Stevie Brantley

Provided by Emma Brown

Brantley Excelsin 5th Grade

Alyssa WillieProvided by Emma Brown

Mckayla SnowProvided by Emma Brown

Desiree SnowProvided by Emma Brown


By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — On June 13, any student

headed to kindergarten in the fall was invited to be apart of the six-week kindergarten program offered bythe Brighton Education department.

This program was designed to prepare stu-dents for kindergarten. The students are taught dailyby certified teacher Jane Ehrhart, along with teacher’saide Efrain Ochoa.

The summer kindergarten program teacherworks along with the local elementary school todevise lessons based on items students will need toknow to be successful in kindergarten. The studentsare given breakfast and lunch each day and spend theday simulating an actual kindergarten classroom.

This is the second year for the summerkindergarten program and it is off to a great start with13 students enrolled.

Teacher Aide Efrain Osceola working with the kindergartner's to ensure their success.Emma Brown

Education’s Kindergarten Program Begins

By Emma BrownBRIGHTON — The

Brighton Bus staff celebratedanother successful year that hascome and gone at Benihana’s. TheBus staff consists of three drivers,three monitors and the Educationdepartment office staff.

Without these people itwould not be possible to safelytransport our students more than30 miles one way to school. Ittakes a great deal of hard workand patience to travel such a fardistance every day and to dealwith day to day issues that arise,such as breaking down more thanfour times on the side of the roadin one year with a bus full of kids.

The Education depart-ment greatly appreciates the hardwork by the Bus staff, and lunchat Benihana’s was a small tokenof appreciation.

Bus Staff Celebrates the End of the Year

The Brighton Bus staff enjoying there gift of thanks.Emma Brown

Story by Judy WeeksIMMOKALEE — A new milestone

occurred this year in Immokalee when five studentsgraduated from high school. It was a proud momentfor the students, their parents and community as theymarched across the stage.

Immokalee High School held its commence-ment proceedings at the Harborside ConventionCenter on the evening of May 20. After the proces-sional, Immokalee High’s Junior Reserve OfficerTraining Corps (JROTC) did the presentation of col-ors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and theNational Anthem.

Dressed in red caps and gowns with whitetassels, the graduates filled the entire front of theauditorium which was decorated in class colors andwhite roses. A short video presentation preceded thecommencement addresses of the class salutatorianand valedictorian.

In lieu of delivering a speech, PrincipalArmando Touron sang an inspirational song in honorof the occasion. In recognition of their academicachievements, Assistant Superintendent Dr. CeciliaBates, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Cynthia Janssenand Principal Touron presented diplomas to approxi-mately 280 students.

An emotional reading of the class poem byJoanna Valdez and Leticia Ramos was followed bythe tassel ceremony. The class of 2005 then joinedsenior class sponsor Misty Gonzalez in singing theschool’s Alma Mater.

During the event three Seminole Tribal citi-zens received their diplomas: Lazara Lanae Marrero,Clarissa Michelle Garza and Manuel Joshua Garza.

Commencement proceedings took place atthe same time at Labelle High School where DanielYzaguirre walked down the aisle with his fellow

graduates to the traditional “Pomp andCircumstance.” In caps and gowns they lis-tened intently to the addresses of the HendryCounty superintendent of schools, principal,salutatorian and valedictorian, prior to receiv-ing their respective diplomas.

Daniel Yzaguirre, 18, is the son ofPatricia Yzaguirre and stepfather Ray Franco.He has been working at the Youth Center afterschool and said he hopes to continue to workfor the Seminole Tribe while he explores hiseducation options.

The Redlands Christian MigrantAssociation presented it’s diplomas during themonth of May and among the recipients wereMiguel Mata. The son of Virginia Mata andstepfather Raymond Garza said he hopes toexplore the possibility of attending school inOrlando, Fla. to prepare for a career as a golfinstructor.

Upon receiving his diploma, ManuelJoshua Garza, 18, said he is making plans topursue a career as an automobile mechanic.The son of Manuel Garza and Sandra Ramirazwould like to attend the Lorenzo Walker Vo-Tech School in Naples, Fla. to study mechan-ics and business courses.

Graduate Clarissa Garza is an inspi-ration for the young people in her community.The daughter of Roy Garza and Angela Avileshas worked on afternoon jobs for a couple ofyears while attending high school. It is noeasy task to maintain a high grade average andremain employed at the same time. Havingreceived her diploma, she will enter SouthwestFlorida College in Ft. Myers, Fla. and major

in business.Frank and Cris Marrero have every reason to

be extremely proud of their daughter, Lazara LanaeMarrero. She maintained a high grade average

throughout high schoolwhile attending acceleratedclasses and was nominatedfor the National HonorRoll.

Her accomplish-ments include 10 years of4-H, where she twiceraised the club steer andswine. In addition to herown entries, she alsoassisted her brotherFrankie with his 4-H proj-ects. For two years, sheattended the UnitedSouthern and EasternTribes’ (USET) Close UpProgram in Washington,D.C. and the FloridaGovernor’s Council inTallahassee, Fla.

Last year sheaccepted the invitation ofLead America and went toCalifornia’s L.A.Occidental College,

Bentley College in Boston, Mass. andHarvard Medical School for introductorypresentations.

Lazara has enrolled atJacksonville University where she willmajor in English as she prepares for along-term education in corporate, businessand criminal law.

Chairman Mitchell Cypresswould like to take this opportunity toaddress the graduates of the class of 2005.

“I am very proud of the finegroup of young adults who have receivedtheir certificates of graduation,” he said. “Iknow how much hard work and determi-nation it takes to reach this most importantstage in your lives. It is so easy to fall intothe trap of distractions and temptationsthat can prevent you from achieving yourgoals. You have proven that by comingthis far, you have what it takes to succeedin whatever course you choose to follow.

“I want to especially recognizethose students who lacked one or twocredits of graduating and returned to gettheir diplomas. It is a lot easier to throw inthe towel than it is to pick up the piecesand complete the job which you began solong ago.

“The Seminole Tribe has come avery long way in the past 25 years. Thereis no reason why we can not reach evenhigher goals in the next 25. Such successrests on the shoulders of not only ourrecent graduates, but the generation ofyoung people attending school and follow-ing in their footsteps. By getting an educa-tion, you can help shape our future.”

Five Grads Receive High School Diplomas


Lazara Marrero

Clarissa Garza

Daniel Yzaguirre

Miranda Motlow

By Judy WeeksIMMOKALEE —

Education has been a primaryissue in Immokalee for the pastmonth as the 2004–2005 schoolyear draws to a close. Family andcommunity members congratulat-ed the students as they climb theeducational ladder.

With five high schoolgraduates, it has been an excep-tional year for this small commu-nity. Looking at the statistics,there is an opportunity for thisnumber to climb in the future.School enrollment is good withyoungsters from the communityattending five high schools, sixmiddle schools and nine elemen-tary schools.

As the report cards rolledin, Director of ImmokaleeEducation Norita Yzaguirre tabu-lated the scores, congratulated thestudents on their promotions andprepared for this year’s incentive awards.

She said, “We have more students enrolledthan ever before and I am veryproud of our graduates. Most ofthem are planning to continue theireducation and I welcome the oppor-tunity to assist them. As I help theseyoungsters move through the schoolsystem from pre-kindergarten tocollege, I can’t help but feel a senseof pride and accomplishment onbehalf of the Seminole Tribe.”

Awards programs wereheld at each individual’s school andwill be acknowledged during theup-coming Immokalee IncentiveAwards presentation.

Immokalee’s preschool

students, Cartaya Billie and Crystal Garcia, joinedother graduates in a commencement ceremony at the

Hard Rock in Hollywood. They both will be enter-ing Village Oaks Elementary in the fall.

The Learning Center provided a festivegraduation ceremony for their pre-kindergartenstudents. In a hall decorated with red and whiteballoons, the student body performed for their par-ents before receiving their diplomas.

The group included the following com-munity members: Edward and Cindy Aguilar’sson, Edward, Jr., Amey Garza’s daughter, HaylieHollaway, Gil Yzaguirre and Aralia De La Rosa’sdaughter, Allison.

The Community Christian School inLabelle, Fla. held an elaborate awards celebrationon May 24, at which time they acknowledged threecommunity members for their achievements.

Chelsey Ford, daughter of MichelleAguilar Ford, was on the A/B honor roll, receivedthe A Bible Honor Award, Certificate forWonderful Penmanship and has been promoted tothe second grade.

Trystan Yzaguirre, son of Cleofas andDonna Yzaguirre, was on the A Honor Roll, ABible Honor Award, Certificate for Thoughtfulnessand Helpfulness and was promoted to the second

Grade.Juanita Pequeno’s daughter, Ashley Faz, has

been promoted to the third grade.


Dear Seminole Tribe of Florida,

I am a coordinator for Oklahoma’s 2005

Seminole Nation Days Celebration and we would

like to invite all our relatives in Florida to come

celebrate with us.

Thanks,

Emman Spain

Community Youngsters Move on to Next Grades

Haylie Halloway graduated fromLearning Center in Immokalee.

Photo provided by Judy Weeks

(L-R) Ashley Faz, Trystan Yzaguirre, Chelsey Ford received awardsfrom LaBelle Christian School.

(L-R) Allison Yzaguirre and Edward Aguilar Jr.were among the Pre-K Graduates at the LearningCenter in Immokalee.

Photo provided by Judy Weeks


By Shelley MarmorHOLLYWOOD — On June 10, the

Seminole Tribal Health department hosted a women’shealth fair in the auditorium of the HollywoodHeadquarters. The fair lasted from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.,with a complimentary lunch of fajitas, sandwichwraps and salad served at 12 p.m.

Many Tribal citizens and Tribal employeesmade their was to the fair, stopping at various boothsto pick up informational pamphlets and/or get takevarious health-related tests.

Some of the tests offered included: bodymass index, cholestorol, blood pressure, hearing, lungcapacity and blood sugar. Upon entry into the healthfair, attendees received a brochure that had spacesinside to recored the results from all these tests.Those receiving a minimum of 10 signatures for any10 booths were elegable to enter a raffle for a variousprizes. Celia Arcia, Dawna Bowman, Betsy Francoand Wanda Faye all took home prizes.

Several representatives from various organi-zations including the Memorial Hospital Health CareSystem, American Heart Association, the March ofDimes and Planned Parenthood also attended the fair.

Alesha Smith, director of public affairs andcommunity education for Planned Parenthood of

South Palm Beach & Broward Counties, Inc. handedout brouchers for women and young girls on sexuali-ty. She said her organization is constantly in jeopardyof funding cuts due to the “current administration.”Smith added that the Roe v. Wade decision that legal-ized abortion could be overturned at any time by theU.S. Supreme Court.

The March of Dimes, an organization thefocuses on babies and infant mortality reduction, hadvarious pamphlets about the importance of floic acid.The March of Dimes recommends all pregnantwomen have 400 micrograms of folic acid per day.Good sources of folic acid include black beans, avo-cados, certain cereals, beets and broccoli.

Two of the most popular booths was themassage therapy stations. At one station, people satupright and the massage focused mainly on the neck,shoulders, lower and middle back. At the second sta-tion Licensed Massage Therapist Sha Alf from theMiccosukee Tribe’s Health department had fair atten-dees lay on their stomach for a full body massage.

Alf said she does massages for SeminoleTribal citizens by appointment only. She works fromthe Hollywood reseravation on Tuesdays and Fridays.To contact Alf, call (305) 801-3655.

By Judy WeeksIMMOKALEE — Striving to improve our

health is not only a wise decision but requires individ-ual attention. In an effort to assist Tribal citizens infinding healthy solutions, the Seminole Tribe hasendorsed Lifestyle Balance classes, pro-vided workout equipment and counseling.

Recently Tracey De La Rosa, alicensed massage therapist joined theSenior Program in Immokalee. De LaRosa, 24, is a Florida native, born 24years ago in Sarasota. Her mother, origi-nally from Naples, married a Texan.During her early years, she traveled withher parents but eventually returned toCollier County where she completed hereducation.

Graduating from ImmokaleeHigh School in 1999, she took jobs in thehealth care and education fields. Eversince the sixth grade, when she developeda keen interest in massage, she has readwhatever material was available on thesubject, always hoping to make this hercareer.

In January 2004 De La Rosaentered the Florida Academy of Massageand Skin Care. For the next elevenmonths she studied History, Anatomy andBusiness along with the manual andmechanical manipulation of the soft tis-sues of the body. The course introducesother types of Modalities such as Thaimassage, Tai Chi, Yoga, Chinese medi-cine, Reki, biotherapy and hydortherapy.

On March 26, she successfullypassed her state board exam and receivednational certification in therapeutic mas-sage and bodywork. Always interested inexpanding her knowledge, she is continu-ing her studies with aroma therapy andparaffin wax dips.

Paraffin wax is designed tosoothe, soften and renew the skin. It isgenerally used on hands and feet to dealwith skin, calluses, arthritis and carpeltunnel problems.

On June 1, Chairman Cypress visited thetemporary senior massage facilities in the ImmokaleeGym. He had the opportunity to be the first person touse the new hydraulic treatment table following a

paraffin treatment of his hands.Exercise, as it relates to the seniors, is a very

important issue and the Tribe is constantly looking forways to promote and enhance programs that wouldbenefit them.

Chairman Mitchell Cypress reminisced abouthis own personal experiences.

“Like most young people, I grew up thinkingI was indestructible,” he said. “Nothing could happen

to me. I could do anything I wanted and still live for-ever. Several years ago, reality kicked in and I had arude awakening. I had developed diabetes and withsky-rocketing cholesterol levels, I had become awalking time bomb.

“Unlike the houses in which we live, you cannot trade for a new body when you wear the old oneout. Each person is allotted only one in a lifetime andwithout it, you become history.

