SEMINOLE TRIBUNE“Voice of the Unconquered”

$1.00 www.seminoletribe.com Volume XXI Number 5 April 14, 2000

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Permit No. 128

*Nursing Conference

By Jeanne MadridTAMPA — Betty Mae Jumper, the

first Tribal member to earn a nursing degree,was honored at the 10th Annual NationalIndian Nursing Education Conference,March 16-18, before 130 participants from40 different tribes. USF American Historyprofessor and author Patrick Riordan spokeon behalf of Betty, who was unable to attenddue to health reasons.

Connie Whidden, Medical Directorand member of the Seminole Tribe ofFlorida, attended the Conference, which wasco-sponsored by the University of SouthFlorida College of Nursing Center for NativeAmerican Nursing Studies and the IndianHealth Service’s (HIS) Nursing Division.Connie is on the advisory board for theCenter for Native American Nursing Studies.

The participants were nursing stu-dents, faculty, researchers, and employees ofIndian Health Services who came to focuson health topics pertaining to NativeAmericans. Dr. Joan Gregory, ProjectDirector and Associate Professor of theNative American Nursing Studies program atUSF, was instrumental in developing theconference.

Several of the colleges with nursingand health related professional programswhich have scholarship funding from IndianHealth Services for American Indians andAlaskan Natives of federally recognizedtribes were on display throughout the confer-ence. Rose Jerue a member of the Deg I’tanAthabascan Tribe of Alaska was present rep-resenting IHS.

According to Patricia Lee-McCoy,Director of the Division of Health ProfessionSupport with Indian Health Services, theUSF College of Nursing currently has a 5year grant to recruit and support AmericanIndian and Alaskan Native students withpreference given to federally recognizedtribes to successfully complete the nursingprogram in which they choose.

The programs USF offers are allcomplementary in extension to the othernursing schools where IHS awards scholar-ships. Anyone interested in more informationabout the nursing programs funded by IHScan call either Martina Callahan or SandraDodge at (301) 443-1840.

Honors For

Betty Mae*Women Of Achievement

By Vida VolkertCORAL GABLES — Seminole

Communications Director Betty Mae Jumperwas inducted into the Florida Women ofAchievement photographic documentaryduring a reception held at the OmniColonnade Hotel, March 28.

Despite a recent illness which keptBetty Mae hospitalized for over a week, shemade a triumphant appearance to theapplause and admiration of a distinguishedaudience that gathered to celebrate theexhibit’s Ninth Annual MillenniumReception.

“Betty Mae Jumper is a woman ofdetermination and I am very proud to haveher here,” said Scherley Busch, the pro-gram’s executive director and the exhibit’sphotographer, after presenting Betty with amedal in recognition of her achievements.

Betty Mae, dressed in her colorfulregalia and displaying a positive attitude,said she was happy to have been able tomake it to the reception, and she felt mosthumbled with the recognition.

“It is an honor to be here,” saidBetty Mae. “I was very sick, but made it. Ienjoy being here tonight,” said Betty whowas accompanied by her son Moses JumperJr., daughter-in-law Laquita Jumper, grand-son Chebon Gooden, secretary to the TribalChairman Pat Diamond and PatriciaWickman, Director of the Tribe’sAnthropology and Genealogy Department.

Betty’s photographic portrait shonealong with the portraits of 45 other remark-able women in the Florida Women ofAchievement exhibit. All of the women havehelped shape the legacy of the state ofFlorida.

Cypress WinsDistinguishedAlumnus Award

WINTER PARK — William ‘Billy’ LawrenceCypress, executive director of the Seminole Tribe’s Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum was recently honored with theDistinguished Alumnus Award from Stetson University.

Cypress was born in the Florida Everglades in1943, lived most of his pre-teens youth in a Seminole vil-lage and did not speak English until he was five.

He attended a reservation school in Dania andgraduated from McArthur High School, where he wasvoted “Most Likely to Succeed.” Billy entered StetsonUniversity in 1961.

He won a full, four-year scholarship to SU. Asan undergraduate, he excelled in athletics as a runner, andalso as an ROTC cadet leader. An English major, his

By Libby BlakeNEW YORK CITY — In

a highly touted – and mostly ignored– promotion by Delta Airlines tolaunch its new Express servicebetween Fort Lauderdale and JohnF. Kennedy (JFK) Airport here,Billie Swamp Safari and FloridaSeminole Tourism supplied the“bait” to draw the public towardthe new low-fare, daily, non-stopservice: a nine-foot, 375-poundalligator affectionately known as‘Big Al.’

The promotion,designed to attract national newscoverage, originated from a con-cept with Francine Mason of theGreater Fort LauderdaleConvention and Visitors Bureau(CVB). Mason, along with StacyGeagan, Delta spokesperson,believed the national mediawould be lured by having a livehal-pa-tah-chobee represent theFort Lauderdale “connection.”

And, hopefully, theSeminole Tribe – particularlyBillie Swamp Safari – would getsome publicity, too.

The word went out allover a city where giant gators inthe sewers is a famous urban leg-

end. Unfortunately, the only mediabothering to attend the JFK-gatorevent was the Seminole Tribune.

Big Al was apparently notgood bait.

The planned gator demon-

stration show was a bust, also.After Big Al’s 2½ hour

flight and overnight stay in a cratein the cargo holding area, handlersThomas Storm Jr. and “Gator John”

Betty Mae Jumper and the Women of Achievement. See below. National pool tournament at Tampa Reservation, page 8. Smallwood Seminole Indian Day, photo layout, page 16.

University officials F. Mark Whitaker, (l) and GaryMeadows, (r) present Alumnus Award to Billy Cypress.

What If They Brought A Gator To New York City . . . And Nobody Cared?

HANDCUFFED: Billy L. Cypress, J.R. Storm, Gator John and Lee Tigerrestrain gator so armed New York policeman can get in the photograph.

See GATOR, page 12

By Colin KennyHOLLYWOOD — David

DeHass puts three-year-old grand-son Nicholas in the bucking chuteon top of a 300-pound, two-year-old, horned bovine named “BabyCalf.”

The chute gate opens andout comes Baby Calf with little Nickbouncing on top. Ten yards andthree seconds later, the boy tumblesoff the bucking Baby. Of course,Granddaddy DeHass had been run-ning along side the whole time, onehand on the little tyke to break hisfall. Just like the big cowboys,Nicholas dusts himself off and isready to get it on again.

DeHass’ grandson is part ofa group of kids, ages three through

16, who show up almost every after-noon (5 p.m.) at the Bill OsceolaArena here, to learn and practicetheir rodeo skills in a program calledthe Hollywood Horse Club andRodeo Team, sponsored by theSeminole Tribe’s Department ofRecreation.

“He has no fear,” DeHass,Horse Club Manager, says of hisgrandson, who, with the samestocky frame as his Grandpa, couldeasily pass for age five. “Ol’Nicholas got a third in sheeps,Saturday night.” (DeHass is refer-ring to his grandson’s finish at aBrighton Fun Day rodeo in a catego-ry known as “mutton busting,”

DeHass Won’t Let Young CowboysGrow Up To Be Babies

David DeHass and GrandsonNicholas.See DEHASS, page 7

ESTELI, Nicaragua — The hottest new cigarline in “smokeland” can now be purchased online. Thefamed Chief Jim Billie cigar is now available throughthe Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Internet marketplace atthe Tribe’s home page: www.seminoletribe.com.

The special tobaccos in the Chief Jim Billie lineare all grown near this northern Nicaragua town in thefamous cigar region of Central America. Manufacturedin Estelli, the cigars are imported to the United States bythe Seminole Tribe under the direction of Tribal ForeignAffairs Director Calixto Garcia.

“These are excellent cigars and we have themavailable in seven different styles,” said Garcia, whocame up with the idea after noticing Seminole ChairmanJames Billie’s interest in smoking fine cigars. “We hopethis will be a profitable enterprise for the Tribe.”

The cigars will only be available by the box (50quantity). Styles and prices include: Cabinet reserve(Presidente) $100. JEB Churchill $80, MiccosukeeChurchill $80, Corona $75, Londsdale $75, Robusto$80, and Princess $70. Prices include shipping and han-dling.

The label was designed by Seminole Tribunegraphic artist Melissa Sherman. Chief Jim Billie cigarsare also available at Billie Swamp Safari.

Chief’s CigarsAvailable Online

See CYPRESS, page 2

See BETTY, page 12

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CAN YOU HELP? Beth Hight purchased this photo (circa 1940) in an antique store in Texas. It was partof a collection from journalist R.R. Doubleday who traveled the country on assignment. Beth and husbandFrank recently moved to Florida, and sent us the photo seeking identities and information about this pic-ture. We were able to name -- (l-r) Charlie Billie, (unknown) Josie Billie, (unknown) Corey Osceola andCharlie Tiger. If you have more information about the photo, please call (954) 967-3416.

Premium cigars are avilable by the box, in 7 styles.

leadership abilities were recognized as aStetson student when he was tapped formembership in the Omicron Delta Kappaleadership fraternity and the Scabbard andBlade ROTC leadership society. Billy alsobecame the first Florida Seminole Indianin history to graduate from college and toreceive a commission as a U.S. ArmyOfficer.

Following his undergraduatedegree, Billy served two years of activeduty in the U.S. Army and earned a mas-ter’s degree at Arizona State University.He then became an education specialistwith the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

During his 18-year career withthe BIA, he spent five years inWashington, D.C., as an education spe-

cialist with the Bureau.Billy and his family are now

back in their beloved Florida, where Billyis currently serving as the chief adminis-trator for the Seminole Tribal MuseumAuthority. The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum isa shining example of William L. Cypress’ability to lead and to serve, and he is agreat source of pride for the Seminolepeople and for Stetson University.

Whereas, the United States of America and the sovereignIndian Tribes contained within its boundaries have had a long andmutually beneficial relationship since the beginning of theRepublic;

Whereas the United States has recognized this speciallegal and political relationship and its trust responsibility to theIndian Tribes as reflected in the Federal Constitution, treaties,numerous court decisions, federal statutes, executive orders, andcourse of dealing;

Whereas Federal policy toward the Indian Tribes hasvacillated through history and often failed to uphold the govern-ment-to-government relationship that has endured for more than200 years;

Whereas these Federal policies included the wholesaleremoval of Indian tribes and their members from their aboriginalhomelands, attempts to assimilate Indian people into the generalculture, as well as the termination of the legal and political rela-tionship between the United States and the Indian Tribes;

Whereas President Richard M. Nixon, in his `SpecialMessage to Congress on Indian Affairs’ on July 8, 1970, recog-nized that the Indian Tribes constitute a distinct and valuable seg-ment of the American federalist system, whose members havemade significant contributions to the United States and toAmerican culture;

Whereas President Nixon determined that Indian Tribes,as local governments, are best able to discern the needs of their

people and are best situated to determine the direction of theirpolitical and economic futures;

Whereas in his `Special Message’ President Nixon rec-ognized that the policies of legal and political termination on theone hand, and paternalism and excessive dependence on the other,devastated the political, economic, and social aspects of life inIndian America, and had to be radically altered;

Whereas in his `Special Message’ President Nixon setforth the foundation for a new, more enlightened Federal Indianpolicy grounded in economic self reliance and political self deter-mination;

Whereas this Indian self determination policy hasendured as the most successful policy of the United States in deal-ing with the Indian Tribes because it rejects the failed policies oftermination and paternalism and declared that `the integrity andright to continued existence of all Indian Tribal and Alaska nativegovernments, recognizing that cultural pluralism is a source ofnational strength.’

Now Therefore be it Resolved, That the Senate of theUnited States recognizes the unique role of the Indian Tribes andtheir members in the United States, and commemorates the visionand leadership of President Nixon, and every succeedingPresident, in fostering the policy of Indian Self-Determination.— Submitted to the United States Senate, March 23, 2000, by

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD).

Chief Billie:I am very interested in continu-

ing my practice of participating in sweatlodges and firewalks. I have been unableto link up with anyone for those locallyand my friend would like to do his firstfirewalk soon.

Will you be hosting one some-time soon? If not, could you direct me towhere there will be one in the Tri-countyarea? Thank you for your assistance.

Catherine Miglianomajikcecil@aol.com

Anyone out there have any sweat lodgeor firewalk information for Catherine?

Chief Billie:This (www.seminoletribe.com) is

such a cool page, I just wish I could copyand get a picture of the girls at the top ofthe page and not just the boys.

Catherine JonesEden, NYCath607@aol.com

Our webmaster has already e-mailed youthe requested photo.

Chief Billie:Thanks for this beautifully done

and informative site. I was born andraised in Florida with Cherokee ancestry.

Nice to connect with a piece of my histo-ry about which I know little.

Ouida CrozierMinneapolis, MN pocketbgl@aol.com

Hello Chief Billie:I just wanted to say how much

your website and the Seminole Tribe’swebsite have helped me out. I am con-structing a 20-page, 40-minute presenta-tion on the Seminoles for my NativeAmerican Cultural Anthropology Cluster.

The information provided onthese sites has been both interesting andinformative. I hope to continue learningabout the Seminoles and other NativeAmerican tribes long after my project isfinished. Thank you again and if you haveany other information, I would love tohear from you. Have a great day.

Lisa RaidelNew Wilmington, PAraidellm@westminster.edu

Chief Billie:I would like to find out how I

can join the Tribe since I am 1/4Seminole. I’d like information on how theTribe works things such as language, cus-toms, and clothes they wear and whathomes they live in.

Crystal HollenbackMerritt Island, FL

mimmp@castlegate.net

For information on “joining” theSeminole Tribe, please consulthttp://www.seminoletribe.com/history/faqs.shtml#G2.

Chief Billie:This summer we go on vacation

to Florida and we hope to visit someSeminole Indian Reservations to learnsomething about the Indian way of lifeand culture. So I found some informationon your website. Friendly greetings.

Geert and CarinaBelgium Europewww.ping.be geert-carina

Lucky Evanicki of Billie Swamp Safarireplies:

Thank you for the kind mes-sage! We look forward to your visit to theBig Cypress Seminole Reservation - andBillie Swamp Safari and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on this reservation. Theyare both outlined on the SeminoleTribe’s website and I hope you have hada chance to review them. Have a safejourney and we’ll leave a fire burningfor you in the cook chickee!

Chief Billie:I had this fellow tell me that he

The Seminole Tribune 2 April 14, 2000

*Ben Nighthorse CampbellIn July 1970, President Richard M. Nixon delivered his

now-famous “Special Message to the Congress on IndianAffairs” that revolutionized how our nation deals with Nativegovernments and Native people from Florida to Alaska, fromMaine to Hawaii.

With centuries of ill-conceived and misdirected federalpolicies and practices behind us, I am happy to say that theNixon Indian policy continues as the bedrock of America’spromise to Native Americans.

In his Message to Congress, the President made thecase for a more enlightened federal Indian policy. Citing histori-cal injustices as well as the practical failure of all previous feder-al policies regarding Indian Nations, President Nixon called forthe rejection of both the “termination” policy of the 1950s andthe “excessive dependence” on the federal government by Indiantribes and people fostered by federal paternalism.

Nixon observed that “the first Americans — the Indians— are the most deprived and most isolated group in our nation.On virtually every scale of measurement — employment,income, education, health — the condition of the Indian peoplerank at the bottom.”

Thirty years later, Indians continue to suffer high ratesof unemployment, are mired in poverty, and still rank at or nearthe bottom of nearly every social and economic indicator in thenation.

Nonetheless, there is cause for hope that the conditionsof Native Americans are improving, however slowly.

The twin pillars of the policy change initiated in 1970are political self determination and economic self reliance.Without doubt, the most enduring legacy of the 1970 Message isthe Indian self determination policy best embodied in the IndianSelf Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975,amended several times since then.

This Act (S. Res 277 – see below), which has consis-tently been supported, promoted, and expanded with bipartisansupport, authorizes Indian tribes to assume responsibility for andadminister programs and services formerly provided by the fed-eral government.

As of 1999, nearly 48 percent of all Bureau of IndianAffairs (BIA) and 50 percent of all Indian Health Service (IHS)programs and services have been assumed by tribes under theIndian Self Determination Act.

With this transfer of resources and decision makingauthority, tribal governments have succeeded in improving thequality of services to their citizens, have developed more sophis-ticated tribal governing structures and practices, have improvedtheir ability to govern, and have strengthened their economies.

Self determination contracting and compacting haveimproved the efficiency of federal programs and services and atthe same time have devolved control over these resources fromWashington, D.C., to the local, tribal governments which aremuch more in tune with the needs of their own people.

As steps are taken to provide tribes the tools they needto develop vigorous economies and generate tribal revenues, ourpolicy in Congress and across the federal government should beto encourage and assist tribes to expand self determination andself governance into other agencies and programs, and in theprocess help Native people to achieve real and measurable suc-cess in improving their standard of living.

The challenge of the Nixon Message was not only tothe federal government but to the tribes themselves: that bybuilding strong tribal governments and more robust economies,real independence and true self determination can be achieved.Our experience has shown that any cooperative efforts betweenthe United States and the tribes must include a solemn assurancethat the special relationship will endure and will not be terminat-ed by the fits and starts of periodic economic success enjoyed bysome Indian tribes.

President Nixon wisely realized that the mere threat oftermination results in a tendency toward an unhealthy depend-ence on the federal government which has plagued Native peo-ple for decades. As President Nixon himself knew, Native peopleare not hapless bystanders in this process. His Message recog-nized that the story of the Indian in America is one of“endurance, survival, of adaptation and creativity in the face ofoverwhelming obstacles.”

This persistence and tenacity by Native people havebeen the foundation in forging a more enlightened Indian policyand with the assistance of the United States will, I am confident,result in true self determination for Native people in the UnitedStates.— Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne) is a United

States Senator from Colorado.

Remembering Our Living Legends

How many of you have ever metSusie Jim Billie? How aboutBuffalo Jim, Little Fewell or

Charlie Cypress?For those of you who answer no,

I can honestly say that’s a shame. I feelhonored that I have met and spoken tothese and other of our Seminole legends.

Although it may be too late forsome of the younger generation, all is notlost. We still have elders in our midst whohold the key to our future assurance andpreservation of our valu-able culture, language,medicine and legends wehold so dear. They are atreasure trove of informa-tion of our past – whichwill inevitably affect ourfuture generations.

Although muchis being done to preserve our languageand culture, a lot has been lost due to sim-ple lack of caring by the younger genera-tions. Maybe they think these elders willlive forever, or what they have to say isnot important. At a young age you nevergrasp the thought of your loved ones leav-ing until they’re gone.

I know that never entered mymind till it came to be. And then I wasvery grateful to have had such wise andloving people caring for me. I was glad tohelp record the history they had to tell.

With all the newest innovations,games and technology out there for theyoung people these days, the last thing ontheir minds is visiting with our elderly.Some of these kids even seem to fearthem. They don’t speak their own lan-guage and can’t communicate. They havebetter things to do and feel that thosethings are more important.

Our elder tribal members wouldlike nothing more than a visit from thechildren or teens – even if they onlystopped by for a short time. They under-stand more than one would think, andhave much to share. Many are actuallylonely and would enjoy the company.

I often wish that I had recordedconversations with some of our elderswho have passed on. Even though I wasgiven valuable lessons and information, Ican only store it in my mind, and as timegoes on, will I remember everything I wastaught, or will some of their words even-tually fade from my mind? I have found itessential to teach my children all I can ofwhat I have received from our elders.

Betty Mae Jumper is one of ourelders who has made it her mission to pre-serve the culture and old Seminole leg-ends through her videos such as CornLady and other documentaries. She is

highly respected in the anglo world andeven bestowed with an honorary “doctor-ate” degree by Florida State University.

She is one of our most valuableassets and is responsible for much of thegrowth of the Seminole Tribe. Yet, thereare many people who don’t ever take thetime to stop by to visit with her. She hasso much to share with our younger gener-ation and is still available to us to pass onthe past history of our people. There areothers also, but they too, are passed by for

a day at themovies or a con-cert.

If not for ourCouncil andBoard representa-tives, our elderlywould be forgot-ten by most of our

young people and left to sit at home lone-ly and neglected. Our representatives haveprovided trips, outings and exciting vaca-tions for our elderly and have encouragedthe younger members to take advantage ofthe information these golden pioneers areso eager to share with us.

Much concern is voiced aboutchild abuse and neglect, yet not much isever said about the neglect of our elderly.They have been abused and exploited asmuch – if not more so – than even thechildren. Rather than receiving the respectand honor they deserve, they are oftentaken advantage of.

We need to think about a timewhen these elders were young and vibrantas we are; they lived full lives, married,had children, cared for them and their par-ents and taught their young all they need-ed to know to survive in a world of preju-dice, hate, and extreme poverty.

They traveled in their dugoutsfrom camp to camp and visited the medi-cine man when they were sick. We can’teven find the time to stop and visit withthem in spite of financial abilities, newvehicles, advanced telephone technologiesand all of the modern day miracles avail-able to us.

We need to remember that someday we too will grow old. Do we want toreceive the kind of treatment from ourown grandchildren that todays’ youngpeople give our elders? I think not.

We need to teach our childrenthe importance of respecting our elderlyand taking advantage of the gift of knowl-edge that is right around the corner andavailable to us all. If not, what kind ofhistory will be there to pass on to futuregenerations?— Virginia Mitchell is Editor of the

Seminole Tribune.

Waag-nug-nosh-et Hollywood ken yah lahgim. (Bull going home to Hollywood).