“Following my wake up call. I began a rigor-ous regime of controlled exerciseand a healthy diet, while eating inmoderation. Following last year’smotorcycle accident, I had to addtherapy to my daily schedule. Ittook dedication and a concentratedeffort for me to change my lifestyle.I enlisted the help of a personaltrainer and later a physical therapistto get me back on track.

“It had taken years to getme into my dangerous physicalcondition and this could not bereversed safely overnight, and cer-tainly not without instruction.

“A daily workout, walkingand new eating habits have becomenot only my lifestyle, but enjoyable.Feeling good is contagious and Ihope others will want to catch thefeeling.”

With peaceful, soothingmusic playing in the background,De La Rosa gave him a massagedesigned to relax his muscles, pro-vide relief of lower back discomfortand tightness in the neck and shoul-ders. Upon completing the session,she asked his reaction to the treat-ment and he replied with a smile.

“I will have to check myschedule so that I can make anotherappointment,” he said.

Laughing she said, “Thankyou. I accept that as a favorableendorsement.”

Continuing she pointedout, “I am trying to impress uponthe seniors the fact that with age,they are no longer as active as theyonce were and their muscles needstimulation. Circulation to theirhands and feet becomes diminishedwith the slow down in activity,often noticeable by tingling, numb-ness or a cold sensation. Not only

does massage help with this problem, but it has psy-chological and physiological benefits.”

The Seminole Tribe is providing her servicesto the elders during the day by appointment. She iscurrently working out of an office in the gym andmaking home visits, while waiting to move in a fewshort weeks to the new modular facilities.

When not serving the seniors, she is avail-able for hire after hours to the general community.

By Cathrine Robinson, LCSW, Immokalee reser-vation

[Editor’s Note: Cathrine Robinson is alicensed clinical social worker employed as a seniorcounselor in the Family Services Department. Sheearned her master’s degree at the University ofGeorgia and has been a therapist for 15 years Herarticle will address women’s issues and concerns andappear monthly in The Seminole Tribune. Questionsand comments can be e-mailed to her [email protected]. The opinionsexpressed her are her own.]

“...Cathrine, just don’t ever get old…”Granny would say to me every time I would ask her ifthere was something more I could do for her. I wasnever sure, during that time, if Granny was giving mea command or asking me to commit to a promise.

But now that the spring of youth is passingfor me, I finally realized that Granny was just tryingto share with me her discomfort with the inevitableprocess of aging.

Many of us enjoy the relative comfort ofhaving some sort of maneuvering control over theover the choices and decisions we make in our lives.We choose our educational endeavors, career paths,social and romantic relationships, material posses-sions, lifestyles, and the like.

We meet with a variety of successes and fail-ures with the challenges of our pursuits, but we enjoythe capacity to move forward at a self determinedpace. We continue to have the impression that time isalways on our side, until one day we wake up, andrealize we are middle aged. Some of us start tobecome reflective regarding past mistakes or missedopportunities.

Others may be more focused on physicalchanges such as feeling the tug of body parts givingin to gravity, increased aches and pains, or needingthat extra nap on the weekends. Still others mightchoose this phase of life to reassess financial status orhonor commitments to children and grandchildren.However, as the population gets older, many of us inour 40s, 50s, and even 60s, are also caring for ouraging parents. Time becomes a precious commodityas we watch and experience new physical, emotional,and social challenges brought on by advancing age.

Senior citizens, on the whole, experiencemore chronic and acute pain, chronic illnesses, mem-ory loss, sleep disturbances, vision and hearing prob-lems, than their younger counterparts. Health prob-lems can be exacerbated by social isolation and socialstressors. A variety of studies have shown that loneli-ness and isolation can weaken an already compro-mised immune system among the elderly.

Here on the Immokalee reservation, 90 per-cent of our seniors are women. On the whole, womentend to live longer than their male counterparts, thusthey are more likely to face the loss of a spouse. Theoutlet of companionship can further be thwarted whenlifelong friendships and social circles deteriorate asfriends die, become ill, or move away. Such inevitablelife events can produce feelings of grief and loss, andultimately depression.

Depression is a medical and psychiatric ill-ness that is characterized by persistent sadness, dis-couragement, and low self worth. A person who isdepressed may have lowered energy, poor concentra-tion, increased sleep problems, decreased appetite,possibly weight loss or weight gain, and increasedphysical complaints. Seniors who exhibit depression,are at high risk to abuse alcohol and prescriptionmedication and are susceptible to foster suicidalideation.

Assessing depression and other emotionalproblems among many of our seniors can be difficult.Some cultures have historically dealt with pain under

oppression, slavery, or poor economic times. Thus,individuals in certain cultures may believe addressingpain with controlled emotions may be a sign ofstrength and endurance.

Also, for some, depression and repressedanger has become so interwoven in their state ofbeing, such painful emotions are accepted as normal.Lastly, people are simply used to going to physiciansfor physical complaints. For many, emotional con-cerns are considered private matters that should staywithin the family. There is no denying there are evi-dent limitations as one ages. Meeting tasks with speedand agility can no longer be a priority.

After my father retired, his favorite advice tohis impatient children was “take your time.” He knewthat slowness did not prevent movement. At 80 yearsof age, my father is still actively involved in familyaffairs, the upkeep of his home, and personal hobbies.Like my father, there are so many ways in which wecan enhance our quality of life as we get older.

Here are some suggestions:1. Choose a positive outlook to life. People

like to be around people who are positive. We canaffirm ourselves daily with positive statements andgoals. We can use our imagination to explore limitlesspossibilities in pursuing new opportunities and resolv-ing to persistent problems. We can mentor our chil-dren in how to be positive and solution focused, sothat they in turn, can model these behaviors to theirchildren.

2. Make mundane tasks, interesting.Retirement and unemployment can yield one to bore-dom and inactivity. Try a new recipe, invite someoneover for a meal, write a letter to an old friend or rela-tive, start a new hobby, or complete a project youhave been procrastinating around the home.

3. Choose to be alone, but not lonely. Studieshave shown that people who are involved in socialactivities such as church, volunteer work, or regularlyscheduled group outings, experience less problemswith depression and mood fluctuations.

4. Nourish spiritual needs and traditional val-ues that have historically brought comfort. Associatewith individuals who compliment your faith and val-ues. Share cultural and spiritual values, knowledge,stories, and experiences to children and grandchil-dren.

5. Stay nutritionally and physically fit.Walking, cycling, swimming, or exercising parts ofthe body that are mobile are ways one can increasephysical activity. Physical activity, Folic acid, Fishhigh in Omega 3 fatty acids (tuna, salmon, sardines),and multivitamins have be suggested to slow downmemory problems, such as Alzheimer’s disorders.

6. Stay mentally active. Just as body weak-ens when it is not properly taken care of, so does thebrain. Play board or card games, improve on readingand writing skills, paint, or take a continuing educa-tion course. There are a variety of ways to keep men-tally fit.

7. Seek the help of a medical or mentalhealth professional. Sometimes the weight of a bur-den can feel so heavy that one can feel immobilizedby despair or helplessness. Making decisions orengaging in activities can appear overwhelming. Noone has to be alone in a crisis. Call family services, alocal mental health professional, medical doctor, or911for assistance. Help is always available.

From spring’s dawn to winters dusk, today’sseniors can be proud that they have complimentedtheir longevity, with wisdom and endurance. Nodoubt their personal sacrifices and insurmountablestruggles have fortified them with a strength and wis-dom they can pass on for generations. As we learnfrom our seniors, we can embrace each phase of lifewith honor and integrity.

When Our Spring is GoneTribe Welcomes New Massage Therapist

Health Fair Provides Women-Specific Info

Nutritionist Doris Mir does a body fat percentage analysis on Liliana Nicolosi from Accounting.Adelsa Williams

Chairman Mitchell Cypress gets a parafin wax hand treatment fromDe La Rosa.

Judy Weeks

New Immokalee massage therapist Tracey De La Rosa adjuststhe chairman’s neck during a session.

Judy Weeks


As Florida approaches therainy season, homeownersshould safe-proof theirhomes against moistureintrusionSubmitted by Patrick Peck, EnvironmentalHealth Department

1. Potential health effects and symptomsassociated with mold exposures include allergic reac-tions, asthma, and other respiratory complaints.

2. There is no practical way to eliminate allmold and mold spores in the indoor environment; theway to control indoor mold growth is to controlmoisture.

3. If mold is a problem in your home orschool, you must clean up the mold and eliminatesources of moisture.

4. Fix the source of the water problem orleak to prevent mold growth.

5. Reduce indoor humidity by 30–60 per-cent to decrease mold growth by taking the followingmeasures: venting bathrooms, dryers, and othermoisture–generating sources to the outside, using airconditioners and de-humidifiers, increasing ventila-tion and using exhaust fans when cooking, dishwash-ing and cleaning.

6. Clean and dry any damp or wet buildingmaterials and furnishings with in 24–48 hours to pre-vent mold growth.

7. Clean mold off hard surfaces with waterand detergent, and dry completely. Absorbent materi-als such as ceiling tiles, that are moldy, may need tobe replaced.

8. Prevent condensation: Reduce the poten-tial for condensation on cold surfaces (i.e., windows,piping, exterior walls, roof or floors) by adding insu-

lation.9. In areas where there is a perpetual mois-

ture problem, do not install carpeting (i.e., by drink-ing fountains, by classroom sinks, or on concretefloors with leaks or frequent condensation).

10. Molds can be found almost anywhere;they can grow on virtually any substance, providingmoisture is present. There are molds that can grow onwood, paper, carpet and foods.

Anyone suspecting a mold problem shouldplease call the Tribal Housing department to request

Mark the dates for the Twelfth AnnualSeminole Wellness Conference

July 17–July 22, 2005

at the Marco Island Hilton560 South Collier Boulevard

Marco Island, FL, 34145

This year’s party theme is“Oscar Night: Everyone is a Winner”

Applications can be picked up at all rezFamily Services offices, the BrightonChairman’s Office, Hollywood Clinic,Big Cypress Clinic or Wellness Trailer

Applications are due Friday June 17 at5 p.m.

Seminole Wellness Conference Around the Corner

Dear Counselor,I am a 27 year old

Seminole woman. I have been dat-ing the same man for more thaneight years. We have a great rela-tionship. We love each other verymuch and we are saving to getmarried

My boyfriend is 34 yearsold and is very patient with me. Irealize every relationship havearguments and disagreements.

My boyfriend tells methat I am very emotional at times.I don’t want this to be a problemin our relationship or marriage.

When I was child Iremember my mother being veryemotional. I blame her for myemotional state of mind.

Signed,In Love

Dear In Love,Taking responsibility

that this is your life and you areresponsible for becoming freefrom your pain and your rela-tionship success is important. As long as you con-tinue to blame someone else, you’re stuck in theillusion that you are powerless over your condi-tion.

Until you take total responsibility for thecircumstance you find yourself in, you remainpowerless to change them. Once you embrace yourpart in your circumstances, you can begin to faceand change what is within you.

You embark on this journey by taking aninventory of your relationship and being honest

about your emotional behavior,denial, blaming and finger point-ing. In Love, it is important foryou to realize that there are noqualities inside of you that don’thave a purpose some where or atsome time.

You have fear so thatyou will know when you need toprotect yourself. Fear tells youwhen it’s not safe to walk down adark street or when to lock yourdoor. You have anger so that youwill know when someone hasviolated you or crossed yourboundaries. Your sadnessenables you to feel the pain ofloss; otherwise, how would youknow that you miss someone orsomething? Joy tells you thatyour soul is being nourished,while discontent tells you thatsomething is missing from yourlive.Every quality you posses has itspolar opposite close by waiting tocome into balance. Emotionalgrowth is the acknowledgement

and integration of all of your emotional behaviors.Rational behavior is brought about with communi-cation. Work on communicating with yourboyfriend and share your feelings when you feelstress.In Love, here is a word of advice from theCounselor: When you handle yourself, use yourhead, when you handle your boyfriend, use yourheart.Signed,Counselor

Ten Things to Know About Mold

Molded ceilings can spread rapidly throughout thehouse if left untreated.


Every 40 seconds a child isreported missing in the U.S.

Submitted by SPDChildren are our most valued asset and the future of the

community. The Seminole Police Department (SPD) and itsmembers are dedicated to the safety and well-being of all ourchildren. SPD aims to protect this precious asset through educa-tion and technology.

SPD has joined with A Child is Missing, a national pro-gram, and the only program of its kind in the country. A Child isMissing is a public/private partnership and is devoted to assistinglaw enforcement in search and early recovery efforts during theinitial hours after a child or elderly person’s disappearance. Thisis accomplished using a rapid-response neighborhood notificationsystem and utilizing a high-tech telephone program.

A Child is Missing works in conjunction with AmberAlert and all safety programs. However, A Child is Missingshould not be confused with the Amber Alert, which is designedfor stranger abductions and geographically removed from thearea of disappearance.

A Child is Missing has very few restrictions and can beactivated by one simple phone call. An A Child is Missing techni-cian records an individual alert message, which is phoned out tothe area where the child/elder was last seen. With its high-techtelephone, they can place up to 1,000 calls in 60 seconds.

In a little more than three years, law enforcement hascredited A Child is Missing with 99 successful recoveries. Theaverage recovery time has been 90 minuets from placing alertcalls.

On behalf of all the employees and members of SPD,I’d like to thank you for your continued support, trust andrespect.

Be safe, buckle up and God bless!

Submitted by SPDDear Parent or Guardian,

As summer vacation draws near,the Seminole Police Department (SPD)would like to impress upon parents andguardians the importance of all-terrainvehicle (ATV) safety. Even if you person-ally don’t own an ATV, your friends andneighbors might.