Editorial

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©Seminole Tribe of Florida

Publisher: James E. Billie

Director: Dr. Betty Mae Jumper

Editor: Virginia M. Mitchell

Special Projects: Peter B. Gallagher

Design/Layout: Melissa Sherman

Design/Layout Assistant: Vanessa Frank

Secretary: Valerie M. Frank

Reporters: Libby Blake, Elrod Bowers,

Ernie Tiger

Business Manager: Dan McDonald

Contributors: Tommy Benn, Amy Cox,

Charles Flowers, Michael James,

Colin Kenny, Bob Kippenberger (Photos),

Brian Larney (Design), Mark Madrid,

Sandi McClenithan, Rhonda Roff,

Benny Secody, Raiford Starke,

Sabrina Tuttle, Vida Volkert, Patsy West,

Dr. Patricia R. Wickman

Seminole Tribune

CorrectionIn the March 3 issue Mary T.

Bowers was incorrectly named as thirdplace finisher in the Women’s Age 50 –59 Senior Bowling Tournament.

Mabel Osceola finished thirdwith a score of 549. Congratulations toMabel.

Editor’sThoughtsB y V i r g i n i a M i t c h e l l

Nixon’s Message Lives On

Senate Resolution 277

See Email, page 3

CypressContinued from page 1

The Seminole Tribune receives many ques-tions via e-mail. Some are answered directly via e-mail reply. Some are answered on our editorialpages. Others are sent to experts for replies. Whenwe sent this e-mail to author Patsy West, she wasinspired to provide the answer in her column:

Editor:Many years ago my grandfather had contact

with an individual who identified himself as TonyTommie. This person told my grandfather he was aSeminole chief who lived in the Miami area.

I think this contact took place in the 30s or40s and the Chief was approximately 21 at the time.Was this person a real chief, is he still alive and canyou send me any other biographical information youmight have?

Don BudnikBrooklyn, NYDbud942197@aol.com

Tony M. B. Tommie (Panther Clan), Hath-wa-ha-chee, was a son of Annie Jumper Tommieand Doctor Tommie. He was born on Big City

Island in the Pine Island complex of islands in theEverglades west of New River in 1895.

Big City Island was one of the three islandsin the Pine Island complex, the site of old Seminolesettlements prior to the Second Seminole War. In thelate 19th century the Pine Island Complex hadbecome a refuge for displaced Seminoles.

By 1900 it had become so overpopulated,that it had to be abandoned. In 1906, the islandsbecame landlocked by the North and South NewRiver Drainage Canals, which permanently cut off theSeminoles’ access to the site by canoe.

Tony Tommie grew up in his grandmother,Mammy Jumper’s camps on New River and then onthe North Fork of New River. He interacted in localactivities and was well known to early townspeople.

With other young men in his mother’s camp,he learned to play baseball, in fact, a diamond waslaid out near the camp on the North Fork of NewRiver at Broward Boulevard. While a game betweenthe Seminoles and Ransom School for Boys inCoconut Grove appears to have been called off, it ispossible that the Seminoles played against localteams.

Unlike the majority of Seminoles, Tonywanted to attend school. Book education was still for-bidden by the elders, most of whom lived in the Big

Cypress. It was these individuals whowere the powerful leaders, powerfulpolitically and powerful in medicine.

During this time theSeminoles had no “chiefs,” but if theyhad, they would have come out of thisgroup of men. Seminole Agent,Lucien A. Spencer said he talked withthese elders and secured permissionfor Tony to attend school.

From all accounts, it does notseem that Spencer had the clout tomake an impression on the Seminoleelders who were very reticent andstrongly opinionated (also Spencerwas known to stretch the truth for hisown edification). It seems highlyunlikely that the elders would haveagreed to Tommie’s book education asthey continued to frown on such edu-cation until decades later.

However, in 1914 and at theage of 19, a former schoolteacher andlongtime friend of the Seminoles, Mrs.Frank Stranahan, aided Tony in hiseducational endeavors. Tony Tommiewas enrolled and attended FortLauderdale Common School in 1914-16.

He boarded with a family near the school,then later rode his bicycle to and from his Mother’s

camp to school. He taught other children inthe camp the alphabet and a little readingand arithmetic. The next school year, hepersuaded two boys and two girls from hisMother’s camp to attend school with him.

From a photo it appears that theyoung men and women wore regular schoolclothes rather than their Tribal attire, but thegirls continued to wear their beads. AgentSpencer applauded Tony Tommie for hiswork and noted that, “the Fort Lauderdaleband made Tony Tommie its headman afterhis first year in school.”

Also, about this time, it did appearthat the young Tony Tommie became thespokesman and representative for theSeminoles living in the Fort Lauderdalearea.

1919 saw Tony Tommie headingup the Seminole extras in a major featurefilm shot on location at Fort Lauderdalebeach. The Seminoles in their canoes filledin as South Sea islanders in D. W. Griffith’s,The Idol Dancer.

In the early 1920s, Tony Tommiebecame economically involved in tourism.Because he had learned to read, write, andcipher, he figured prominently as Head Manat Musa Isle Seminole Village in Miami.

As he was the spokesman for thevillage and in charge of the Seminole fami-lies there, the press labeled him “Chief.” Hewas immortalized in press photos. In June1926, he was featured in one of the first andmost highly attended events that Musa Islehad ever held — an “Indian Wedding.” Thiswedding was an important event, becausetourists were so anxious to attend it thatthey stayed in Miami weeks longer than the

official tourist season.In 1926 Tony Tommie’s mother and her fam-

ily moved to the newly opened Dania Reservation.The town of Fort Lauderdale had expanded out towhere Annie Tommie’s camp had been located. Itappears from some recently uncovered informationthat the town fathers felt that the Seminole camp wasnot sanitary and they wanted the Seminoles movedout of the city.

Mrs. Ivy Stranahan, wife of the former trad-ing post operator and a longtime friend of Annie andher family, persuaded Annie to relocate her camp tothe Dania Reservation. This was ironic, as Annie andher family were actually coming home to their oldcamp, which had been abandoned some 25 years ear-lier by her own mother. They had left the island bycanoe, but now, after drainage, they would arrive inMrs. Stranahan’s car.

In November 1926 some Miami attorneystook Tony Tommie to Washington, D.C. Upon his

arrival back in Miami, a press conference was calledin order to announce that Tommie had sent a letter toPresident Calvin Coolidge. The letter said, in part,“the Indians have decided to ask for citizenship in theUnited States and to swear their allegiance toAmerica.”

Tommie noted that he had made this state-ment without conferring with the Seminole council,but he said that he planned to speak with them soon.It appears that it was the attorneys who had persuad-ed him to act so rashly on his own.

Perhaps being constantly hailed as a chiefand being one of the most book educated members ofhis Tribe made him feel omnipotent and responsiblebeyond his traditional means for the welfare of theFlorida Seminoles. However, this act would be thebeginning of Tony Tommie’s downfall.

Two months later, inFebruary 1927, there was a definiteconnection between these events –the assuming of leadership and awell-publicized ceremony on thenewly drained Everglades nearHialeah.

“Forward to the Soil” wasa publicity stunt created by theMiami Chamber of Commerce tosell real estate. Tony Tommie wasone of the main participants. Hewould symbolically “give away”the Seminoles’ muck land to his“white brothers” during the ceremo-ny.

His Mother and her familywere the unwitting participants inthe show in which a “Seminole”flag in medicine colors was broughtdown and the Stars and Stripes wasraised. This event caused the firstformal statement to be issued fromthe true Seminole leadership, thetraditional Council of Elders. In astatement issued through theirfriend, W. Stanley Hanson of FortMyers, the Council condemnedTony Tommie as a “Fakir andTraitor.”

Soon, contrary to his ownenthusiasm for learning, TonyTommie disrupted the DaniaReservation’s educational program,telling parents that it was a badthing to educate their children. Thesame Agent Spencer who hadpraised Tommie’s educationalefforts in 1915 then angrily labeledhim “a self-styled chief.”

Tony Tommie was diagnosed with tuberculo-sis soon after and was sent by the government to anIndian sanatorium in Oklahoma. He was back inFlorida when his bride died in February 1928 at Musa

Isle following a protracted illness from tuberculosis.Some members of Tony Tommie’s family

question that Tony Tommie and Edna Johns wereactually married, that the sell out event in 1926 mighthave been only an act for the tourists, but this couplewere the only Seminoles to contract TB at that time.Tony Tommie again left for Oklahoma.

It looked like he was cured in 1930. Thegovernment took him on a tour of other Indian reser-vations on his way home to Florida. When he arrivedback in Miami he spoke out in support of a govern-ment survey and against the authority of his replace-ment at Musa Isle.

As a result and because of his former indis-cretions he was most unwelcome in the Seminolecommunity. He felt that the medicine men were “fix-ing medicine” on him and that he wouldn’t live. Tony

Tommie went home to his Mother’s camp on theDania Reservation where he succumbed to tuberculo-sis in April 1931.— Reflections Number 175.

The Seminole Tribune 3 April 14, 2000

R e f l e c t i o n s B y P a t s y W e s t

BIG CYPRESS — Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum has been open for two and ahalf years. Items on exhibition at themuseum from the SmithsonianInstitution’s National Museum of theAmerican Indian areon temporary loan,which will expiresoon.

In earlyMay conservatorswill retrieve them.They will bringother items from the National Museum ofthe American Indian to put in their placefor another two years.

This rotation policy assures thatthe items on loan will not be stressed bythe Museum environment, light, humidity,or being exhibited on a mannequin, eventhough extreme precautions are taken tominimize any harm to these rare items.

If you haven’t been to theMuseum to see these items, do so beforethey are gone. The artifacts which will beleaving soon for Washington are:

*A blouse with silver broocheswhich was collected in 1908 at FortLauderdale from Annie Jumper Tommie(Panther Clan).

*A long shirt which was pur-chased from John Jumper (Panther Clan)at his camp near Allapata Flats.

*A man’s big shirt, a lady’s skirtand a breechcloth will also be replaced.

*A beaded belt owned by BenFrank (Tommie) (Panther Clan) a memberof Robert Osceola’s camp on the NorthFork of New River in Fort Lauderdale.

*Two beaded fobs obtained fromLucy Gopher (Bird Clan) at Hungryland.

*A rare pair of yarn and bead fin-gerwoven garters owned by Jim Gopher(Snake Clan) and obtained at his camp atParker’s Branch.

Everyone is encouraged to stop byAh-Tah-Thi-KiMuseum in BigCypress to see theseitems before they arereturned toWashington and areput back into storagefor safekeeping. . .

Guests will also see some changesto the Museum’s Temporary Gallery. Lastyear an exhibition of Seminole War periodartifacts were installed in conjunctionwith the Museum’s inaugural KissimmeeSlough Shootout, now an annual event inits second year.

These items too will be given “arest” and will be put back into storage. Anexhibit on patchwork clothing will be putin their place in June.

The Seminole War period artifactsinclude:

*3 Buckskin coats from theEastern Woodlands. One has a rare match-ing pair of buckskin leggings.