As parents and guardians, you lit-erally hold the key to your children’s safe-ty. Every ATV has an ignition key, andwhen you control the key, you control theuse. Parental supervision is a key elementto your child’s safety; children under theage of 16 must be supervised at all timeswhen riding an ATV.

Even if your family does notown an ATV, there is a chance that yourchild has friends or acquaintances thatdo. It is important to address thisby setting rules and dis-cussing them with yourchild. You might alsowant to make a call to afriend’s parents if you are unsureabout whether or notthis might bean issue atthe locationor event your child isattending.

Another point to note is thatATV’s are designed for a single operatorand no passengers, so your child shouldnever ride on an ATV with someone else atthe controls. Again, adult supervision isthe key.

ATVs are not one size fits all.Nearly 90 percent of all youth ATV-relatedincidents are the results of a youth ridingan adult-sized ATV, meaning an ATV withan engine size greater than 90 cubic cen-

timeters. No child younger than 16 shouldbe permitted to ride an adult-sized ATV.

The ATV industry provides thefollowing recommendations regarding thesize of the ATV and the age of the rider.

If your child is six years andolder they should ride an ATV that has anengine size of less than 70 cubic centime-ters. If your child is 12 years and older,they should ride an ATV that is less than

90 cubic centimeters. Itis only when

your child is16 years and

older,should they ride anATV that is of more than 90 cubiccentimeters.

Even though a child is of the rec-ommended age to ride a particular sizeATV, not all children have the strength,skill or judgment needed to operate anATV. You should supervise your child’soperation of the ATV at all times andallow continued use only if you determine

that your child has the ability and judg-ment to operate the ATV safely.

More than 90 percent of all ATV-related fatalities are caused by behaviorsthat the ATV industry strongly warnsagainst. There are eight rules of ATV safe-ty that address these behaviors: alwayswear a helmet and other protective gear,take an ATV rider safety course, superviseriders younger than 16–ATVs are not toys,

ride only on designatedtrails at asafe

speed,never ride on public roads-

another vehicle could hit you,never ride under the influence of

alcohol or other drugs, nevercarry a passenger on a sin-

gle-rider vehicle andride an ATV that’s

right for your age.To reit-

erate, the guide-lines for deter-mining what

size is right forwhich person are:

Age 6 andolder,

under70 cubic

centimeters; age12 and older,

70–90 cubic centimeters; age 16 and older,more than 90 cubic centimeters

SPDs primary goal is to promotethe safe and responsible use of ATVs,thereby reducing accidents and injuriesthat may result from improper ATV opera-tion by the rider.

A Message from Police Chief Mike Floyd

Open Letter to Parents from SPD Regarding ATVs

Safeguard Yourself: Tips for WomenSubmitted by Sergeant Al Signore, SPD,Crime Prevention Unit

Purse SnatchDo not carry a bag that makes

you a target. A bag that dangles from theshoulder can be easily yanked off yourshoulder from someone coming up behindyou.

Do not carry your bag in such amanner that you can’t let it go if you haveto. Many women have been injuredbecause their own bags acted as handcuffsas a purse snatcher yanked it away.

Do be aware of your surround-ings and carry your bag close to yourbody, i.e. tucked in the bend of yourelbow.

Do minimize the amount ofmoney and credit cards that you carry withyou on a daily basis. Divide your moneybetween pockets and bags.

If you are a victim of a pursesnatch do not fight to hold onto your bag,especially if there is a weapon(s) involved.

Coming Home LateAvoid shortcuts that are not well

traveled or well lit.Know what reputable stores are

open in the neighborhood late at night. Ifyou suspect that you’re being followedstay away from lonely quiet locks andhead for the store you know to be open.

When walking to your car or onyour way home, keep your keys in yourhand until you are safely inside for addedprotection.

If someone drops you off at homeby auto, ask the driver to wait until youare safely inside.

If a motorist bothers you whileyou are walking turn around and walk inthe opposite direction of the car. Do this asoften as necessary and the motorist shouldget discouraged.

If You’re DrivingKeep windows rolled up, except

for a small ventilation space and keep yourdoors locked.

If someone attempts to force youoff the road, don’t panic and blow yourhorn constantly to attract attention. If youare forced over, as soon as you stop putyour car in reverse and back away. Keepblowing your horn and moving the car asmuch as possible.

Try to park your car in a welllighted area this is not only good from thestandpoint of discouraging a personalattack on you but also for the reducingchance of auto theft. Look around beforeyou get into your car.

Before getting into your car lookinside first to make sure no one is hidingin the back seat. When leaving your carmake sure it is locked.

At Home You ShouldHave your keys ready before you

walk in the front door.Make sure your entrance area is

well lighted.If you have an apartment, don’t

be polite and hold the lobby door open fora stranger that has been waiting.

List only your last name and firstinitials on your mailbox.

Don’t buzz someone inside unlessyou know them.

If a stranger wants to use yourphone for any kind of call do not permitthem to. You may keep them outside andmake the call for the person. Any prob-lems or doubt, call the police.

If you arrive home and find yourdoor open do not go inside call the policefrom a payphone, cell phone , or neighborshouse and ask them to meet you.

Don’t get on the elevator with astranger if your good judgment warnsagainst it need an excuse to avoid embar-rassment say something like “Oh, I forgotmy mail.”

I You are A Victim of RapeReport crime immediately to

police, call 911Do not wash or doucheHave a medical exam and internal

gynecological exam as soon as possible,accompanied by a police officer preferably

Inform doctor of exact acts com-mitted upon you and have him note anymedical evidence of them

Seamen smears must be taken bythe doctor

Doctors should note any bruisesor injuries (bleeding, lacerations, etc)external or internal

Have the doctor test for venerealdiseases and pregnancy later if relevant.

Inform the police of all details ofthe attack however intimate and of any-thing unusual you may have noticed aboutthe attacker remember what he said andhow he said it may lead to his arrest

Show police any external bruisesor injuries however minor resulting fromthe attack also show them to a friend orrelative who might be available as a cor-roborative witness at the trial

Give the undergarment to thepolice for semen analysis

Give any torn or stained clothingto the police

When calm make note of eventsof attack unusual details, etc.

For more information for safe-guard yourself tips, call Sergeant AlSignore with the Seminole PoliceDepartment Crime Prevention Unit at(813) 623-5748.

Submitted by Sergeant Al Signore, SPD,Crime Prevention Unit

Senior citizens currently representthe most rapidly growing segment of thepopulation in the U.S. Currently, one inevery eight Americans is age 65 or older, atotal of more than 35 million. By year2030 as baby boomers age and lifeexpectancy increases, this number increaseto an estimated 64 million.

Personal Safety At Home:Safety at the door1. When someone knocks at your

door, don’t open it unless you know ourvisitor. / Have a through-the-door viewerinstalled on each exterior door.

2. If the person is a representa-tive, salesman, etc., ask that identificationand credentials be slipped under thedoor or through the mail slot.Call the employer to verify thename and business. Refuse todeal with anyone who won’tcomply with this request.

3. Someone may knockat your door and ask to use yourtelephone to make an emergencycall. Never open the door, takethe message and make the call for them.

4. If someone comes to your doorthat you do not trust or who you believemight be dangerous; call your local policeor sheriffs department immediately.

Returning Home1. If you find your door ajar or if

you hear unusual sounds inside, don’t goin.

2. Go to the nearest telephone andcall you police or sheriff’s department

3. If your home has been burglar-ized, don’t touch anything until lawenforcement arrives.

4. If you enter your home andfind a burglar there, leave if you can.

5. If the intruder is armed, sitdown quietly and obey instructions.

6. Do not resist or fight.7. Observe the intruder closely to

obtain a description for the responding lawenforcement officer.

8. When the intruder leaves, callyour local police or sheriff’s departmentimmediately.

Telephone Safety1. If you receive frequent wrong

numbers calls, hang up calls, late nightcalls from strangers, or other nuisancecalls, call the security representative atyour local telephone company.

2. If a telephone call is obscene,hang up the telephone but don’t slam thereceiver down.

3. If a telephone call is threaten-ing, contact your local law enforcementagency immediately.

4. Never allow yourself to bedrawn into a conversation with anunknown caller in which you reveal yourname, address, marital status or anythingto indicate you are alone.

5. Don’t let a caller know you areangry or upset. This is the reaction theywant and will often encourage them.

6. Don’t play detective andextend the call attempting to find out whois calling. This may be the reaction the

caller wantsor needs.

7. Don’t try to be a counselor.The annoying or malicious caller probablyneeds professional help, but he/she mayonly be encouraged by your concern andwill continue calling.

While You Are Out: Deterring the Street CriminalPurse Snatches, Pickpockets,

and Muggers1. Purse snatches are most fre-

quently teenagers who prey upon personsin crowded places.

2. The pickpocket attempts tosteal a wallet when the owner is distractedin a crowded.

3. The mugger looks for victimsin out-of the-way and secluded places.

Recommendations1. Carry as little cash as possible

and carry credit cards in a concealed coator chest pocket.

2. For a woman with a purse,carry it close to the body, preferably infront. If the purse has a clasp, cover it withyour hand. Don’t wrap the strap of thepurse around your wrist. Never leave apurse unattended.

3. If you carry both packages anda purse, put the purse between your bodyand the packages.

5 .Avoid carrying a wallet in aback or side pocket.

6. If a robber attempts to snatchyour purse: Don’t resist. Give the robberwhat he/she wants. Sit down to avoidinjury. Observe the robber as closely aspossible to get a description for the police.Never pursue the attacker. After sittingdown, make noise by calling for help.Carry a whistle and blow it repeatedly.

When Walking1. Plan your route and stay alert

to your surroundings.2. Never exhibit or flash large

sums of cash or other valuables.3. If you must walk at night,

choose the busiest and best-lit streets.4. Walk with a companion, when-

ever possible.5. Greet familiar people, mer-

chants and vendors.6. Stay away from build-

ings and walk next to the street.7. Avoid dark places,

short cuts, alleys, thick trees andshrubs and sparsely traveled areas.

8. Be wary of strangerswho attempt to start meaningless orodd conversations.

In Stores4. Don’t display cash

except in small amounts.2. Don’t leave t purse

unattended, in a shopping cart oron a counter while examining an

item. Don’t get separated from apurse in a crowdedrestroom.

3. Ifyou are purchasing some-thing and opening yourpurse, don’t allow yourselfto be distracted. Close it asquickly as possible.

4. Always makesure you retrieve a creditcard from a clerk afterusing it.

When UsingPublic Transportation

1. Don’t waitalone at a transit stop anylonger than necessary.

2. Carry exactchange in your hand.

3. Stand in view ofother passengers.

4. Sit in the frontof the vehicle near the driv-er or in the middle of thecar away from doors.

5. When arrivingby taxi, ask the driver towait until you are insidebefore driving away.

Safety in YourCar

1. Keep your gastank full and your vehicle’sengine well maintained toavoid breakdowns.

Always lock yourcar doors, even when yourinside, and keep your win-dows rolled up.

2. Lock packagesand other valuables in thetrunk. Do not leave them onthe back seat or on the floorof the vehicle where poten-tial thieves can see them.

3. When youreturn to your car, alwayscheck the front and backseat before you get in.

4. Never pick uphitchhikers.

5. If your car breaks down, pullover to the right as far as possible, raisethe hood, and wait inside for help. Do notget out of the car or roll down the windowtill the police arrive.

6. Don’t leave your purse on theseat beside you when driving. Place it onthe floor.

7. When you arrive home, keepthe headlights on until you have the car inthe garage and the house is unlocked.

8. Although they are an expense,it is recommended you have a portable cel-lular telephone in your motor vehicle.They can be invaluable if you havemechanical problems, are involved in orwitness an accident, feel threatened, etc.

9. If you purchase gas or goinside to pay for it, take your vehicle keyswith you.

10. Don’t keep your car keys onthe same ring as your house keys. If your

car is stolen with the keys in it, you don’twant the thief to also have the keys to yourhome.

11. When stopped at traffic lights,be aware of diversions. A criminal may tryto sell a vehicle driver something or per-haps beg money, while a second criminalreaches in a window or enters the vehiclefrom the passenger side.

12. Do not rent vehicles that areclearly marked as rental vehicles. Thievesoften target rentals because they believetourists who carry a lot of money drivethem.

For more information on CrimePrevent Tips for Senior Citizens, call theSeminole Police Department Sergeant AlSignore with the Crime Prevention Unit at(813) 6235748.

Crime Prevention Recommendations for Senior Citizens


Submitted by UIDA Business Services,A Native American Procurement andTechnical Assistance Center

July 26–29: 3rd Annual UIDA Business

Services Small Business Week 2005Conference & Trade Show, at theCoronado Springs Resort, Orlando, FL.For more information contact ChanderaNewby at (770) 494-0117 [email protected].

August 8–9: Four Corners Procurement Fair at

the Best Western Inn & Suites, Gallup,NM. For more information call (480) 545-1298, (800) 462-2433, Ext. 224, or e-mailTerri Cook at [email protected]

September 22: 30th Annual Indian Progress in

Business Awards Banquet at theMillennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles,CA. For more information contact MarylHamilton, (

480) 545-1298, (800) 462-2433,Ext. 228 or [email protected]

February 6–9, 2006: 20th Annual National ReservationEconomic Summit Conference &American Indian Business Trade Fair(RES) at the Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas,NV. For more information contact MarylHamilton, (480) 545-1298, (800) 462-2433, Ext. 228or [email protected]

April 2006: 3rd Annual Native American BusinessLeaders Awards Luncheon in Atlanta, GA.Contact Chandera Newby at (770) 494-0117 or [email protected] formore information.

May 8, 2006: 18th Annual National Center Golf ClassicTournament at the Hacienda Golf Club inLa Habra Heights, CA. For more informa-tion contact Maryl Hamilton, (480) 545-1298, (800) 462-2433, Ext. 228 [email protected]

Questions? Call: (800) 4-NCAIED, Ext.243, Fax: 480-545-4208, e-mail:[email protected] and visit eitherwww.ncaied.org or www.uida.org.

Submitted by the Native AmericanJournalists Association

VERMILLION, SD — TheNative American Journalists Association(NAJA) received a $25,000 grant from theEthics and Excellence in JournalismFoundation (EEIJ), the Ford Foundation,and the John S. and James L. KnightFoundation for capacity building. Thebuilding will allow NAJA to better serveits more than 500 members.

“We’re very happy with the sup-port we’ve received from EEIJ, Ford andKnight,” NAJA President Dan Lewerenz,Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, said.“In many ways, NAJA is still growing as anonprofit, and this will help us positionourselves to do a better job of raising themoney necessary to support our missionand continue working for our members.”

The Challenge Fund forJournalism allows media organizations toboost their fundraising efforts by encour-aging the organizations to target individualdonors. The Fund for Journalism providesone-to-one matching grants, and offersworkshops and consultation on fund-rais-ing strategies.

“This project will increase thefund-raising capacity of organizations that

work to ensure diversity in the newsmedia,” said Jon Funabiki, deputy directorof the Media, Arts and Culture unit of theFord Foundation. “The program will alsoencourage the organizations to target indi-vidual donors, including journalists, as asource of new funds.”

Lewerenz issued a challenge toNAJA members and organizations lookingto contribute to the cultivation of thegrowing number of Native journalists.

“NAJA’s mission is to empowerNative journalists through programsdesigned to enrich the field and promoteNative cultures, in addition to increaserepresentation of Native journalists inmainstream media,” Lewerenz said.

“We only have one year to meetthis grant. However, with the support ofour members and the supporters both inthe industry and in Indian Country, I’mconfident that we can meet this challengeand continue to grow as an organization.”

NAJA plans to kick off the“NAJA Challenge: Helping JournalistsSucceed” campaign during the 21stAnnual Convention Aug. 11-14 in Lincoln,NE. For information about the conference,“A Free Press; A Free People,” please goto [email protected].

Submitted by NMAIWASHINGTON, DC — The

Smithsonian’s National Museum of theAmerican Indian (NMAI) is pleased toannounce a call to distinguished artists fora site-specific outdoor sculpture commis-sion. The museum is looking for a work ofart that symbolizes “welcome” and“home” to visitors as they first enter thegrounds. The museum will take a broadapproach to selecting an artist.

Call for SubmissionsNMAI is seeking submissions

from professional artists who wish to beconsidered for the commission of a con-temporary outdoor sculpture for long-termpublic display on the museum’s grounds.The work will welcomemillions of visitors everyyear and become a signa-ture piece, visually repre-senting the museum to therest of the world.

There are twophases to the selectionprocess. The first step isthis call for submissions.From a review of artists’previous work, the selec-tion committee will chooseup to five finalists toadvance to the next phase.In the second phase, final-ists will be invited to themuseum to meet with theselection committee.Finalists will be asked todevelop a site-specific pro-posal and a maquette.

The selectioncommittee will review theproposals-presented in per-son by the artists-andselect the work to be com-missioned. The museum will providefinancial support to the finalists during thesecond phase, including travel to and fromWashington, D.C.

Final selection is expected to beannounced in April 2006; installation isplanned for September 2007. Submissionsshould consist of images of the artist’swork that reflect: i) the artist’s experience;ii) the artist’s ability to complete a large-scale commission; and iii) the aestheticquality of the artist’s work and its compati-bility with the museum’s mission, architec-ture, and landscape.

Specifications of the Work of ArtThe work must be an original

piece made for the NMAI, never beforedisplayed or incorporated into previouswork. The work must be consistent withthe landscape and the architecture of themuseum in its scale, materials, and subjectmatter.

It is the intent of the NMAI to

have the work on outdoor display for fiveto 10 years, accessible to a curious public.Therefore, the piece must be sturdy andstable; suitable for the climatic conditionsof Washington, D.C.; and safe for visitors.

The work will be placed at one ofthe following sites: the museum’s SouthEntrance, the East Entrance, or along theNorth Walk. The final location will bedetermined by the commissioned artist andthe selection committee.

Procedures and Guidelines forSubmissions

Please read all instructions care-fully. Materials not submitted in the properformat will not be considered. No elec-tronic or faxed submissions will be accept-

ed. Incomplete or late submissions will notbe reviewed. All submissions must bepostmarked by Aug. 1.

Each submission must include thefollowing:

• A plastic slide sheet containing12 slides (35 mm) of recent 3-D piecesthat are representative of the artist’s work.Each slide must be labeled with the artist’sname, arrow or words top and front indi-cating the top of the image, and a numberthat corresponds to an annotated slide list,see below. A CD of digital images may besubstituted for slides. No film or videoplease. Blurred, out of focus, too dark, orotherwise unsuitable entries for judgingand scanning will hinder the artist’schances of being selected.

• Annotated slide or CD list,including each work’s title, medium, size,date, corresponding number, and a briefdescription of the project.

• Current resume including the

artist’s name, Tribal affiliation (if applica-ble), telephone number(s), and emailaddress. Please do not exceed four pages.

• One-page artist’s statement thataddresses the following: how the artist’swork relates to the museum’s project, whatinterests the artist about the project and theartist’s past experiences that are relevant tothe project.

Please type all responses. Pleasedo not submit additional materials or origi-nal artwork; the museum will not returnslides, CDs, or other submitted materials.Unfortunately, the museum cannot beresponsible for lost, missing, or damagedmaterials. All materials will be photo-copied for the selection committee. Please

do not staple or bind sub-mission materials, and useonly plain letter-sizepaper.

Send CompletedSubmissions To

Via FedEx, UPS,or Other Courier: NationalMuseum of the AmericanIndian, 4th Street andIndependence Avenue SW,Washington, DC 20024,Attn: Machel Monenerkit,Design Competition

Via Regular(USPS) or InternationalMail: National Museumof the American Indian,P.O. Box 37012, MRC590, Washington, DC20013-7012, Attn: MachelMonenerkit, DesignCompetition.

Materials submit-ted to the NMAI during allphases of the competitionwill become the property

of the NMAI and will not be returned.Materials submitted by the finalists duringthe selection period, Phase 2, includingmaquettes, may be used by the museumfor all standard nonprofit uses. By submit-ting materials to the NMAI for this compe-tition, the artist agrees to these terms.

For more information please callMachel Monenerkit at (202) 633-6667 ore-mail [email protected].

Estimated Project TimelineAug. 1: Submission postmark

deadline; Oct. 3: Notification of finalists;Oct. 10–14: Site visit to the NMAI byfinalists; March 13–17, 2006: Final judg-ing review by the selection committee,finalists will present proposals and maque-ttes at the NMAI; April 3, 2006:Notification of artist selected for commis-sion; August 2007: Commissioned workshipped to the NMAI; September 2007:Installation and public unveiling of com-missioned work.

National Center & UIDA BusinessServices 2005-2006 Calendar of Events

NAJA Receives Grant forCapacity Building

NMAI Sculpture Design Competition

Site plan of museum’s ground level and surrounding landscape.Jones & Jones, SmithGroup, Polshek Partnership

Native American Leaders Join toDeliver Trust Reform and CobellSettlement Principles to Congress

Submitted by Katie MarthaWASHINGTON, DC — In a historic union,

prominent Native American leaders joined with thelead plaintiff, Elouise Cobell, in the landmark Cobellv. Norton case on June 20. Leaders presented theTrust Reform and Cobell Settlement WorkgroupPrinciples as the basis of legislation that wouldresolve the nine-year court battle.

The court case covers the federal govern-ment’s admitted failure to account for trust funds heldfor Native Americans and reform the national trustmanagement system that continues to plague IndianTribes and individuals who own cattle, timber, crops,oil and gas, and other resources.

The trust funds belong to an estimated500,000 individual Indians–monies that the govern-ment received for the proceeds from sales and leasesof resources from the Indians’ lands. The principlesalso set out a number of standards and principles fortribal and individual trust management.

Tex G. Hall, Red Tipped Arrow, president ofThe National Congress of American Indians andchairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nationand Jim Gray, chairman of the Inter-Tribal MonitoringAssociation, and principal chief of the Osage Nationalong with Elouise Cobell, formed and led a nationalworking group comprised of national native leaders,organizations, and individuals who collectively draft-ed the Principles.

In addition to Hall, Gray, and Cobell, otherNative American advocates such as SharonClahchischilliage, executive director of theWashington, D.C. office of the Navajo Nation and

John Echohawk, executive director of the NativeAmerican Rights Fund, joined with them today toannounce that Indian Country stands in unity behindthe principles.

All are in strong support of an effort byCongress to write legislation following the Principlesroadmap that would put in place reforms to the deeplytroubled management of Indian land, resources, andmonies and also settle the Cobell v. Norton classaction litigation.

The principles demand needed accountabili-ty, enforceable legal standards, and fairness from thegovernment in exchange for ending the historic courtbattle. They were drafted in response to a request bySenator John McCain (R-AZ), chairman of the SenateIndian Affairs Committee, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), vice chairman of the Senate Indian AffairsCommittee, Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA),chairman of the House Resources Committee andRepresentative Nick Rahall (D-WV), ranking memberof the House Resources Committee, who approachedthe Tribal leaders seeking a permanent solution to thetrust scandal.

The lawmakers asked Indian Country tospeak with a unified voice and provide a set of princi-ples that would guide the lawmakers’ drafting of leg-islation to provide for a prompt and fair resolution ofthe trust issue. In the process, Native American lead-ers were careful to seek out the advice ofCongressional staff of both Committees. They willtransmit the Principles to Senators McCain andDorgan, and Representatives Pombo and Rahall today.

The second grandopening celebration of theAh-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum atOkalee Village took placeMay 17 at 6 p.m. for thegeneral public and invitedguests. Greater FortLauderdale Convention &Visitors Bureau PresidentNicki Grossman (center)joined Chairman MitchellCypress (right) andHollywood CouncilRepresentative Max B.Osceola Jr. (left) for theribbon cutting. The trio usedspecially-made goldenmachetes to cut the ribbon,the same machetes the wereused in the first grand open-ing.Felix DoBosz

Ah-Tah-Thi-KiMuseum at

Okalee VillageGrand Opening


By Susan EtxebarriaBRIGHTON — The end of the 2004–2005

year for Seminole 4-H came to a close with a fabu-lous banquet attended by Big Cypress and Brightonfamilies at the Cattle & Land Operations in Brighton.

The auditorium filled up with children, par-ents and even grandparents like Elaine Aguilar, ofImmokalee, who was present to watch her grandchildreceive her check and T-shirt designed for 4-H.

Tables decorated in green and white and lotsof matching balloons created a fun atmosphere as ahearty chicken dinner was served. Tribal ExtensionAgent Michael Bond emceed the banquet.

While addressing the attendees, Bond intro-duced Brighton’s new Tribal Council RepresentativeAndy Bowers, who told the kids that the annualSeminole 4-H Show & Sale is one of his favoritetimes of the year to volunteer. Bowers assists in thejudging at the 4-H show every year, and he promisedthat his new job as a councilman will not stop himfrom returning again next year to help out.

“This is an exciting night for the kids whenthey get recognition for their hard work,” Bowerssaid.

The children received their completion pinsand merit awards at the banquet and their recordbooks were returned with a grade.

Bond had the job of grading the recordbooks that are turned in at the end of the year.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “Some of thebooks were really outstanding.”

One of the tasks, the 4-H members per-formed was a project story. The judges selected BigCypress’s Danni Jae Tommie’s story as one of thestandouts.

Bond also recognized the efforts of threepeople who work year round to make 4-H a success:4-H Coordinator Polly Hayes Osceola, 4-H Assistant

Dionne Smedley and Programs Assistant CandyMancil. Osceola then recognized two Tribal ranchers,Minnie Bert and Patty Waldron, who donated cattlefor many of the 4-H steer projects.

A Big Night for All at 4-H Banquet

Breanna Billie recieved a T-Shirt especially designed for 4-H form Candy Mancil .Susan Etxebarria

Programs Assistant Candy Mancil and Clint BowersSusan Etxebarria


Submitted by Wayne Schaffel, M. SilverAssociates Inc.

HOLLYWOOD — TheAmerican Automobile Association (AAA)has bestowed its prestigious Four Diamondrating to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Each year,more than 55,000 properties are evaluatedby AAA, and fewer the 3.5 percent earn arating of Four Diamonds or higher.

According to President of theSeminole Hard Rock Hotel & CasinoMichael Bloom, the AAA rating under-scores the property’s commitment to quali-ty, excellence, and customer service

“In just our first year of opera-tion, we’ve made an extraordinary impactin the South Florida market. We havestrived to put together a first class opera-tion, and to be recognized by the leadingtravel organization in the United States letsus know that the efforts of our 2,500employees have not gone unnoticed,”Bloom said.

AAA guidelines define the FourDiamond rating as accommodations that

are progressively more refined and stylish.The physical attributes reflect an obviousenhanced level of quality throughout. The

fundamental hallmarks at this level includean extensive array of amenities combinedwith a high degree of hospitality, serviceand attention to detail.

The amenities that came underscrutiny at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel

& Casino included the property’s 481rooms, four acre tropical lagoon/pool,complete with rock waterfall and man-made beach area and volleyball court,24,000 square feet of meeting space,Seminole Paradise, a 300,000 square footupscale retail/dining/entertainment com-plex, and 120,000 square foot casino.

This summer, Hard Rock Live, a5,500 seat arena/theater will open, bring-ing a new level of entertainment offeringsand meeting space to the property.

“Whether it’s hard rock, country,comedy, association meetings or livesporting events, we’ll be able to provide astate-of-the-art facility that both perform-ers and audiences will appreciate,” Bloomadded.