*Army Uniform Coats.*Three peace medals.*Period firearms and edged

weapons.If you haven’t seen these rare

items from the Smithsonian’s NationalMuseum of the American Indian or theSeminole War items from Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki’s permanent collection, come to theMuseum before May 1!

For information, call (941) 902-1113.

MUSEUM NOTESBy Patsy West

Controversial “Chief”

Tony Tommie as “Head Man” and Seminole children at the Musa Isle Seminole Village in Miami. Photo: Circa 1924.

Young Tony Tommie ignored elders and attended school.

Tony reads letter to mother, Annie, at her Fort Lauderdale camp.

Time Running Out On MuseumExhibits At Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki

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was Seminole. I don’t know if he trulyis. He looks like a Native American andhe goes by the name of Jarrell “WinterHawk.” My mother picked him upbeside the road; he was homeless at thetime. She gave him shelter and webecame friends.

He is gone now and the last Iheard of him he was in Denver lockedup in prison for having a concealedweapon. This guy was in the MarineCorp and has a tattoo on his arm. Justwondering if you would happen toknow him. Thanks.

Timothy KamaluTimandheather@peoplepc.com

Seminole Tribune:I am looking for an old friend

that I went to Georgetown College within Kentucky back in 1957-61. His nameis Mr. Joe Dan Osceola and he would bearound 60 years old. My last contactwith him was when he lived inHollywood Florida in the late ‘60s. Wehave lost contact with each other overthe years but now with this new comput-er technology I was looking at some ofyour old issues of the paper and foundseveral mentions of Joe Dan Osceola. Iwas wondering if this could be my oldfriend from years ago. Would it be pos-sible, if this is the same Joe DanOsceola, to let me know how I can con-tact him or could you pass along myaddress so he can get in touch

Jim CantrallGlendale, KY. Granandpops@aol.com

Joe Dan, who lives on theHollywood Reservation, is the SeminoleTribal Ambassador. We’ll give him youraddress.

Chief Billie:My name is Ines Chaves and I

was tapped into Iron Arrow, an honorsociety at the University of Miami.Therefore, I was wondering if it waspossible for you to tell me what myjacket stands for. A picture of the jacketis attached. Thank you for your help.

Ines ChavesMiamiIchaves@yahoo.com

Virginia Mitchell, Editor of theSeminole Tribune replies:

Your jacket represents theintegrity and pride of an unconqueredtribe who produced exceptional worksof art. Seminole Tribune:

I was at the big New Yearsevent played by Phish and I just wantedto thank you, as a whole culture andfamily. It is very beautiful down thereand the people were very friendly. Iwould also like to know if there wasmuch damage done to the concert siteand its surrounding area? (I hope not, I

know that the vast majority of Phishfans are environmentally aware andfriendly, but there are always excep-tions). I hope everything was cleanedup. Thank you for allowing the band andus, their most devoted fans, to hold suchan excellent concert at your beautifuland respected home. Much love andaffection,

Claudio Rietticrietti@vt.edu

Hello Chief Jim Billie:I am Chief Ta Tonka of South

Carolina. I regret hearing the news thealligator took a bite off of your hand.My name is actually Joe Graham. Iattended NYE 2000 Big Cypress andsaw you. Please get some rest and try tolearn to live with your new disability.

Joe GrahamCrazularJNG@yahoo.com

Chief Billie:One of my

fellow Iron Arrowtap-ees gave me youre-mail address forassistance with a pat-tern on my patchworkshirt. I have attacheda JPG of the patternin question, andwould be most grate-ful for any interpreta-tion you may have tooffer. Thank you!

Jonathan Acey AlbertUniversity of Miami School of Medicine acey@gate.net

Virginia Mitchell Editor of theSeminole Tribune Replies:

All of the old style patchworkswere given names. This particular pieceis more modern and was not given aname.

e-mailContinued from page 2

The Seminole Tribune 4 April 14, 2000

CCommunity Newsommunity News

OKEECHOBEE — In December, TeamSeminole Tribe led by Wendy Johns and MicheleThomas joined thousands of others in the March ofDimes Walk America bringing in $10,636.31.

The idea to participate was introduced byWendy Johns, Health Educator for Brighton who hasworked with March of Dimes for three consecutiveyears. For the first year of involvement TeamSeminole Tribe exceeded all expectations, winningin virtually all categories.

The team “walked” away with: “MostMoney Raised,” by holding various fund raisersbeginning with a Super Bowl Community Garagesale, concession stand at the Youth Livestock Sale,Valentine flower sale, OCRA basketball concessionas well as soliciting donations from different Tribalofficials and business sponsors.

Team Seminole Tribe also won in the cate-gory of “Cleverest Fund Raiser.” A Seminole Tribepin doll, designed by Abby Osceola James with theMarch of Dimes ribbon, was sold in various placesaround the community. The team also won the“Chairman’s Club Award” for raising over $1,000 aswell as the “Top New Team,” and “Best T-shirtdesign.”

Michele Thomas, assistant to the Chairman,mentioned that the reasons Brighton residents decid-ed to participate this year was to do public relations

in the community and to honor Willie Johns, who isa polio survivor.

In 1953, Willie was struck with childhoodvirus polio. Even though a vaccine had been devel-oped, many fell victim to the deadly disease. Hisstory is one of survival.

“I was just plain lucky, many were not,”says Willie who spent three years in Umatella, Fla.where he had surgery to remove all the muscle ofhis left leg. After surgery he underwent rehabilita-tion where he was retrained and taught the basicfunction of walking again.

“I wore a brace on my leg until I was sevenyears old,” says Johns. “The reason I feel lucky isbecause I lived in a community where my familywas outdoor oriented and no pity was placed on me.As a result, I was forced to participate in childhoodgames, which eventually strengthened my leg. Thislater allowed me to play high school football whichwas unheard of.”

Willie lettered in high school football forfive years and was voted “All Conference” and cho-sen by the coaches of the conference as “All State.”Willie graduated from high school and started arodeo career. He participated in all major events andpresently participates in the team-roping event.

“I did not allow this disease to discourageme, I continued to set my goals and still do today.”

The Seminole Tribunewelcomes Benny Secody asthe newest member of ourfreelance team. Benny hasbeen submitting articles for usnow for almost a month, andstates he really likes freelancework for the opportunity tomeet new people and to beable to occasionally use hisjournalism skills.

Benny, a Navajofrom Arizona, attended Dine’College in Tsaile, Ariz., wherehe took a variety of journalismand photography courses.Currently he is attendingFlorida Gulf Coast Universityin Fort Myers, where he ispursuing his Masters degree inSubstance Abuse.

Last year he passedthe Florida Board of AddictionProfessionals’ stringent crite-ria to finally be awarded hisstate certification as an alco-hol/addiction professional(CAAPII).

Secody, who is currently employed at theRuth Cooper Center for Behavioral Health, worksfull time as a Behavioral Health clinician and enjoyshis work with those individuals recovering fromsubstance abuse.

“I can relate to their sickness and theirpain,” he says. “I’ve been there myself. Most of mylife I was an alcoholic. My own family had givenme up as a hopeless cause, and even after severalnear-death experiences, I was still going strong onthe booze.

“I was finally able to identify with myhigher power, and have turned my life over to Him.I can honestly say that I have accomplished more inthe past 11 years than I have throughout my entirelife.

“How many 50-year old guys do you knowwho had just started to make a commitment to get adegree? I wish there were more in my classes so Idid not feel like an old man among all these youngpeople.

“To me, writing is a way of expression thatmost of our people were denied in the early days.My father, a traditional medicine man, had forbid-den my siblings and me to attend school and did notwant us to learn the white man’s ways.

“If it were not for my mother interveningon our behalf, it may have been a long time beforewe were allowed to go to school. She used to tellhim that if we learned to read and write, then we

would know what the whiteman was doing. We had neverlearned English, and inBoarding School we wereseverely punished for speakingNavajo.

Amazingly, I pickedup my new language ratherquickly, and found it intriguingto be able to converse with “thewhite man” in his language –and rather proficiently at that.”

Among the many hatshe wears, Benny is an accom-plished musician (guitar player)and singer/songwriter, who hasappeared on many televisionshows and radio stationsthroughout the Southwest. He iscurrently preparing to record aCD of six of his most recentsongs. He states he likes to usehis music when working withthe young people, and travelsaround to the various schools,presenting workshops on pre-vention, peer pressure and the

dangers of substance abuse – using his own lifeexperiences as examples.

He smiled as he recalled having had theprivilege of playing his music at our own Tribal Fairin 1989, where he was honored to open forChairman James E. Billie.

Prior to moving back to Arizona in May of1989, Secody worked as a Journeyman Ironworkerand roomed with other Navajos who were rentinghere on the Hollywood Reservation.

“I enjoyed the work, but my life was out ofcontrol,” he says. “I spent my days in a haze ofalcohol abuse. I knew if I didn’t get away from thatkind of work – at least for awhile – I would nothave my life for long. After all, I had already usedup most of my nine lives.”

After moving to the mountains of Arizona,Secody found solace in farming and introduced theNavajo people to “drip irrigation” – a method taughtto him by a professor of agriculture from Israel.Keeping a journal was therapeutic – recountingsome of his experiences which he would somedaylike to publish – “even though some of them are sounbelievable, I don’t know if I will ever find some-one to publish them” he laughs.

Secody, who has lived in Cape Coral forthe past two years says he is looking forward tomeeting other Native American people through hav-ing the opportunity to freelance for our publication,so if you see him packing his trusty camera and notepad, stop and say hello.

HOLLYWOOD — On March29, 2000 the second class of DaleCarnegie graduates gave their finalspeeches in front of friends and family.

The 16 graduates were thrilled tohave accomplished this wonderful classand spoke eloquently about what the classdid for them and how it has given themskills that will assist them in their workand home environment.

There will be more classes inJune. “We will be having preview meet-ings in Hollywood on April 17th” saidMaureen Vass, Public and GovernmentalRelations Coordinator.

“This meeting will give theemployee and Tribal member a better ideaas to what Dale Carnegie is all about. Wewill also be having preview classes on theother reservations but that will be in June.

“The commitment that thesegraduates made is one that should be heralded by everyone. We are all busy and yet there were many gradu-ates who came in from Brighton, Big Cypress and Immokalee every week.” Anyone wishing more informa-tion on the classes may call Maureen or Jennifer at 954-966-6300, ext. 1240 or 1247.

Generations Are Counting On This.

Don’t Leave It Blank.

Hopetake rohonupse seyanicahunnatarahkvn ahumkotku.

Nakhotce cemalakena sofaceciceckare.

Yeete anaashpeke anaashhoopekaayakaachkoowa.

Ponhohposhkoochaatotshellamashaahomehonte.

Todas las generaciones estan

contando con esto. No deje su formulario

del censo en blanco.

MOORE HAVEN — Members of theBrighton Community participated in a 5KRun/Walk on March 4 in Moore Haven toincrease awareness of Breast Cancer and to raisefunding for research.