For further information pleasecontact Wayne Schaffel, M. SilverAssociates Inc., at (212) 754-6500, by e-mail at [email protected] orAdvertising and PR Manager JulianneCarelli with the Seminole Hard RockHotel & Casino at (954) 327-7504.

Hard Rock Receives AAA Four Diamond Rating

July 1: Morgan Stone, 3 p.m.–7p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

Sunset Nights: Poolside HappyHour, $4 Bacardi and Bacardi flavordrinks, $4 Level vodka, complimentaryhors d’oeuvres, musical entertainment, 4p.m.–10 p.m., at the pool, No cover.Entertainment starts at 3 p.m., drink spe-cials start at 4 p.m.

Floyd’s seafood dinner buffetentertainment with Theo Valentin, 6p.m.–9 p.m., Floyd’s, $19.99 for Player’sClub and $24.99 for non-members.

Posh at Floyds, featuring thehottest DJs spinning smooth South Beach-style hip hop, R&B and Top 40, go-godancers, shadow dancers and fire breathersand a sexy burlesque performance byRisque’ Sinful Dancers, 11 p.m.–6 a.m.,Floyd’s, 21 and up only, $4 U-Call-Itdrinks and $2 bottled beer for the ladies.For VIP table reservations call (813) 627-7703.

DJ Joey Jam, 1 a.m.–6 a.m.,Lobby Bar, No cover before 3 a.m., $20after.

July 2: Sophomore Jynx, 3p.m.–7 p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

Quick Shot Paulo, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.,Lobby Bar, No cover

Summer Sessions at Floyd’s, 21and up only. Free entry and $1 cocktailsfor the ladies until 12 midnight; $4 Levelvodka and Captain Morgan until 3 a.m.; $2Heinekens for everyone. For more infor-mation contact (813) 627-7676.

DJ Joey Jam, 1 a.m.–6 a.m.,

Lobby Bar, No cover before 3 a.m., $20after.

July 3: Green Room Brunch withTheo Valentin, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., The GreenRoom, No cover.

Acquiesce, 3 p.m.–7 p.m., LobbyBar, No cover.

London Que, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.,Lobby Bar, No cover.

July 4: Tom Patten & DwightChampagne, 6 p.m.–11 p.m., Lobby Bar,No cover.

July 5: Stacey Knights, 6p.m.–11 p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

July 6: Sam & Cleo, 6 p.m.–11p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

July 7: Chase Vaccaro, 6 p.m.–11p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

The Art of Rock & Roll “Only InAmerica” art exhibit and wine tasting, fea-turing photography by David Lubin, DanHiggins, Ishini Wright, David Audet andLori Ballard. Hors d’ oeuvres created byChef Rachid El Yamani, wine samplingsand specials courtesy of Premier BeverageAmericana. Sounds by DJ Maestro.Commemorative autographed poster avail-able with a donation to A Gift ForTeaching. Ballroom, 6:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.,Free admission with complimentary invite,$10 otherwise; 21 and up only.

July 8: London Que, 3 p.m.–7p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

Sunset Nights: Poolside HappyHour, $4 Bacardi and Bacardi flavordrinks, $4 Level vodka, complimentaryhors d’oeuvres, musical entertainment, 4

p.m.–10 p.m., at the pool, No cover.Entertainment starts at 3 p.m., drink spe-cials start at 4 p.m.

Floyd’s seafood dinner buffetentertainment with Theo Valentin, 6p.m.–9 p.m., Floyd’s, $19.99 for Player’sClub and $24.99 for non-members.

Basic Rock Outfit, 8 p.m.–1 a.m.,Lobby Bar, No cover.

Posh at Floyds, featuring thehottest DJs spinning smooth South Beach-style hip hop, R&B and Top 40, go-godancers, shadow dancers and fire breathersand a sexy burlesque performance byRisque’ Sinful Dancers, 11 p.m.–6 a.m.,Floyd’s, 21 and up only, $4 U-Call-Itdrinks and $2 bottled beer for the ladies.For VIP table reservations call (813) 627-7703.


July 9: Bacardi Boys, 3 p.m.–7p.m., Lobby Bar, No cover.

Ted Wray, 8 p.m.–1 a.m., LobbyBar, No cover.

Summer Sessions at Floyd’s, 21and up only. Free entry and $1 cocktailsfor the ladies until 12 midnight; $4 Levelvodka and Captain Morgan until 3 a.m.; $2Heinekens for everyone. For more infor-mation contact (813) 627-7676.


Upcoming Tampa Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Events

Submitted by Alina M. Viera, BitnerGoodman PR

HOLLYWOOD — SouthFlorida’s newest and greatest entertain-ment venue–the 6,400-seat Hard RockLive indoor arena–will open July 12 at7:30 p.m. with a triple play of power-house classic rock.

Doors for all concerts open onehour before the show. All seats arereserved and may be purchased at theSeminole Hard Rock Hotel & CasinoBox Office, open daily from 12–7 p.m.If tickets are purchased at the casino boxoffice, no service charge will beincurred.

Tickets also are available at allTicketmaster outlets and online atwww.ticketmaster.com. Charge byphone: Miami-Dade (305) 358-5885,Broward (954) 523-3309, and PalmBeach (561) 966-3309. Parking is free.

Styx, REO Speedwagon andThe Outlaws Tickets for the grandopening event are priced at $30, $45 and$60 and went on sale June 17 at noonthrough Ticketmaster or the Hard RockLive Box Office.

Kenny Loggins and JimMessina Tickets went on sale June 24 atnoon for Kenny Loggins and JimMessina reunion performance onSeptember 29 at 8 p.m. at Hard RockLive. Tickets cost $45.

Def Leppard Tickets went onsale on June 10 for the Def Leppardconcert at the Hard Rock Live at theSeminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.On July 22 at 8 p.m. Def Leppard willperform. Ticket prices are: $55, $75 and$85.

Tim McGraw Tickets went onsale June 18 for Tim McGraw’s per-formance at the Hard Rock Live at the

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.McGraw will perform on August 25 at 8p.m. Tickets are $50, $100, $150 and$200.

Hard Rock Live GrandOpening and Concert Schedule

Submitted by Fran Folic, BitnerGoodman PR

HOLLYWOOD — SeminoleParadise will hold a Rock & Roll BlockParty Independence Weekend, July 2–4. Avariety of free special events and fun-filledactivities will take place from 1–5 p.m.daily.

Fireworks will take place atSeminole Paradise at 9 p.m. on July 3.

The weekend will include appear-ances by the Florida Marlins InteractiveStreet Team with ticket giveaways andgames, Billy the Marlin and the MarlinsMermaids, animal displays by Okalee

Village & Museum and magic and acrobatshows. Other highlights include aHollywood Choppers bike show and a rac-ergarage.com classic car show on July 4.

All three days will feature livemusic, a sidewalk sale, strolling models,street performers and family fun activitiesincluding a bounce house, face painting,snow cone giveaways and more.

Additionally, several of SeminoleParadise’s restaurants will be hosting out-door barbecues throughout the afternoon.Community Blood Centers of SouthFlorida will also be on-hand collectingblood donations.

Independence Day at Seminole Paradise



Poem

Announcements

Corrections

To Roderick Buster,Hope you’re hanging in there.

We’re all missing you and we’re doingOK. Be good and send a postcard.

Love and miss you Cuz,Cheyanna & the crew of Thug

Mansion

Jameson McKinley OsceolaCypress turned nine on June 22. Wewould like to with you a very big happybirthday.

We love you always,Mom, Trey, Jon, Litlit, Obee,

BonBon and your little sister Coco

Happy birthday on July 12 tomy mama Racheal J. Billie. You’re thebest!

Love always,Your #1 brat, Alliyah

Happy 12th birthday to my lit-tle Cuz Racheal Justine Billie on July 12.Have fun.

Love,Oppy

Happy birthday Uncle Floyd.Love you always,Oppy and the Otter gang

In the June 10 issue of TheSeminole Tribune Norman A. Bowers’poem and letter to the editor were notprinted correctly. The correct version ofthe letter and poem appear in this issue.

In the June 10 issue of TheSeminole Tribune, Brighton Tribal CouncilRepresentative Andrew J. Bower Jr. wasmisidentified as Andrew J. Bowers Sr.

Reasons Why?Why do I choose to live this lie?I sit and ask myself, why do I cry?I know I must give myself a tryIf I want to remain aliveI know if I try, God won’t let me bedeniedSo when that day came, I’ll be able to fly,Like a butterfly, with my wings spreadwide,Flying high into the skyKnowingly I chose to live and not to dieThat’s my reason why.

—SkeeterNorman A. BowersSnake Clan

Happy Birthday

Attention Vendors:Upcoming Opportunity

Mexican Rodeo and AliciaVillareal Concert on Sunday July 24, 2005at the Brighton Reservation RodeoGrounds.

For more information please call(754) 214-4111.

Seminole Tribal Fair Meeting

When: Wednesday

July 6, 2005

Time: 12:00 Noon

Where: Hollywood

Tribal Auditorium

Lobby

Come join a committee!

We need new ideas!

Lunch provided

Contact number: (954)

797-5586

Roger Jumper(November 16, 1981–June 30, 2003)

Sitting here thinking, wishingyou were here with us. It has been twoyears since you’ve been gone; missing andloving you very much.

We all thank you for everythingthat you’ve done for us. We will bless allthe wonderful memories that we hadtogether. You’ll forever be in our hearts.

We love you forever,Dad, Mom, Sara, Crystal,

Alexis, Kiauna, Aaron and Junior

Roger was very special to me.We shared many times together and not aday goes by that I don’t think of him andhis smile that warms my heart. I miss youRoger.

Love,Nadia

In Memoriam

President Moses Osceola joined everyone to celebrate weekend sports festivalJaime Restrepo

Russell Osceola takes a winning shot.Jaime Restrepo


By Jaime RestrepoHOLLYWOOD — The 6th

Annual Sports Festival included pool,bowling and golf and it ran from May26–30. All competition occurred at threelocations, Hollywood Dog Track, DonCarter Lanes, and the Raintree GolfResort. Open to Tribal citizens and invitedguests from throughout the U.S. andCanada, it was the best of the best playingin both team and individual competition.

The festival, sponsored by theBig Cypress Recreation department, beganwith a banquet at the Hollywood DogTrack on May 26. There were door prizesand ample time to brush up on the poolskills in the third floor pool hall at thetrack. The five member band played tunesfrom the classic past and there was plentyof food.

On Friday, the pool and bowlingtournaments began with men and women’s8 ball and doubles bowling. Competitionwent on throughout the day. Saturdaybrought more of 8 ball with team bowling.Sunday was a busy day for competitionwith 8 ball, singles bowling and golf. Thepool and the bowling wrapped up onSaturday while golf continued throughMonday.

The Recreation department pro-vided its scoring expertise throughout theevent and provided the following resultsfrom the pool competition.

Pool Tournament ResultsMen’s Teams: 1. All In: David

Cypress, OB Osceola, Stan Tourangeau,Phil Tourangeau, George Grasshopper,2.Magoos Guys: Glen Harjo, EricWoodard, Gene Harjo, James Kinbrough,3. 51 Bar: Les Gourd: Leroy Springwater,Ralph Gray, Joe Carson, Rocky Pigeon, 4.J’d Up: Jack Billie, Jamie Smith, JoeyMicco, Jerry Smith, 5. Seminoles: Tony

Billie, Randy Clay, Elrod Bowers, JimmyClay, Daniel Gopher.

Women’s Teams: 1. Melting Pot:Karla Bagley, Diane Peters, CherylBackward, Naomi Williams, 2. LadyWarriors: Juanita Osceola, PhalynOsceola, Laurie Clay, Jane Doctor, 3.Brighton Board: Theresa Nunez, OnevaJones, Dale Grasshopper, Shirley Pigeon,4. Lady Predators: Connie Williams,Virginia Billie, Janel Billie, Linda Billie,

5. 3 Deer and 1Panther: MirandaTommie, MarthaJumper, CrystalSmith.

8 BallCompetition–OpenWomen: 1. VirginiaBillie, 2. TheresaNunez, 3. KarlaBagley, 4. NaomiWilliams, 5.Phalyn Osceola;Senior Women: 1.Laura Clay, 2.Laura Clay, 3.Linda Billie, 4.Dale Grasshopper, 5 Juanita Osceola;Open Men: 1. PhilTourangeau, 2.Stan Tourangeau,3. Les Gourd, 4.Elrod Bowers, 5.Jimmy Clay;

Senior Men: 1. David Cypress, 2. BillyBrown, 3. Glen Harjo, 4. Jack Billie, 5.George Grasshopper; Scotch Doubles: 1.Les Gourd and Theresa Nunez, 2. RalphGray and Shirley Pigeon, 3. Stan

Tourangeau, Naomi Williams, 4. RandyClay and Martha Jumper, 5. Joe Carsonand Karla Bagley.

9 Ball Competition–Men’s: 1.Stan Tourangeau, 2. Joe Carson, 3. JimmyClay, 4. Jack Billie, 5. Les Gourd; Women’s: 1. Theresa Nunez, 2. CherylBackward, 3. Jane Doctor, 4. Janet Billie,5. Emma Jane Urbina.

Tribe Celebrates the 6th Annual Sports Festival

Albert Snow sets up a difficult shot in this years 8-ball matches.Jaime Restrepo

The rock band played classic pop tunes to entertain the guests at the sports event.Jaime Restrepo

Chairman Mitchell Cypress attendedannual Seminole Sports Festival.

Jaime Restrepo


By the sixth round Quiles switchedroles by catching Jauregui a few timesagainst the ropes. Quiles sparked up the boutwith an exciting and fierce attack onJauregui at the end of round 10 and duringround 11 again against the ropes. Quick-witJauregui always managed to make quick bailfrom Quiles’ against-the-rope attacks suc-cessfully preventing any chance of a knock-out.