The motivation behind the walk was tohonor the memory of Merrilee LongfellowMalcolm. Merrilee died at the age of 34 after a20-month battle with breast cancer. She leftbehind a great many that loved her, including her4-year-old son, Jake.

Breast cancer is the leading type of non-coetaneous cancer found in women in the UnitedStates, with 176,300 new cases projected to occurthis year.

The major risk factor for breast cancer isaging. Women with a history of one breast cancerare at increased risk for a second primary breastcancer. Additional risk factors include a familyhistory of breast cancer in a mother or sister, pro-liferate benign breast disease — particularlyatypical hyperplasia, radiologically dense breastor calcifications — early period onset, and lateage at first birth.

In the United States alone, it was estimatedthat 43,300 women would die of breast cancer in 1999.Because of increased cigarette smoking patterns overthe last several decades, breast cancer has been sur-passed by lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer

death in women since 1987.Each member of Team Seminole Tribe placed

in his or her age division. Some of those who partici-pated are Wendy Johns, Connie Whidden, CatherineTerBurgh, Dale Johnson and Loretta Peterson, MableHaught, Jenny Johns, Patty Waldron, Michele Thomasand Heather Peterson.

Tribal Members Walk ToCombat Breast Cancer

Brighton Tribal members were all winners in 5K Race.

Meet Writer Benny Secody

Arizona Navajo writer Benny Secody.

Team Seminole Wins For March Of Dimes

Wendy Johns and Michele Thomas led “Team Seminole Tribe” on the March of Dimes Walk America.

Second Dale Carnegie Graduation

INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE: Free tee shirt to the first personwho can identify all the Dale Carnie graduates in this photo.

By Dan McDonaldHOLLYWOOD — Some of the world’s best

chainsaw artists will converge at the Seminole OkaleeIndian Village on the Hollywood Reservation April 22-23, in an exhibition of woodcarving to raise money forcharity.

Called “Saws in the Swamp,” the artists willcreate individual pieces of art, which will be auctionedoff. All proceeds will be donated to the Make-A-WishFoundation and the Seminole 4H club. The artists willalso jointly produce a single sculpture, which will bepresented to the Seminole Tribe. The hours are 8:30a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The event is being organized by Joe DanOsceola, the Tribe’s Ambassador, and Daniel ‘Red’Whiteman, a Broward County wood carver who hastraveled the world learning his craft.

“I got into carving by accident,” RedWhiteman laughs. “A woman literally ran into a treeand left a stump in our yard. My wife said, ‘why don’tyou try carving something?’

“That was nine years ago and I haven’tstopped. I go to Alaska and study every year. I love thework, and this exhibit is bringing some of the world’s

best to help raise money for a good cause.”The artists who have confirmed include Rick

and Judy Pratt of New York, Rick and Randy Boni ofPennsylvania, Luke Andrews of Canada, Brian andMinnie Sprague of New York, Greg Napolitan of NewJersey, Dennis Richardson and Wayne Demoranville ofPennsylvania, ‘Buzz Saw Bob’ Haleran of Florida andfive time world champion carver Dennis Beech.

“We hope to have more commitments beforethe show,” Red says. “This is the first of what we hopebecomes an annual event. I think people will beamazed at what they see.

“This is like attending an art show, but it’s theonly art show where the artists are actually working.You can see them carving. It will be glorious, andeveryone will be amazed at the quality of work theyproduce.

“We hope everyone comes out and bids on thecarvings. They’ll be great works of art and it will befor a good cause.”

The event is sponsored by International Toolsof Davie and Stihl chain saws. For more informationcontact Red Whiteman at (954) 474-3217.

Chainsaws For Charity Coming To Hollywood

The Seminole Tribune 5 April 14, 2000

During the Seminole Wars (1817-1858), theUnited States Army built forts across the peninsulaof Florida. In this ongoing Seminole Tribune exclu-sive series, correspondent Vida Volkert reports onthe role these forts played in the battles that were –in their time – the longest and most costly militarycampaigns ever fought by the United States.

By Vida VolkertFORT MYERS — It was

Tuesday, May 4, 1858. About 124exhausted Seminole warriors,women and children, amongthem the Indian leader BillyBowlegs (Holata Micco),walked down to the wood-en wharf at Fort Myers,where the steamer GreyCloud was waiting.

Some of themhad been walking formany days from theinterior of theEverglades to theIndian camp establishedby the military neartoday’s Fort Myers ceme-tery. Others had made thetrip across the swamps andsawgrass on horse. But, theyhad one thing in common;They were tired of resisting andlosing their people in the everlast-ing war against the govern-ment. They had decided tosurrender and submit toremoval from their land.

As the Indians boarded the steamer, imagesof the last tranquil homestead in the wilderness,under the Florida sun, crossed some of the womens’minds. Perhaps, scenes of the last battle foughtagainst the military in the swamps of the Evergladescrossed the minds of the men. And, perhaps, a storyof courage, told under the full moon by one of theelders, unfolded in the minds of some of the children.

The whistle was blown and the mind ofevery Indian went back to the port. As the steamerGrey Cloud moved out into the Caloosahatchee Rivertoward the Gulf of Mexico, the Indians stood by therails bidding a silent, last farewell to the land thatonce provided them with food and shelter.

This trip was to be their last hope for sur-vival. The steamer Grey Cloud was to be one of thelast ships to deport Seminole Indians from the territo-ry of Florida to the territory of the west in Oklahoma.The trip also marked the end of the third and finalSeminole War.

It also marked another event. At last, FortMyers was serving the purpose for which it was built– to help capture and deport from Florida the greatSeminole leader Billy Bowlegs and his band of war-riors.

James W. Covington believes Fort Myerswas erected in 1850 with the objective of helping themilitary remove the remaining band of Seminoleswho were still living in the Everglades under thecommand of Bowlegs.

“Fort Myers could have been constructed toput pressure on Billy Bowlegs,” said Covington,author of numerous books on Seminole history,including the acclaimed The Billy Bowlegs War.

Covington, who is also a retired history pro-fessor from the University of Tampa, said Fort Myerswas erected on the south bank of the CaloosahatcheeRiver, near the heart of the Seminole Indian countryand Billy Bowlegs’ town.

“Between 1850 and 1859, the center ofeverything in that area was Fort Myers,” saidCovington, referring to the wooden logfort, which at its peak, featured a1,000 foot wharf, and more than50 buildings constructed ofhardy yellow pine.

In addition,Covington said that thedeportation of Bowlegs inMay 1858 ended the mili-tary operation against theSeminole Indians inFlorida.

After theSecond Seminole Warwas officially declaredover on Aug. 14, 1842,there were still an esti-mated 600 SeminoleIndians living in Florida,although Col. William.Worth reported to the WarDepartment that only 301Indians still remained in thepeninsula. About 3,930 had beendeported to the territory of the westand hundreds more were killedin battle or died from wounds,starvation or disease.

These few 600 Indians remaining in Floridawere scattered in bands in the Everglades under thecontrol of Bowlegs, Sam Jones (Abiaka), and TheProphet (Otulka). These three leaders were thestrongest and most influential leaders. Bowlegs wasthe most active of all three.

“Bowlegs was very influential among hispeople because of his personality and maybe becausehe was a religious leader,” said Covington. “We [his-torians] don’t know for sure, but believe he was apart time medicine man or shaman.”

According to historian Karl H. Grismer,Bowlegs was known as Bowlegs because he had aremote French ancestor named Beaulieu, who becameknown as Bolek.

In his Story of Fort Myers, Grismer wrotethat when Hollata-Micco pronounced his ancestor’sname it sounded like “Bowlegs,” so the whites calledhim Billy Bowlegs.

Hollata-Micco, who had led a band ofSeminoles in the Caloosahatchee massacre in 1839,was still considered a threat to the white settlers whowere still hungry for more land to develop by the endof 1842. The whites were united in their ultimatedemand to the government to either remove theSeminoles or exterminate them.

Grismer says one of the main reasons whythe settlers continued pushing the government intofighting the Seminoles after the Second SeminoleWar had ended, was that the federal governmentwould stop spending millions of dollars in Floridaeach year. And this war actually represented a sourceof financial support to the settlers.

“The fighting was continued simply becausethousands of people had no desire to see hostilitiescease. They had a financial interest in the conflict,”wrote Grismer, adding that plantation owners werereceiving “fat sums” each year from the federal gov-ernment for labor their slaves performed for thetroops. In addition, “high wages” were being paid tocivilian employees, and volunteers who went with the

troops were being paid in “good cold cash.”But despite the demands, the government

decided to grant the Seminoles a temporary reserva-tion to keep them at peace. This reservation com-prised the almost identical territory Gen. AlexanderMacomb had granted them on May 17, 1839.

During the peace negotiations and talks ofMay 1839, the government granted a reservation to

the Indians, which included practically all of whatis now Lee County and major portions of

Charlotte, Glades, Hendry and Colliercounties.

Various Seminole leaders,including Chief Chitto-

Tustenugger and Bowlegssigned a treaty with the gov-ernment in which the Indiansagreed to move into thisreservation.

The treaty alsoestablished that a tradinghouse should be erectedwithin the reservation forthe convenience of theIndians. The trading housewould be erected on the

north bank of theCaloosahatchee.

As the Seminolesaccepted the reservation propos-

al, hundreds of Indian women, oldmen, children and warriors began

moving towards the reservation.But this reservation

proposal turned to be anothertraitorous plan to help round theSeminoles and deport them

from Florida, as it can be confirmed with a letterwritten by Gen. Macomb on May 22, 1839.

“Under existing circumstances I did notthink it necessary to enter into a formal written treaty. . . Nor did I think it politic tosay anything about their emi-gration, leaving that subjectopen to such future arrange-ments as the government maythink proper to make.”

When the Indians dis-covered the scheme theyattacked, surprising the infa-mous trading post, killing 18dragoons, the trader, twoclerks and an officer.

“The warriors camein from all directions, shriek-ing and shooting. The surprisewas complete. No effectualresistance could be made.Some of the dragoons werestabbed to death in their bedswhile struggling to get outfrom under their mosquitonets. Others were shot down asthey groped for their riffles,”wrote historian Karl Grismer.

This engagement isknown today as theCaloosahatchee Massacre, andalong with the so-calledDade’s Massacre, forms two ofthe most infamous and bloodybattles of the Seminole Wars.

Grismer also wrote that the white settlerswould later use the Indians’ actions, such as theCaloosahatchee Massacre, as propaganda against theIndians while pushing the government into removingthem from Florida.

“Congress was bombarded with it [pro-paganda against the Indians],” wrote

Grismer. “‘The Indians must go! Theyare menacing settlers’ lives! They

are shiftless, worthless lot and area menace to the state! They are

holding Florida back! Removethe Indians and Florida willgrow as Texas is growingand California! The Indiansmust go!’” were some ofthe slogans the settlersused to persuadeCongress.