Quiles from Warriors has beentraining with former Heavyweight MichaelMoorer who was in his corner coaching himduring the important match.

Quiles defeats Jauregui by unani-mous decision as the judge’s cards read 117-111,116-112 and 115-113. With this victory,Quiles steps up to the IBF’s #1 spot and putshimself on the line for a world title shotagainst present world title champ LavenderJohnson, a match that will take place withinthe next six months.

Another spectacular show wasbetween Colombian Middleweight EdisonMiranda who battled Nicaraguan Jose Varelato the full 12 scheduled rounds. It wasVarela’s US debut following Miranda’s ownat the Hard Knocks at the Hard Rock seriesthat was held on May 20.

The exciting match between thetwo newcomers kept the crowd on its toes as

the cheers grew louder and louder, as thefighters gave them a high energy show con-stantly moving inside and out covering thewhole ring. Many cheered on for Miranda

for a quick knockout to end things early ashe did during his last match.

Varela impressively showed strongdefense during the second round but was

dropped by Miranda’s nastyleft jabs near the end of thethird round. With hardly anybody hits and still strongleft uppercuts Mirandadrops Varela once againduring the fourth round andscores a few sucker punchesduring round five.

Varela showedmuch heart hanging on withobvious exhaustion duringthe last two rounds but stillloses to Miranda to a unani-mous decision. The judgesscored the fight forMiranda, 120-107, 109-108and 120-107.

In the opening boutHeavyweight KendrickReleford breaks his handduring the tenth and finalround while punchingPhiladelphia’s RobertHawkins only to lose to aJudge’ split decision.

The next night ofthrilling professional boxingis scheduled for Aug. 19 atthe Seminole Hard RockHotel & Casino inHollywood at the newlydeveloped Hard Rock Live!arena a month after itsgrand opening.

Quiles turns things around in the 6th round to take on a defensive posture.Adelsa Williams

Jauregui vs Quiles battle 12 rounds in a Lightweight elimination bout.Felix DoBosz With this win Ricky Quiles becomes the IBF’s Lightweight #1 contender for

the world title.

Felix DoBosz

�ThunderstormContinued from page 1


By Felix DoBoszPEMBROKE

PINES, FL — On May29–30, the SeminoleTribe of Florida spon-sored its annual two-dayevent for all Seminolecitizens and families atthe Raintree Golf Resort.

A beautiful 18-hole golf course had allthe top amenities expect-ed at a South Floridaresort. Competitorsplayed hard for a shot towin top cash prizes forthis grand event hostedby Big Cypress AssistantRecreation DepartmentDirector Stan Frischmanand his top crew fromBC.

The golf sport-ing event was followedby a delicious buffet inthe resorts clubhousebanquet hall. Everyonegathered to hear theresults of their scoresand receive valuableprizes for the top com-petitors.

The followingis a list of this eventsgolf scores and winnersas compiled by StanFrischman.

Sunday May 29score results:

Doubles: 1.Marcy Osceola & MitchOsceola, 110, 2. AndrewBert & Terry Willie, 118,2. Jeremy Harrison & Terry Tartsah, 118, 4.James Tommie & Jason Tommie, 120, 5.

Sandy Pembleton & Ron Whaler.Women’s Senior Division: Closest to

the Pin: hole # 17 Francine Marshall.

Women’s Division:Closest to the Pin: hole #4 SalinaTodome, #8 Virginia Billie, #17Salina Todome; Longest Drive:hole #5 Salina Todome.

Men’s Senior Division:Closest to the Pin: hole #4 MaxOsceola, #8 Alan Jumper; LongestDrive: Hole #5 Max Osceola.

Men’s Division: Closest tothe Pin: hole #4 Mitch Osceola, # 8Kyle Doney, #17 Kyle Doney;Longest drive Hole #5: DerrickThomas

Monday May 30 scoreresults:

Teams: 1. JeremyHarrison, Mabel Doctor & GinaOsceola, 62, 2. Kendal Whaler, LeeSpringwater and Les Gourd, 62, 3.Dwayne Whaler, Joe Kippenberger,Roy Poole and John Madrigal, 62,4. Elliot Young, Lawrence Osceola,Terry Tartsah, Terry Willie, 63, 5.Mitch Osceola, Alan Osceola,Ralph Gray, Ronnie Doctor, 63.

Women’s Senior Division:Closest to the Pin: hole #4 VirginiaBillie; Longest Drive: Hole #5Gina Osceola.

Women’s Division:Closest to the Pin: hole #4 VirginiaBillie, #8 Jackie Thompson, #17Doreen Osceola; Longest Drive:Doreen Osceola.

Men’s Senior Division:Closest to the Pin: hole #8 SandyPembleton, #13 Gene Harjo, #17Gene Harjo.

Men’s Division: Closest tothe Pin: hole #4 Al Tigertail, #8John Madrigal, #13 Kyle Doney,#17 Jason Tommie; Longest drive:

Hole #5 David Osceola.

By Adelsa WilliamsHOLLYWOOD — On June

18, the Seminole Tribe of Florida’sHollywood Recreation department spon-sored a golf tournament to commemo-rate the one year anniversary of theSeminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &Casino officially opened its doors to thepublic on May 11, 2004.

The event drew more than 60golfers to the Emerald Hills Golf resortin Hollywood where they enjoyed theouting that was opened to tribal mem-bers and associates. Under a rainy after-noon followed by a humid heat wave,players gathered to enjoy the 18 holes ofplay. The format of the game was a fourperson blind draw.

Although everyone who playedin the tournament was paid, the top fiveteams were paid more than the rest ofthe field.

Following the exciting outing,players gathered for dinner at theSeminole Hard Rock Casino, just a fewmiles from the golf resort where theprizes were awarded during a banquetceremony. Many then enjoyed the manyentertainment venues atSeminole Paradise as wellas some play at the com-memorative establish-ment.

On May 11,2004, the Seminole HardRock Hotel & Casino offi-cially opened its doors tothe public with severallavish celebrations thathave brought much enter-tainment to South Floridaand also attracted animmense number oftourists to its location.

Several monthsafter grand opening day,the Seminole Hard Rockhas continued with thegrand opening ofSeminole Paradise, anadditional entertainmentvenue located outdoorsadjacent to the casino.Seminole Paradise offersmany shopping, dinningand clubbing experiencesthat cater to visitors of allages. Scheduled to openthis summer is yet anothermasterpiece to the estab-

lishment, the Hard Rock Live! Arena,which will attract top live entertainment.

Congratulations to all whoplaced, below are the golf tournamentresults.

Closest to the pin: #3 Men, JoeKippenberger; #3 Senior Men, BobGreen; #6 Men, Joe Grasshopper; #6Senior Men, Bob Green; #6 Women,Francine Marshal; #14 Men, DavidOsceola; #14 Women, JackieThompson; #17 Men, Jeremy Harrison;#17 Women, Dorian Lange.

Long Drive #12: Men, MarcyOsceola; Senior Men, Joe Osceola Jr.;Women, Jackie Thompson.

Fifth place, Score 70: RustyBillie, Andrew Bert Jr., Doreen Willieand Michael Begay; Fourth place, Score69: Earnest Riley, Scarlett Jumper andBrett Green; Third place, Score 63:Stephen Bowers, Mondo Tiger, JoshHarrison, Josh Cooper; Second place,Score 62: Jeremy Harrison, JohnMadrigal, Jackie Thompson and RonnieDoctor; First place, Score 61: Marcy

sceola, Damon Carroll, RufusTiger and Joe Kippenberger.

By Kenny BayonHOLLYWOOD — The Second

Annual Dwight Ike “Hot Dogg” Jumperyouth basketball tournament was a hugesuccess as the event crowned champions inthe 12 and under coed division and 17 andunder boys and girls. It took place at theHollywood Gymnasium on June 2.

The 12 and under coed champi-onship game was between Hollywood andBig Cypress.

The first half was a battlebetween two scrappy teams that were giv-ing it there all to but on a show. ChrisHunter started the game out strong by hit-ting some lay-ups and Hunter Osceolawas aggressive by scoring a free throw, athree pointer and a 10 foot jumper, asthey both scored six points in the firsthalf. Jonathan Robinson scored six pointsto aid Big Cypress take the first half lead18-16.

The second half was a differentstory as the Big Cypress defense put theclamps on Hollywood to limit them to 11second half points. Big Cypress wasdirected by Deforest Carter’s nine points.

However, it was a team effortwith Daylon Hall passing out assists andrunning the break while scoring sixpoints, Rashaun Jim’s rebounding andscoring four points, Anthony Baltine scor-ing three, Lariah Baltine’s court savvyand Jonathan Robinson’s game high 13points to give them the 47-27 victory.

Hunter Osceola led Hollywoodwith 11 points and Chris Hunter chippedin 10 points to keep the game withinreach.

The girls 17 and under champi-onship game pit the Lady Seminolesagainst the Lady Shooters. The LadySeminoles were just as balanced as theywere experienced as seven players are onhigh school or middle school teams and itshowed as they exploded in the first half totake a 39-9 lead.

Led by Demetria Tigertail’s 14points, Krystle Young’s nine points, JoJoOsceola’s six points and Lacey Jordan’sfive points, the stifling defense triggeredthe high octane fast break that led to manyuncontested lay-ups. Sisters Jeannie andKei-ya-lee Osceola rebounded tough andhanded out many of the first half assists.

The second half was much of thesame as Lacey Jordan’s four points headedthe charge and the defense that wasswarming helped by Chelsea Mountain

and Megan Osceola held the LadyShooters scoreless in the second half andput the mercy win in hand with a 50-9 vic-tory.

The boys final was suppose to bethe climax of the tournament with TheWood (Hollywood) and Big Cypress butthe first half was anything but as TheWood came out like gang busters andshowed that this was going to be a trackmeet from the beginning.

Piloted by high school sensationJerome Davis, the high-flying Wood wasoff and running as all five starters scoredwithin the first seven minutes. JasperTommie and Marlon Foster reboundedwell and Tyler Harjochee was all over thecourt making plays and setting up team-mates. T.J. Farrior scored 13 to help TheWood take a 34-12 halftime lead.

Big Cypress was led by the youngstar Greg Carter, who scored five pointsand showed his all-around game to show

he is one of the young bright players in thestate.

The second half saw a comebackas Greg Carter and Robert Osceola ralliedhitting shots and playing tough defensewith the play of Byron Billie to cut thedeficit to 15, that’s when Tyler Harjocheehit two three-point baskets and JeromeDavis seemed to catch his second wind toscore 12 points and pace The Wood to aneasy 59-33 victory.

By Felix DoBoszHOLLYWOOD —The Second

Annual All-Indian Memorial BasketballTournament got off to a great start on June2 at the Hollywood Seminole gym. Therewas a large crowd to enjoy the sports com-petition and to honor Ike “Hot Dogg”Jumper who passed away a couple of yearsago.

Family and friends all seemed toagree, he was a well liked kid whoenjoyed playing round ball. He especiallyliked to play three-pointer games with allhis friends on the court. But how did heget the nickname Hot Dogg?

“When Ike was about three-years-

old they wanted to give him a little nick-name,” said Rosetta Jumper, Ike’s mother.“One of my nieces yelled down the hall-way, why don’t you call him ‘Hot Dogg?’Everyone laughed, but we all liked thatname and it stuck.” Loretta Micco,

“I would just like to say that Imiss my nephew very much and he wasjust like a son to me. I appreciated all thatparticipated in this basketball tournamentwhether it was playing or keeping thescores. I want to thank all the sponsors,Mitchell Cypress, Max Osceola, Jr. and theentire Recreation Department.”

A table was set up against thegym wall, with several framed color pho-

tos of Hot Dogg that his proud motherRosetta and family members showed toeveryone who was there. Loretta Micco,the family spokesperson, added,“Everyone’s participation was appreciatedand for everyone to remember ‘Hot Dogg’makes his memory live. Thank you.”

Free T-shirts of the event weregiven out to everyone who attended thismemorial basketball event. While Sonny’sFamous Hoagies catered the tournamentand provided their delicious food to keepeveryone energized.

Annie Jumper, Hot Dogg’s grand-mother, announced at center court to thefans before the games started, “I’m gladeveryone remembered him, thanks forcoming out!,” as she lofted the basketballinto the air.

The crowd of basketball fansapplauded as the kid’s basketball teamsgot their game underway.

On Friday, June 3, the adult bas-ketball teams started playing. In the firstgame, women’s team Seminole Rec. tookon the Trailblazers. Stefanie Hugginsscored 23 points and Lila Osceola scored20 points for the Seminole Recreationteam for a 69-47 win over the visitors.

After the women’s champs wereawarded prizes and team jackets, it wastime for the men’s basketball tournamentto start with team War United going upagainst NDN.

Pete Osceola scored an unbeliev-able 36 points and Tony Billie who hadan additional 14 points in this decisivewin over NDN. The leading scorer forNDN, Adrian Baker had 27 points, con-tributing to the final game score of 78-46in favor of War United.

(L-R, front row) Reina Micco, Jade Micco, Deija Baxley, Aleina Micco, (L-R, secondrow) Joey Micco, Regina Thinn, Rosetta Jumper Rhodd, Loretta Micco, AnnieJumper, (L-R), back row) J.R. Thinn, Nolan Rhodd and Janine Cypress.

Felix DoBosz

Youth tournament first half was a battle between two scrappy teams fromHollywood and Big Cypress.