In July 1849, thekilling of a trader namedWhiddon, once againignited confrontations

between whites andIndians. Whiddon was killed

by five Indians at his tradingpost on Peace River.

“No one asked whetherWhiddon had cheated them [the

Indians] beyond endurance or soldthem so much rotten whiskey that they

went amuck,” wrote Grismer.Nothing really mattered, noteven the fact that Bowlegs

brought the five Indians to justice.As a result of this incident, Floridians

pressed Congress into taking action.In July of 1849, the War Department

instructed Major Gen. David E. Twiggs, then in com-mand of the Federal troops at Fort Brooke in what istoday Tampa to take action against the remainingSeminoles.

One of Twiggs’ first orders was the estab-lishment of a fort on the Caloosahatchee area, closeto the heart of the Seminole country. This fort was tobecome the site of the present city of Fort Myers.

On Feb. 14, 1850, Twiggs ordered BrevetMajor Ridgely of the 4th Artillery to take commandof two companies of artillery and proceed to theCaloosahatchee River. Ridgely was to select a “suit-able place” for the establishment of a post.

“ . . .and immediately throw up such lightworks as may secure his stores, and remove from theIndians any temptation to which his isolated positionmay give rise,” wrote Twiggs’ assistant adjutant gen-eral W.W. Mackall from his headquarters on TampaBay on Feb. 14, 1850.

Local historian Stan Mulford, who works atthe Historical Museum of Fort Myers, said that thepost was to be called Fort Myers, by order of MajorGeneral Twiggs, in honor of his prospective son-in-law Col. Abraham C. Myers.

“Myers was then chief quartermaster of thedepartment of Florida,” said Mulford.

Myers, who became engaged to MarionTwiggs, the General’s daughter, was born inGeorgetown, S.C., on May 14, 1811.

The son of an attorney and descendent of thefirst rabbi of Charleston, S.C., Myers entered the U.S.Military Academy from South Carolina in 1828 andwas appointed brevet second lieutenant upon grada-tion in 1833.

On Monday, Feb. 18, 1850, Major Ridgelydeparted from Fort Brooke with two companies ofartillery. After three days sailing up the

Caloosahatchee River, they landed near the site whereFort Harvie, a fort used during the Second SeminoleWar, was located. Fort Harvie, however, was now inruins. Apparently, the Indians had burned it.

“Fort Harvie had been built by a scoutingparty during the winter of 1841-42,” said Mulford.

The officers with the scouting party named itHarvie after their comrade, 1st Lt. John Harvie, whohad died before he could rejoin his regiment for thisexpedition.

This scouting party built the fort on groundsthat now comprise downtown Fort Myers.

“Fort Harvie and Fort Myers have one thingin common. Both were built on the same piece ofground,” said Mulford.

Fort Harvie was a semi-circular breastworksof dirt and logs, six feet high and fifteen feet wide atthe base. It featured storehouses and a long dock toaccommodate boats bringing in men and supplies.But this fort did not last long, since it was abandonedin February 1842.

According to historian Karl H. Grismer,Ridgely chose to erect Fort Myers on the same spotwhere Fort Harvie was located because the spot waswell surrounded

“It was the most beautiful spot he had seenalong the river and its high, dry ground made himsure that it would be free from miasmic diseases, thescourge of the Americans who waged war against theIndians,” wrote Grismer.

“The major also was pleased with the tower-ing palms and pines, and the moss draped oaks whichstood beyond. A Tiny creek trickled through the ham-mock and when Maj. Ridgely tasted the water hefound that it was fresh and good.”

Mulford believes that Ridgely’s main reasonto choose this site to erect Fort Myers was theCaloosahatchee River.

“Because the river is a natural highway, theCaloosahatchee area was important for military oper-ations,” said Mulford.

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, 1850, Ridgely andhis men camped and shortly raised the American flag.For several weeks the soldiers constructed barracksand officers’ quarters. As the fort grew, Indians begancoming to the fort. According to Grismer, BillyBowlegs was one of the first to come and exchangewords with the officers.

“The eyes of Billy Bowlegs glinted when hesaid that his Tribesmen did not want white people tocome around and bother them. He was friendly, buthe obviously did not look favorably upon the estab-lishment of the fort in the heart of what was supposedto be the Indian reservation. Undoubtedly be believedthat the government now intended to resume opera-tions against his people. He was not far wrong.Events were shaping up which were destined to makerenewal of hostilities inevitable,” wrote Grismer.

Grismer wrote that one of the first things themen constructed at Fort Myers was a large wharfbuilt nearly 1,000 feet into the river a little west ofwhat is now the foot of Hendry Street. At the end ofthe wharf, there was a platform, nearly 100 feet long,where boats docked.

“After the wharf was completed, buildingmaterials could be unloaded easier and constructionwork was speeded up,” wrote Karl Grismer. “In rapidsuccession new buildings were erected: quarters forthe officers, barracks for the enlisted men, adminis-tration offices, warehouses for the storage of muni-tions and general supplies, a guard house, a blacksmith shop and a bake shop, a laundry, a house forthe gardener, and stables for the horses and mules.”

A suttler’s store also was built and a two andone-half stories high hospital, which cost an estimat-ed $30,000 to construct was also added.

Grismer wrote that so much governmentmoney was invested in the construction of Fort Myersthat the War Department ordered an investigation inApril 1856.

Maj. J. McKinstry, who was sent to investi-gate the fort, stated in his report that “unnecessarilyexpensive buildings have been erected and that lavishand uncalled-for expenditure of public money wasobtained at the post, particularly for the hospitalbuilding.”

The Major complained about two other con-structions: a bowling alley and a bathing pier andpavilion which extended five hundred feet out into

the Caloosahatchee.Stan Mulford says that between 1850 and

1855 life was peaceful at Fort Myers. “The militaryhad not captured any Indians, for Washington sentorders to send soldiers out to the Everglades,” saidMulford, adding that in December 1855, Lt. GeorgeHartsuff left Fort Myers with a scouting party of 11men.

Hartsuff, of the Second Artillery, wasordered to move through the swamp and take note ofSeminole fields and towns.

Mulford said Hartsuff and his men foundBowlegs’ camp and since the camp was deserted, thesoldiers uprooted Bowlegs’ banana tress anddestroyed the garden.

“When Bowlegs found out, he went toHartsuff’s camp and asked for compensation, but thesoldiers laughed at him,” said Mulford.

Mulford said that it is believed the soldierstripped Bowlegs and sent him sprawling, but thereare no records of any of this event and it can’t beconfirmed.

Historian Covington says that the confronta-tion between Bowlegs and Hartsuff’s men started theThird Seminole War, known as the Billy BowlegsWar.

About the following events, Covingtonwrote in his The Seminoles of Florida:

“Early in the morning of Thursday, Dec. 20,1855, while the men [Hartsuff’s] were packing andgetting ready to saddle their horses and load theequipment into the wagons, forty Seminoles led byBilly Bowlegs attacked the camp. Some of the menfled into the tall grass. Others were able to return theSeminoles’ fire, but six whites were either killed orwounded. Four wounded and three uninjured soldiersmade their way to Fort Myers sixty miles away andgave the alarm.”

From this date until May 1858, although theSeminole raiding parties killed many settlers and sol-diers, the Seminole Indians started facing extinction

in Florida.The military, which

greatly outnumbered the war-riors, continued scouting in theEverglades, pushing the Indiansfurther south, destroying theirfields, plantations and source ofstaples.

This constant harass-ment forced Bowlegs to make adecision. He chose to surrenderand move to the territory of thewest to save his people fromextinction.

“Bowlegs surrenderedbecause he was on the run allthe time,” said Mulford. “Hehad a difficult time feeding hispeople. He ran out of supplies;he had no choice.”

As Bowlegs surren-dered, deportation arrangementswere made.

Covington said thatone third of the Indians whowere deported by the end of theSeminole Wars were removedvoluntarily.

“This was due to thegovernment’s enormous pres-

sure against them,” said Covington. “The constantharassment from the whites moved them [theSeminoles] to accept the terms of deportation.”

Under the terms of deportation, $7,500 wasto be given to Bowlegs, $1,000 to each of four otherleaders, $500 to each warrior and $100 to eachwoman and child.

In addition, in accordance with an agreementsigned by representatives of the Western Seminolesand the government in August 1856, the Seminoleswere to be given their own 2,170,000 acres of land inIndian Territory separate from the Creeks.’ The gov-ernment agreed to pay them $90,000 for costs ofremoval to the new reserve, annuities of $3,000 forten years and $2,200 for blacksmiths.

According to Covington, the sum of$250,000 was to be invested, and 5 percent interestwas to be paid on annual per capita basis.

Bowlegs only persuaded 123 members of hisTribe to surrender and leave voluntarily from theirland. However, after Bowlegs’ departure, it has beenreported that other members of the Tribe gathered atFort Myers inquiring on Bowlegs’ whereabouts. Mostof them, learning of Bowlegs’ removal, surrenderedand requested their deportation from their land inorder to join their great leader.

With the deportation of Bowlegs, Col.Gustavus Loomis declared the Third Seminole Warofficially ended on May 8, 1858. Fort Myers wasabandoned, but re-occupied for a few weeks the fol-lowing year.

The War between the States brought federaltroops back in 1863 for the stay of two years, but atthe Civil War’s end, Fort Myers was abandoned bythe military once and for all.

During the Civil War, George Hartsuff, whohad been wounded in the chest during the Seminoleattack of Dec. 20, 1855, took part on the north side inseveral battles. Hartsuff died, however, in 1874 frompneumonia with complications arising from thatchest wound.

Billy Bowlegs joined the Union forces inKansas and, being appointed Captain of an Indianregiment, took part in several battles against the pro-Confederate Indians. According to Covington,Bowlegs died during the fall or winter of 1863-1864from smallpox.

The Civil War diverted people’s attentionfrom Florida, for the remaining Seminoles in thepeninsula, under command of Sam Jones, were ableto survive and evolved from scattered bands to a rec-ognized tribe.

In the years since World War II, Fort Myershas grown along with Lee County and the rest ofSouthwest Florida. Gradually, development has beenconcentrated east and west along the CaloosahatcheeRiver, and south along Cleveland Avenue.

New commercial buildings and shoppingcenters have been erected in all parts of the city butthe older downtown area, and the city’s historic dis-tricts, have retained much of their tradition.

Today, downtown Fort Myers is filled withbusinesses ranging from boutiques, restaurants,cafes, antique stores, jewelers, financial houses,apartments, and professional offices to a conventioncenter. Fort Myers is the second most populousincorporated place in Lee County, with a population

of approximately 45,206.Lee County, bordered by Charlotte Harbor

and the Gulf of Mexico and by Charlotte, Hendry,and Collier counties, is bisected by theCaloosahatchee River.

For more information contact the Fort MyersHistorical Museum at (941) 332 – 5955.

Next: Fort Peyton.