Felix DoBosz

Raymond Garza checks the fairway before yelling “Four!”Felix DoBosz

Terry Tartsah takes a hack with his new driver down the fairway.Felix DoBosz

All-Indian Memorial Basketball Tournament

Steven Bowers putted on the green and placed third.Adelsa Williams

(L-R) Marie Tommie, George Grasshopper, Anthony Young, Raymond Garza.Adelsa Williams

Hard Rock One YearAnniversary Golf Tournament

2005 Seminole Tribe Sports Festival Golf Tournament

‘Hot Dogg’ Youth Basketball Tournament


Josiah Johns Memorial RodeoBrighton, Fla., July 2Kids rodeo at 6 p.m. – Sanctioned rodeoat 8 p.m.Call in Monday June 27 and TuesdayJune 28

Hollywood RodeoBig Cypress, Fla., July 23

Call in Monday July 18 Tuesday July19

Clewiston Rodeo–TentativeClewiston, Fla.

Please call (863) 763-4128, Ext. 124 forall rodeos.

Submitted by Jo “Boogie” JumperAdam Turtle – BBRoute 6 Box, 595-DOkeechobee, FL 34974(863) 534-4920

Amos Pres and Billie Tiger – BAWRoute 6, Box 603Okeechobee, FL 34974(863) 467-7227

Moses Jumper – Special EventsHC 61, Box 42-FClewiston, FL 33440(863) 983-9234

Reno Osceola – TRRoute 6, Box 718Okeechobee, FL 34974(863) 634-2165

Sydney Gore – SBRoute 6, Box 626

Okeechobee, FL 34974(863) 634-1651

Lisa Osceola – BarrelsRoute 6, Box 739Okeechobee, FL 34974(863) 634-3800

Josh Jumper – CR1522 Joshua Blvd.Clewiston, FL 33440(863) 677-0649

Jeff Johns – SWRoute 6, Box 769BOkeechobee, FL 34974(863) 634-1561

Paul Bowers Sr. and Paul Bowers Jr.PO Box 952Clewiston, FL 33440Paul Bowers Sr. (863) 447-0020Paul Bowers Jr. (863) 258-0869

By Kenny BayonThose steamy hot Florida days

can drain a person during the summermonths and it’s time to start thinkingabout preparing for the heat and humidi-ty. Exercising regularly during the sum-mer heat brings an increased risk ofdehydration, which occurs when thebody loses excessive amounts of waterand important blood salts like potassiumand sodium.

There’s a good reason that yourparents and gym teacher warned youabout dehydration. Not only can it hurtathletic performance, but it can lead toother heat-related illnesses such as heatexhaustion, heat stroke, and in severecases, death.

There are many potential caus-es of dehydration. The most obvious arestrenuous activity with excessive sweat-ing, and prolonged exposure to the sunor high temperatures coupled with notdrinking enough fluids.

Also, beware of overusing ofdiuretics, including alcohol and caffeine,or other medications that increase urina-tion, as well as vomiting and diarrhea.Other causes ofdehydrationinclude: dia-betes, kidneydisease and liverdisease.

Thereare three stagesof dehydration:mild, moderateand severe.

Themild phaseoccurs whenthere’s a loss ofno more thanfive percent ofthe body’s fluid.Some of thesigns includethirst and aslightly drymouth. Some ofthe accompany-ing symptomsinclude lowblood pressure,lack of energy,general weak-ness, and rapidbreathing.

Drinking plain water may be allthe treatment needed, but if that doesn’twork try fluids with sodium and elec-trolytes, such as Gatorade® andPowerade®. Mild dehydration rarelyresults in complications.

Moderate dehydration occurswhen the body loses between five–10percent of its fluids. Some symptomsinclude a very dry mouth, sunken eyes,and skin that doesn’t bounce backquickly when lightly pinched andreleased. In infants, beware of a sunkenfontanel, or soft spot, on the head.

Be sure to drink fluids withsodium and electrolytes. In teenagersand adults with moderate dehydration,careful home treatment can be safe, butphone contact with a physician is advis-able. Children younger than 10 whoexperience moderate dehydration shouldsee a physician, though hospitalizationusually isn’t necessary.

The most dangerous phase issevere dehydration, which occurs whenthe body loses 10-15 percent of its fluid.The signs include those in the moderatezone, as well as a rapid resting pulse ofmore than 100 beats a minute at rest,rapid breathing, cold hands and feet, andblue lips.

Another telling point is if theperson has confusion and lethargy, and

cannot be easily aroused. In this situa-tion, the person must be rushed to thehospital immediately. Intravenous fluids,or IVs, can quickly reverse dehydration,and often save the lives of young chil-dren and infants.

Other heat-related trouble thatcan occur:

*Heat cramps (involuntarymuscle spasms) occur during or afteractivity, usually in the specific musclesexercised. They’re probably caused byan imbalance of the body’s fluid andelectrolyte concentrations. Musclespasms can occur if the electrolytesaren’t replaced. The best way to treatthis is to rest, drink fluids with elec-trolytes, and add salt to foods.

*Heat exhaustion is caused byreduced blood volume due to excessivesweating. Blood then pools in theextremities, and the person may faint orfeel dizzy. The symptoms of heatexhaustion also include nausea andfatigue. Treatment should include rest-ing in a cool place and drinking fluidscontaining electrolytes. Medical atten-tion may be required.

*Heatstroke is a med-ical emergencyrequiring imme-diate action. Inthis scenario, thebody’s tempera-ture-regulatingprocesses stopsfunctioning,sweating usuallystops, the skinbecomes dry andhot, and the per-son’s rectal tem-perature rises tomore than 105degreesFahrenheit.

Othersymptomsinclude disorien-tation, vomiting,headache, andunconsciousness.If untreated,death occurs dueto the circulatorycollapse and cen-tral nervous sys-tem damage.

Aggressive steps must be takenimmediately to lower the person’s bodytemperature. Until medical help arrives,cover the afflicted person with icepacks, immerse in cold water, and/or rubwith alcohol.

The most obvious way to avoidtrouble is to stay hydrated, preferablywith water. This is crucial for everyonewho takes part in outdoor activities,from morning walkers to weekend war-riors to world-class athletes.

For most of us, being awareand prepared is the easiest way to pre-vent dehydration. On hot humid days, anactive person can become dehydrated inabout 15 minutes. Drinking during exer-cise is essential to prevent the detrimen-tal effects of dehydration on the bodytemperature and exercise performance.

The American College ofSports Medicine recommends that a per-son should drink 20 oz. of fluid abouttwo hours prior to exercise to promotehydration and allow time for excretionof excess ingested water. The personshould drink five–10 ounces of coolfluid every 15–20 minutes during exer-cise to replace sweat losses

This summer, be sure to getplenty of exercise and, of course, waterand other fluids.

Tips on StayingHydrated this Summer

Eastern Indian Rodeo AssociationTentative 2005 Schedule

EIRA Contact List

By Kenny BayonPLANTATION, FL — The

Seminole Tribes’ 10 and under basketballteam will evoke memories of dominanceand will be forever remembered as theyrepeated as the Sunshine State Games goldmedalists. They did it with almost a newteam; Hunter Osceola and Rashaun Jimwere the only two holdovers from lastyear’s team.

The team is largely made up ofBig Cypress youth, but has two startersfrom different reservations: HunterOsceola of Hollywood and Phillip Jonesof Brighton. The team was even moredominant than last years as the closestgame they had this time was a 35 pointvictory in the final.

This year’s team was: HunterOsceola, Rashaun Jim, Chief Cypress,Johnny Jackson, Phillip Jones, KorlissJumper, Oshaane Cypress, KayleenCypress, Karleto Wagolet, Cypress Billieand Malakei Baker. They began their sea-son competing throughout the stateFlorida in leagues such as the YouthBasketball of America, or YBOA.

Coach Eddie Redd, basketballcoach out of Big Cypress, said he was notsurprised at the outcome and theirchances to repeat.

“They have been working hardsince the beginning of the year and theyhave really come together,” he said.“With only Hunter and Rashaun comingback, I knew the rest of the kids wouldhave to step up and they did. We stressdefense and that’s what really our strengthbecame.

“I hope next year we will have achance for the three peat. We get some ofthis year’s team back and maybe we canpick up a few on the way, so everyoneshould feel free to contact me to sign up.”

The championship game was heldin Central Park in Plantation on June 19.Their opponent was Homestead PAL andthe team from Miami was looking for anupset as Team Seminole was undefeated sofar in the tournament.

At first, the game was a struggleas both team were cold at the outset.That’s when experience came to play asRashaun Jim started the scoring with anoffensive rebound that led to a sky hookfor the first points of the game.

Rashaun then spotted up at theleft wing and drained a three pointer, JohnJackson made back to back driving lay-upand Hunter Osceola made two free throwsto help the Seminoles take a commanding14-2 first quarter lead.

The defense made the Seminole

engine run as the pressure was nonstopand, no matter what five players were onthe floor, they all hustled and dove forevery loose ball. John Jackson began thesecond quarter with a flying lay-up, fol-lowed by a Hunter Osceola a four foot

jumper and also hit three free throws bydriving aggressively to the basket.

Phillip Jones was all over theplace getting rebounds and hustle playswhich included high flying steals from theother team’s tallest player who was almostsix foot tall. Cypress Billie drained a threepointer to finish the second quarter andtake a commanding 31-4 halftime lead.

The second half saw the sameaction as the Seminoles kept running andpressuring at will. John Jackson hit a driv-ing lay-up, Karleto Wagolet hit a 15 foot

jumper and Cypress Billie hit consecutivethree pointers to put the crowd to its feetand help take a 43-5 third quarter lead.

With a 30 point lead going intothe fourth quarter, time would not stop andHomestead had nothing left for a come-back as Team Seminole won their secondconsecutive gold medal in as many gameswith a shot for a third considering thegames will be held in Dade County in2006.

Noteworthy Medalist in the 2005Florida Sunshine State Games that wereheld in Broward County:

The Big Cypress 12 and underbasketball team won a bronze medal withthe help of Deforest Carter, Daylon Hall,Anthony Baltine, Jonathon Robinson allcontributed and all should be back onnext years team.

Don Osceola and Joel Frank Sr.won gold medals for the Seminole Tribein archery.

Joel Frank Sr. won his goldmedal in 3-D shooting. That is when thearchers shoot at life-like animals such asdeer, turkey and coyotes from five to 25yards in distance.

Don Osceola won his gold medalin the 900. That is when archers shoot 90arrows each–30 from 40 yards, 30 from50 yards and 30 from 60 yards at anOlympic round target with bulls-eyes.

It was the first time Osceola evercompeted in the event, which made iteven more remarkable. He also won abronze in the 3-D animal shooting.

Back-to-Back Sunshine State Champs

Big Cypress Coach Eddie Redd, and his Back-to-Back Sunshine State Champs twoyears in Row Gold Medalist.

Kenny Bayon

The Big Cypress 12 and Under Basketball Team won bronze medals.Kenny Bayon

By Judy WeeksIMMOKALEE — Pool enthu-

siasts from Immokalee and surroundingcommunities gathered on June 11 for theNinth Annual Edna Cypress PoolTournament at Andy’s Place.

Edna Cypress, together withmany of her friends, frequented Andy’sPlace in Immokalee for many years. Shewas well liked by everyone and couldoften be found with her friends at thepool tables.

Andy Sanchez, the owner of theestablishment, joined forces with herclose friend, Delores Jumper, and puttogether a tournament in her memory. Forthe past eight years it has been held atAndy’s.

However, this year it had torelocate because of a slight structureproblem. The Little Star Tavern wasselected as an alternative site.

Chairman Mitchell Cypress andBig Cypress Council RepresentativeDavid Cypress sponsored this year’sevent in honor of their sister. DeloresJumper enlisted the help of Esther Busterand Nina Frias in preparing paperwork,coordinating schedules and compilingresults.

Immokalee Council LiaisonRalph Sanchez, who has participatedannually, said, “This is one of thoseevents that everyone looks toward. Notonly for a good game of pool, but it givesan opportunity for old friends to meet,relax and enjoy each other’s company.”

The all day event started around9:30 a.m., with play lasting about threehours. Taking a break for lunch, the con-testants enjoyed a Mexican food buffet.The afternoon session continued into theearly evening.

Men’s teams played regular 8

Ball on four tables, while women’s teamsdid the same on two additional tables. Atthe conclusion of play, teams wereformed for scotch doubles.

As always in competitive sports,anything can happen. For instance, GlenOlson was a favorite to win untilRaymond Mora sent him to the loser’sbracket and Dino finally took him out.

Forty-two men and 15 womenparticipated in the games. The tourna-ment results are as follows:

Men’s 8 Ball: Jose Ayala, Dino,Glen Olson, Rodolpho, and Adam Garza;Women’s 8 Ball: Libby Blake, JuanitaOsceola, Louise Jim, Trish WalkerRodriguez, Gwen and Delores Jumper;Scotch Doubles: Mario Posada andEsther Buster, Abel Salago and Dora,Geanna Garcia and Leo, Rodolpho andJuanita Osceola, Alan Jumper and Angie.

Ninth Annual Edna Cypress Memorial Pool Tournament

By Iretta TigerDAVIE, FL — For

Seminole bowlers, this was a bigweekend. As part of the SeminoleSports Festival, the 6th annual bowl-ing tournament was held at the DonCarter Bowling Lanes, just down theroad from the Hollywood Rez.

The temperamental weatherdid not affect the bowlers untilSaturday when storms caused apower outage. However, not longafter, the bowlers resumed play.

It was a long day for thebowlers; they started at 1 p.m. andplayed until about midnight.

The winners are as follows:Men’s Singles: 1. Derrick

Tomas, 2. Bobby Frank, 3. EmeryFish, 4. Rufus Tiger, 5. Elton Shore;Women’s Singles: 1. MonicaCypress, 2. Denise Billie, 3. DoraTiger, 4. Alfreda Muskett, 5. JackieThompson.