Fort Myers: Lavish Installation Built To Help Remove Leader Billy Bowlegs

Marion Twiggs -- love gave fort its name.

A.C. Myers -- fort was named after him.

This guard house was one of 53-structures inside thestockades of the massive Fort Myers complex.

By 1856 when this map was drawn, Fort Myers had become one of the nation’s most lavish.

The Seminole Tribune 6 April 14, 2000

L e e T i g e r

Hi, I'm Lee Tiger with the

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Seminole Owned and Operated

By Libby Blake and Ernie TigerBERLIN, Germany — While manning

the Florida Seminole Tourism booth at the recentInternational Tourism Berlin (ITB) 2000 exhibit inBerlin, Billy L. Cypress was approached by localtravel agent Walther Reichwein.

Delighted to see a “real” Seminole Indian,Reichwein told Cypress, the Ah-Tah-Thi-KiExecutive Director, about the Museum FürVölkerkunde (museum for people studies) and theirdisplay of Indian artifacts including a shirt purport-edly worn by Osceola. He invited Cypress, alongwith Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Development and PromotionsCoordinator Tom Gallaher, to visit the museum andmeet the curator, Dr. Peter Bolz.

The museum’s North American Indian col-lection is comprised of nearly 30,000 objects and220 large and small individual collections. Thecomprehensiveness and quality of the exhibit wasmade possible by the return in 1991 and ‘92 ofobjects confiscated by the Soviet Army as warbooty after World War II.

The two shirts attributed to Osceola camefrom the 1846 collection of Frenchman FriedrichKöhler. Köhler traveled all over North Americagathering artifacts from Indians and settlers duringthe 19th century. Cataloged as Osceola’s “huntercoats,” they were listed by Köhler with the adden-

dum “together with his portrait.” Unfortunately, theportrait no longer exists. Köhler probably came tothe conclusion that the shirts belonged to Osceolabased on the similarity of the shirts to the one wornin the lost portrait. Regardless of whom the shirtsbelonged to, there is no doubt these printed calicoshirts are of Seminole origin and of great historicalvalue.

The objects selected for presentation in themuseum provide only a small insight into the richtreasures of the entire inventory. Besides the arti-facts on display, Cypress and Gallaher also viewedthe North American Indian catalog, which lists theentire collection along with notations on origin andacquisition of the pieces.

“Both the exhibit and the catalog beginwith a prologue that looks critically at the clichéimages that still influences the public conception ofNorth American Indians. The main body of theexhibition and catalog shows that the best way tounderstand the simple-mindedness of Indian clichésis to view the great variety of Indian lifestyles andtheir material products,” stated Dr. Bolz in the cata-log foreword.

After meeting with Bolz and viewing theextensive North American collection, Cypress pre-sented the curator with a modern Seminole patch-work vest.

By Libby BlakeBERLIN — Seminole Tourism

traveled to Germany March 11 for theworld’s largest trade show – InternationalTourism Berlin (ITB). Seminole Tourism, inpartnership with FLA USA Visit Florida,was one of a record 8,808 exhibitors at theannual event which attracted over 60,000consumers and a similar number of travelprofessionals last year. Organizers of thisyear’s event projected a 20 percent increasein attendance.

Director Lee Tiger led the SeminoleTourism delegation. Executive Director BillyL. Cypress and Development andPromotions Coordinator Tom Gallaher repre-sented Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. LucyEvanicki, Marketing Director for the Safari,represented Billie Swamp Safari and Eco-Tours.

“We have discovered that there’s atremendous interest in the German marketfor American Indian culture,” said Lee Tiger.“Through TV programs, the media, and therelationship we’ve developed with the CVB(Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention andVisitors Bureau), more and more people are learningthat there’s Indians in Florida.

“For years, the tour operators have been sell-ing Tamiami Everglades Park Safari. The SeminoleTribe, with the museum and the Indian tour guidesoffering special sites and insights of Indian culturealong with the Safari Eco-tours, and can offer anAmerican Indian Heritage attraction no one else has.”

When asked how the European market hasgrown over his ten years as Director of Leisure Salesand Marketing for the CVB, Lee Levering replied, “Weknow that this market is a good market and we have tobe consistent with our efforts to promote tourism.While it may not be as much as we’d like, we’re look-ing at a five to six percent increase each year.”

ITB is held on the Berlin Exhibition Groundsand in the ICC Berlin. It is spread out among 26 build-ings with over 1.6 million square feet of exhibitionspace. The exhibitors at ITB 2000 represented 177countries and territories.

Exhibitors consist of every branch of tourismfrom individual companies and attractions to nationalorganizations. Some spare no expense in presentingtheir product in an effort to “sell” themselves as thebest tourist designation. In every building there areelaborate displays, virtual tours, audio, video, and printmaterials, and indigenous artists, musicians, dancers,and craftsmen.

Admission to the five-day show is reserved on

two days for trade professionals only. This allows theexhibitors to focus on new commercial contracts, tofamiliarize themselves with the market, cultivate exist-ing business links, study the competition, and acquaintthemselves with changes in the market.

“What I’ve noticed more so this year is abroader base of individuals and companies that havecome to meet with Florida Seminole Tourism to dobusiness,” said Lucy Evanicki. “We’ve connected withcompanies from Germany, Switzerland, Belgium,Spain, and even a tour operator from France who wantsto put on a large display and exhibit in Paris with theTribe next year.”

“We have some tour operators who’ve beendoing business with us strictly via e-mail and at thisshow we’ve been able to put a face with the name andbuild on those relationships for future business. Thereare also a lot of European based tour operators withoffices in Florida that we’ve, through this trade show,been able to meet. This will allow them to bring ourproduct to their clients in a much more efficient andpersonal manner.”

Besides the exhibitors, ITB 2000 also provid-ed specialist market segments which included “ITBYouth Travel Center,” “Travel by Senior Citizens,”“Airlines,” “Cruises,” “Research and Training Center,”and “Travel Technology.” In addition, meetings andseminars are held throughout the show to provide aforum for discussion and analysis of specialized topics.

HALIFAX, Canada (CBC) — Nova Scotiahas asked the federal government to strike down anold provincial law that offers a bounty for aboriginalscalps. The law is 244 years old, going back to a 1756proclamation by then-governor William Lawrence.

Nova Scotia must make the request to Ottawabecause the law was enacted before Nova Scotiabecame a province and before Canadian Confederationin 1867.

Nova Scotia passed a resolution Tuesday to

send the request to Ottawa. There had been complaintsabout the law from the province’s 13 Mi’kmaq bands.

“Nobody tends to think about stuff that hap-pened two and a half centuries ago, but it’s still a sorepoint with our Mi’kmaq community and we feel itneeds to be addressed, just on the question of dignity,”said Richard Perry, a spokesman for the Nova Scotiagovernment.

The resolution asks the federal government tonegate the effects of the bounty.

Nova Scotia ‘Scalp Law’ To Be Repealed

Seminole Tourism Seeks German Market

Billy L. Cypress (center) and Tom Gallaher (right) inspectMuseum garmets thought to once belong to Osceola.

Billy Cypress Tours Berlin Museum

Vietnam Wall Coming To B.C.By John J. Roxey

The Broward County Veterans Living Museum is proud to announce that the Vietnam VeteransMoving Wall is coming April 20-26, to the First Seminole Baptist Church Grounds. This is the first timethe Moving Wall has ever been on Tribal Grounds. Opening Ceremonies are on April 20. Veteran’sRecognition Day is April 22. Easter service is on the 23rd and closing ceremonies will be held on the 26th.

There are many open spots on all days and we would like to invite the Seminole Tribe of SouthFlorida to actively participate in this great honor. The Moving Wall is open for viewing 24 hours a day.Close to 1,000 school children will be viewing the Wall on the 24th through the 26th.This is a great educa-tional opportunity for all veterans to come and fellowship together. We need speakers and other assistancethroughout the week. All help would be greatly appreciated.

Everyone who is a member of the Museum also belongs to Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter23. We are the men who bring out the Wall every Veterans Day at Big Cypress. The Wall that will be herein April is a half size replica of the Wall in Washington D.C. I thank you in advance for all your help onthis matter and great honor to our Veterans.

— John J. Roxey is Chairman/Logistics Officer for Moving Wall 2000.

The Seminole Tribune 7 April 14, 2000

World Ford

1/2 pg

ad

By Libby BlakeBIG CYPRESS — Finster, star of the

1994 movie Monkey Trouble, came to the BigCypress Gym on March 21, to the delight of theAhfachkee School and Head Start children.

The first show was exclusively for the BigCypress and Immokalee Head Start kids. Alongwith trainer Uncle Lenny, Finster then entertained45 kindergarten and first grade students with someof the unique antics he performed in the hit movie.

In Monkey Trouble Finster plays a klepto-maniacal, organ-grinding monkey. At the Gym hedisplayed the pickpocketing skills which causedRoger Ebert, nationally known film critic, to say inhis review of the movie, “It’s no mistake that thecredits for Monkey Trouble give top billing to themonkey. He steals the show with a fetching per-formance that goes beyond training and into actingitself.”

While most of the audience at the Gymhad probably never heard of the movie, Finster, fel-low monkey performers Chrystal and Peanut, UncleLenny, and his son Garrett had all the kids yellingand applauding at their feats. Each child (and someteachers who will remain nameless) got the oppor-tunity to assist in the antics.

After each monkey performed their specialtricks, the children got to hold Peanut and havetheir picture taken. The shots were placed in a spe-cial holder made by Uncle Lenny and given to the

children as a memento of the visit. In addition, thekids all received “monkey money,” monkey sipcups with straws, monkey pencils, and picture cardsof Uncle Lenny and his monkeys.

Finster also drew a special picture for theschool and Uncle Lenny awarded the staff a specialcertificate commemorating the day.

The event was arranged by Big CypressRecreation Assistant Director Jack Gorton and coor-dinated with the assistance of Dr. Pat Gaffney,Principal of Ahfachkee School, and Shirley Clay ofthe Big Cypress Head Start Program.

‘Monkey Trouble’ Brings Fun To B.C.

It was a barrel full of monkies, but it was all fun.

By Tommy BennBIG CYPRESS — A surprise

birthday party was given in honor ofMitchell Cypress, President of the Boardof the Seminole Tribe of Florida, at theBig Cypress Health Clinic, March 30.

“I couldn’t figure out what wasgoing on. It wasn’t my birthday untilApril 2,” a surprised Mitchell said. “I sawDavid’s truck and guessed we had anothermeeting or something.”

He was truly surprised and over-whelmed with the turn out of well wish-ers.

A beautiful plaque was given tohim by the Seminole Health Departmentfor all his help and efforts to bring betterhealth care to the Indian Communities.One can have everything he desires in life, but without one’s health hehas nothing.

A buffet was enjoyed by all who attended. The centerpieceswere quite unique as they were fruit and vegetables arranged as flowers.They were very creative and beautiful, as well as being healthy andappetizing.