Mixed Doubles: 1.Margaret Wilcox and Elton Shore, 2.Patricia Wilcox and Moses Osceola,

3. Terri Frank and Bobby Frank, 4.Pamela Jumper and Dwayne Billie,5. Jamie Smith and Crystal Smith.

Women’s Doubles: 1.Margaret Wilcox and PatriciaWilcox, 2. Jackie Thompson andTerri Frank, 3. Denise Billie andTerri Frank, 4. Erin Buster andAlfreda Muskett, 5. Trisha Osceolaand Diane Smith.

Men’s Doubles: 1. CharlesOsceola and Eric Osceola, 2. AmosBillie and Emery Fish, 3. NeilBaxley and Danny Jones, 4. DerrickThomas and Marcellus Osceola, 5.Ollie Wareham and Bobby Frank.

Teams: 1. Andrea Holata,Johna Smith, Mike Micco andBrande Clay, 2. Margaret Wilcox,Patricia Wilcox, Kevin Tommie andMoses Osceola, 3. Monica Johns,Alfreda Muskett, Emery Fish andAmos Billie, 4. Trisha Osceola,Marcellus Osceola, Farrah Jones andElton Shore. 5. Monica Johns,Emery Fish, Joyce Jumper andRufus Tiger.

6th Annual Sports FestivalBowling Tournament

Oliver Wareham celebrates a strike.Iretta Tiger


By Kenny BayonORLANDO, FL — The

Seminole Tribe was a major factor at the2005 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) AgeGroup Level Gymnastic NationalChampionships. This competition tookplace at Disney’s Wide World of SportsComplex.

The competition started on June 8and ran through June 12. More than a1,000 competitors from around the countrycompeted at this year’s event. All partici-

pating gymnasts that qualified for theAAU Age Group Level GymnasticsNational Championships did so by com-peting at their local AAU district champi-onship and qualifying for this prestigioustournament.

Seminole Tribal citizen AdahmaSirota showed why he is one of the up andcomers in the sport. He placed in the top10 in every event. He topped off this over-all accomplishment with a magnificentvault that placed him second in the nation,

as well as forth place on the floor exercise.Other top notable performances

came from Mariah Bowers, who took asecond place on the vault and AnahnaSirota brought a fifth place on the balancebeam. Also, both Braudie Blais-Billie andNatomah Robbins place fifth on the vault.

Below are the results of the 2005AAU National Championships

Adahma Sirota competed in Level4B and had a fourth place on the floorexercise with a score of 9.65, second place

on the vault with a score of 9.8, sev-enth on the parallel bars with a scoreof 9.55, ninth on the high bar with ascore of 9.05, seventh place on thehorse with a score of 8.5 and a sev-enth place on the rings with a score of9.6, which gave him an all-aroundscore of 56.15 and a sixth place fin-ish.

Anahna Sirota, competed inLevel 3 and had a 12th place on thefloor exercise with a score of 8.925,seventh place on the vault with ascore of 9.075, seventh on the barswith a score of 9.15, fifth on thebeam with a score of 9.5, which gaveher an all-around score of 36.65 andan eighth place finish.

Mariah Bowers, competed inLevel 2 and had a seventh place onthe floor exercise with a score of9.025, second place on the Vault witha score of 9.3, 12th on the bars with ascore of 8.15 and a seventh place fin-ish on the beam with a score of 9.025,which gave her an all-around score of35.55 and an eighth place finish

Braudie Blais-Billie, com-peted in Level 4 and began with afifth place finish on the vault with ascore of 9.9, 11th place on the floorexercise with a score of 9.275, ninthplace on the bars with a score of 9.15and a 16th place finish on the beamwith a score of 9.25, which gave heran all-around score of 37.775 and a11th place finish

Natomah Robbins, competedin Level 2 and placed fifth on thevault with a score of 9.1, 19th on thefloor exercise with 8.725, 10th on thebars with a score of 8.9 and a 11th onthe beam with score of 8.65, whichgave her an all-around score of35.375 and a 12th place finish.

Tia Blais-Billie competed inLevel 4. She began with a ninth placefinish on the vault with a 9.8, then a26th place in the floor exercise with ascore of 8.95, 21st on the bars with a9.075 and finished with an 18th placeon the beam with a 9.275. This gaveher a 20th place finish in the all-around with a total of 37.075

Brittany Leah Cox, compet-

ed in Level 4,placed 21st on thebeam with a scoreof 8.9, placed 19thon the vault with ascore of 8.475, 21ston the bars with an8.8 and a 14th placeon the floor exercisewith a score of 9.1,which gave her anall-around score of35.275 and a 17thplace finish.

AudriahanaSirota, competed inLevel 2 and had14th place finish onthe vault with ascore of 8.5, 16thplace on the floorexercise with ascore of 8.725, 14thon the bars with a7.7 and a 17th onthe beam with ascore of 7.4, whichgave her an all-around score of32.325 and a 17thplace finish.

AnissaOsceola, competedin Level 3 andbegan with a 25thplace on the floorexercise with ascore of 8.375, 11thplace on the barswith a score of 9.25,a 10th place finishon the beam with ascore of 8.7 and a8.375 on the vaultwhich placed her22nd and gave heran all-around scoreof 35.3 and a 21stplace finish.

Ashley Osceola, competed inLevel 2 and had a 17th place on the floorexercise with a score of 8.7, 15th place onthe vault with a score of 8.4, 17th on thebars with a score of 7 and a 13th on thebeam with a score of 8.650, which gaveher an all-around score of 32.75 and a 15thplace finish.

Carson Knaby, competed in Level2 and had a 26th place on the floor exer-cise with a score of 8.7, 21st place on thevault with a score of 9, 28th on the barswith a score of 8.4 and a 27th on the beamwith a score of 8.275, which gave her anall-around score of 34.375 and a 27thplace finish.

Devon Bowers competed in Level4B and had a 12th place on the floor exer-

cise with a score of 9.2, 14th place on thevault with a score of 9.4, 14th on the par-allel bars with a score of 9.1 and a 22nd onthe high bar with a score of 7.8, a 22ndplace on the horse with a score of 4.2, a19th place on the rings with a score of8.95, which gave him an all-around scoreof 48.65 and a 22nd place finish.

Aaron Osceola, competed inLevel 4B and had a 14th place on the floorexercise with a score of 9.3, 16th place onthe vault with a score of 8.7, 14th on theparallel bars with a score of 8.55 and a16th on the high bar with a score of 7.45, a13th place finish on the horse with a scoreof 7.15, a 16th place finish on the ringswith a score of 7.5, which gave him an all-around score of 48.65 and a 16th place fin-ish.Ashley Osceola and Mariah Bowers

Kenny Bayon

Natomah Robbins

Seminole Gymnasts Compete in AAU Championships


On the Corner of Griffin Road and University Drive in the Publix Shopping Center

Now You Have Another Choice

Friendly, Courteous & Knowledgable Staff

By Susan EtxebarriaMARCO ISLAND, FL —

There’s 23 pieces that make up the back-drop of the Seminole Tribal Exhibit thathave to be assembled at least an hourbefore the exhibit opens. Then there arepictures to hang and flyers, brochures,informational materials, give-a-ways, andcopies of The Seminole Tribune to arrangeon the booth’s tables. It takes two peopleabout an hour to set up the booth. Whenthe exhibit doors finally open, the

Seminole Tribe is ready for the crowd.The Tribal Exhibit has traveled all

over the U.S. and the producers of theexhibit go with it. They are Polly HayesOsceola and Luwanna Osceola Niles. Thetwo gal pals make up a great team. Bothlove to talk to people and people like talk-ing to them. Both are very knowledgeable.These goodwill ambassadors represent theTribe admirably.

Following the trail of theTraveling Exhibit the two ladies werefound working the Trade Show held June16, at the Florida Cattlemen’s AssociationAnnual Convention at the Mariott Hotel inMarco Island, Fla. Cattlemen and womenfrom all over the state of Florida attendedthe conference including many Tribal cat-tle ranchers.

There were approximately 100booths at the Trade Show and Hayesreported that there were quite a few ques-

tions at the Seminole booth about theTribe’s new cattle ID program.

Now, before assuming how cushyit is to travel to a place like Marco Island,take this into consideration. When askedwhat the funniest thing that ever happenedto them while exhibiting was, both ladiesdrew a blank. Hayes chuckled and saidgood-naturedly “Who has time for fun?It’s work!”

Standing in a booth all day, talk-ing to hundreds of people, sometimes three

and four days on end, can be grueling oncein awhile; like the time last year when theyset up the exhibit at the United Southernand Eastern Tribes (USET) Conference inFt. Lauderdale for four days and immedi-ately had to tear down the booth and headout the next day to set it up at the MarcoIsland Mariott.

So, what motivates these two sen-iors who seem to have more pep and gothan a lot of younger women?

“We always hope we are doing agood thing for the Tribe letting other peo-ple know about the Tribe,” said Niles.

Hayes said a lot of people tellthem all they know about the Seminole’sare the Tribe’s casinos. They don’t knowmuch else, she said.

“We are proud to inform themthat the Tribe has many other businessventures that are successful as well,” saidHayes.

She said she tells people aboutthe cattle, citrus, sugar cane, the TradingPosts, the museums and Billie SwampSafari. She also tells strangers to the Tribeabout the history of the unconqueredSeminoles and their accomplishments inteaching the Tribe’s culture to the youth,its excellent health programs, senior cen-ters, libraries and community schools, itsrodeos and festivals and she invites themto come visit the museums.

Hayes and Osceola take theexhibit on the roadabout six or seventimes a year to TradeShows, pow-wows,conferences and con-ventions. They changethe pictures to matchthe type of event. Forinstance, they have apolitical theme withpictures of theCouncil and Boardrepresentatives whenthey take the exhibitto Tallahassee forFlorida’s CapitalDays.

They switchpictures and create acasino theme whenthey go to gamingconventions, and theydisplay a little bit ofeverything when theyvisit other Tribes. Forthe cattle conventionthey had many photosof the Tribe’s cattleprogram.

Hayes andNiles have been toConnecticut, SouthDakota, Idaho, andCalifornia amongother places. Somedays they work 9 a.m.to 9 p.m. and theytrade off times man-

ning the booth so each has time to eat andtake a break.

Hayes said every year there aremore and more requests to take the exhibiton the road since she began the programabout 4 years ago. The traveling TribalExhibit fills up a big space but it can bequickly compacted in about an hour intofour large boxes and stored for the nexttrip.

The Tribe’s Council or the Boardof Directors cover the expenses dependingon the event.

“We get a lot of requests to set upexhibits but this is very time consuming,”said Niles, “And we have our jobs, too.”

Niles works full time inHollywood at the Health department andHayes heads up 4-H for the Tribe. But,they are ready to hit the trail anytime theTribe needs them.

By Susan EtxebarriaBRIGHTON — The Seminole

Tribe of Florida, Inc. was in the spotlightat the 2005 Annual Florida Cattlemen’sAssociation Convention held at MariottMarco Island, Fla., June 15–17.

One of the hottest topics at theconvention was the Tribe’s creation of thestate’s first electronic identification (EID)program that can source verify Seminolebeef. Then, in a surprise that made all theTribe’s cattlemen proud, Director ofNatural Resources Don Robertson washonored by the Florida Cattleman’sAssociation and Farm Credit of Floridawith the prestigious Rancher and LeaderAward.

The cattlemen’s association heldmany seminars and meetings during thethree-day convention and AssistantDirector Alex Johns was asked to speakand answer questions about the new EIDprogram. The questions come at a timewhen cattlemen are anxious about theUSDA announcement June 6 of a possiblenew case of mad cow disease in the U.S.Tests continue while the markets remainjittery.

EID is being recognized as themost effective way to trace back thesource of a cow afflicted with such a dis-ease, and prevent anoutbreak that coulddestroy herds andbankrupt ranchers.As it stands now,only a handful ofcattle ranches thathave adopted theEID for their entireherd as the Seminoleranchers have done.EID is expected tobe mandated intolaw by 2009.

Johns saidthe Tribe hasreceived a lot ofcredit for its leader-ship in this new pro-gram but the ulti-mate recognitioncame at the banquetThursday eveningwhen Robertson wascalled up before the2,500 people inattendance to accepthis award.

“I will cher-ish this award therest of my days,”said Robertson.

He hasworked for the Tribe15 years and waspreviously a ranchmanager for one ofthe world’s largest

ranches, the Kings Ranch of Texas. For aman who has worked in the cattle industryfor 50 years, the award has special mean-ing. A man can work all his life and neverreceive this kind of recognition.

“I have never done anything butwork in the cattle industry,” he said. “It isa business I have been dedicated to all mylife.”

Florida newspapers and televisionmedia have identified Robertson and theSeminole Tribe as visionary in helpingFlorida and the nation with food safetyissues. Robertson is well known as a quietman, but a leader. He has been the presi-dent of the Glades County Cattlemen’sAssociation for the past six years; heserved on the board of directors of theFCA for 11 years and he served four yearson the marketing committee of theNational Cattlemen’s Association.

“The Extension IndianReservation Program and the FloridaCooperative Extension agents considerDon as an invaluable resource of cattleand range management practices and haveasked him to present his works at thenational Extension IndianReservation/USDA program’s annual 2005meeting,” said Michael Bond, theSeminole Tribe’s extension agent.

Tribe’s Cattleman Recognizedas Industry Leader

Larry Wells of Lakeland Animal Nutrition, Linda Tommie, Paul Bowers.Susan Etxebarria

On the Trail of the Traveling Tribal Exhibit

Natural Resources Director Don RobertsonSusan Etxebarria




Documents

50¢ Volume XXVI • Number 8 July 1 ...seminoletribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Seminole-Tribune-July-1-2005.pdfinauguration of the 2005–2007 Seminole Tribal officials was