Music was provided by the Jonah Cypress Trio much to theenjoyment of guest and staff.

When asked how old he was, Mitchell replied he was 29 andholding — and losing his grip!

Someone else wanted to cut him in half and count his rings.When asked who was older, him or dirt, Mitchell just smiled andlaughed.

While we don’t know for certain, we can say all the fire towersin the area were alerted that in case they saw a bright glow in the skyaround Big Cypress on the evening of April 2, not to worry. It would bethe glow from Mitchell’s birthday cake!

Mitchell Cypress Has Surprise Party

Director Connie Whidden presents plaque to Mitchell.

Mary Frances Fewell Cypress.

As each young hockey goalie-helmeted cow-boy comes out of the chute on top of a buck-ing calf (junior bulls for the teenagers), CoachDeHass is constantly providing on-the-spotpointers: “You’re hanging on with your legs. .. keep your toes out. . . spurs in. . . got a badhabit of trying to hang on with your toes. . .”

Every day is different at theHollywood Horse Club. Monday, DeHasscoaches the cowboys in calf and bull riding,while sister Debbie DeHass takes the cowgirlsto Triple Cross for competition. Tuesday,Debbie teaches barrel racing and pole bend-ing. Wednesday, it’s off to Davie for JackpotRodeo. Thursday, Bob Motlow teaches roping.Friday, it’s more calf and bull riding. “I wishthey had something like this when I was grow-ing up,” says DeHass.

It is those exact words that are echoedby an adult volunteer in the program, a lean, grayingcowboy named Bob Freeman. “You come out here andsee some of these kids ride,” Freeman adds, “it’llknock your socks off!”

David DeHass, 41, grew up around horses. “Inthem days cowboys weren’t supposed to be fromHollywood, just B.C. or Brighton,” DeHass laughs. Butnot being your typical “urban” cowboy — and honestto a fault — DeHass would just say he was fromHollywood.

DeHass didn’t get to try bull-riding until age16, when he would take money saved working con-struction and citrus groves at Big Cypress to payentrance fees to ride bulls in any rodeo he could find. Itwas in those days that young bull-riders or would-bebull-riders were pretty much on their own, often rely-ing on some of that liquid courage before jumping inthe chute. “In the old days, when we used to get a littledrunk, Joe from Joe’s bar used to bring a big ol’ cool-er,” DeHass recounts. “These days, rodeo is a soberbusiness. Everybody’s serious,” DeHass says.

In 1979, DeHass got severely burned handlinghot tar on a roofing job. That landed him a six-weekhospital stay. He came out of the hospital all bandagedup, and, against doctor’s orders, went right back intothe bucking chute to compete again. But, shortly afterthat, his mother, Francis Tigertail died tragically in anauto accident. Broken-hearted, both David and Debbie(Indian barrel-racing champion three years in a rowback then), decided to quit competing. “She used tocome and watch me and my sister,” DeHass remembersabout his mother, who was a constant source of encour-agement in rodeo or any sport in which they participat-ed.

These days, David and Debbie DeHass are aconstant source of encouragement to the 25-30 boysand girls in the Hollywood Horse Club and Rodeoteam. According to Recreation Director Moses ‘BigShot’ Jumper, the program “started about six years agothrough the Recreation Department with the help of(Hollywood Board Rep.) Carl Baxley.” Later, TribalCouncil funds enabled the purchase of “horses, bulls,sheep, goats and all those things,” according to Jumper.

Three years ago, however, Jumper had trouble

finding one person to take time with the kids. He foundthe answer to his prayers in DeHass, who had alreadyworked a year at the Bill Osceola Arena cleaning stallsand feeding the animals. “He’s really made the pro-gram a success,” says Jumper of DeHass.

The program has also bred quite a few successstories. Jarrid Smith, 14, has won three Indian rodeos,including Hollywood and Fun Day in Big Cypress;Clinton Holt, 15, has at least five silver buckles andrecently placed 2nd in bull-riding at Brighton; KyleJumper, 16, recently won 2nd in bull-riding at theDavie Rodeo; Austin Billie, 16, went to the IndianRodeo National Finals after only one year in the pro-gram; Stephen Billie, 13, who has seven buckles,placed 2nd in bareback riding at the Florida JuniorRodeo Association.

But the Hollywood Horse Club is more thanjust cranking out new rodeo stars. It’s about building“character, confidence and self esteem,” says Big Shot.

“A lot of kids are doing good,” says DeHass,“learning how to work together, helping each other.”

DeHass doesn’t expect all kids in the programto show up every day and be totally dedicated to thesport of rodeo: “I tell ‘em try everything — baseball,football.”

Just last year, David DeHass rode a bull forthe first time in 20 years.

“The kids wanted me to get on and ride onemore time.” DeHass’ ride didn’t last that long. “Ishouldn’t have started spurring him,” he laughs. “Thekids started yelling at me, because I was teaching themnot to spur.”DeHass plans to ride again as soon as hisbroken collarbone heals up. (It was hurt handslinging acalf).

In the meantime, DeHass will usually befound with his sister, and many of the kids’ parents —and assistants such as Justin Wolf, David Osceola, BobMotlow, Bob Freeman and Ray Rivero — maintainingthe Bill Osceola Arena, taking care of the animals andworking with the kids.

“I made more money in construction,” heremarks. “But my heart gets pumped when I see themkids ridin.’ I enjoy it. Seeing those kids ridin’ is worthit. When they win . . . or when they make their firstride.”

DeHassContinued from page 1

Justin Wolf, David DeHass, David Osceola and Bob Motlow(l-r), share in the work to keep riding program running.

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By E. BowersTAMPA — Pool is

life.One builds a body

of knowledge early bylearning from those whohave come before. For thosewho have passion andfocus, success comes earlyand often: pool becomes alifelong pursuit, intenselypersonal because you haveonly yourself to blame,immensely rewarding whenyou have lived up to yourpotential.

For those who taketheir talent for granted, thesport, itself, catches up withthem. Playing pool alwayscame easy, but not anymore.They find themselveschased out of the game byyounger players, overpow-ered by hunger and youth.

What remains con-stant is the action. The stageon which younger players make their reputations andolder players show they still can play. Anyone canplay pool, but when your pride, reputation --or rentmoney -- is on the line you have to flat-out play.

On Mar 15-18, 69 of the world’s greatestnine-ball players came onto Tribal land to play for$50,000 when the Steve Mizerak Senior Tour wasstaged at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel on theTampa Seminole Indian Reservation.

Hall of Famer Nick Varner, who has onepocket, straight pool, bank pool, and nine ball titles tohis credit, emerged victorious at the end of the fiveday tournament with a tough win over “King” JamesRempe.

The Senior Tour, for players 50 and over,was founded in 1996 by four-time U.S. Open straightpool champion and former Miller Lite spokesmanSteve Mizerak. The Tampa tournament, which wasthe first stop on the 2000 Senior Tour, was the result

of months of planning byMizerak and CouncilmanDavid Cypress.

The tournament drew play-ers from the United States,Canada, and Taiwan. Many ofthe competitors have beenplaying world-class pool sincethey were teenagers. Lack oftelevision coverage and tour-nament prize money forcedmany of these hugely talentedplayers to toil in anonymitywhile in the prime of theircareers.

Case in point: There wasbig action on the second dayof play — Jimmy Marino ofPittsburgh, PA against JimmyReid of Madison, TN.Wearing a silk shirt and confi-dent strut, Marino was wellknown for being one of thesmoothest players inPennsylvania. The quicker,fast-talking Reid has wonnumerous eight and nine ball

titles and was especially tough playing on snookertables. In theirprime, both playerswere consideredexceptional moneyplayers.

“Marinowon the All-Around title inJohnson City,” saidRandy Epperson,assistantTournamentDirector, referringto the “Hustler’sJamborees” of the1960s, in whichmany of the coun-try’s best high-stakes money play-ers matched upwith each other inthe most populargambling games:one-pocket, straightpool, and nine ball.

The win-ners of each tournament played in a round-robin for-mat and the winner was crowned All-AroundChampion.

Epperson noted the Senior Tour has givenmany veteran players like Marino a chance to struttheir stuff again. “He was a top, top player, but hedidn’t get out of Pennsylvania much. Now with theSenior Tour, these guys feel they can competebecause, in nine-ball, the age factor is a huge thing,”said Epperson.

The match, dubbed “the battle of the HippieJimmys” by Tournament Director Scott Smith, wasclosely contested. The race to 11 match was tied at 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, and 8-8, until Marino began to pocketballs on the break. Reid could only watch, afterscratching on the eight to fall behind 10-8, as Marinobroke and ran the table to put the match away.

However, the four hottest sticks in the tour-

nament were HowardVickery, Buddy Hall,Jim Rempe, and NickVarner. Vickery, whowon the last Senior Tourstop in French Lick, INand has made the FinalFour in the last threetournaments, had to set-tle for fourth place afterlosing to Hall 11-5.

Buddy Hall, afour-time Player of theYear who resides inSeffner, kept the audi-ence on the edge of itsseat with some keyshots and tricky run-outs. However, he couldnot get into rhythm, falling to Jim Rempe 11-6.Rempe, who hails from Scranton, PA, overcame anearly 4-0 deficit. Rempe never left Hall with an openshot after that and finished the match after Buddy leftthe six-ball hanging in the pocket.

The finals, a rematch between “King” JamesRempe and Nick Varner, matched up two of the mostrecognizable players on the Senior Tour. Rempe hasbeen on the advisory staff for Meucci cues for many

years and stillplays on thecompetitiveProfessionalBilliards Tour(PBT).

Varner,who comesfromOwensboro,KY, also playson the PBT andis the currentreigning WorldNine-BallChampion. Adiminutive play-er with a biggame, Varner isthe number oneranked playeron the SeniorTour.

The finalmatch was anextended race to

13. The match itself was a study in percentages bytwo of the most disciplined and technically skilledplayers in the game. Each player maneuvered forposition, waiting for the other to leave an opening.

Varner got an early start, leading 3-1, butRempe came back to tie the match at five gamesapiece. Both players were unsuccessful on the breakso they resorted to safety play to win each game.

The match suddenly shifted gears at 11-10when Rempe jawed the five ball in the pocket. Varnerwon the game to tie the match at 11 games apiece andwith a liberal dose of body English, he pocketed thenine ball on the ensuing break to reach the hill, 12-11.

Rempe, trailing now after leading the matchonly moments before was left without a shot on theone ball after Varner’s next break came up dry. Aftersizing up the table, Rempe kicked at the one ball

with speed, and pocketed the two ball. The audiencegroaned as the cue ball once again hid behind a ball,hooking it.

Rempe once again measured the kick and,after contact, the one-ball went scuttling towards thecorner pocket. Despite a spirited attempt to coax it in,the one sat at the lip of the pocket and Rempewatched as Varner cleared off the remaining balls topick up the $10,000 winner’s share of the prize fund.

After the tournament, Steve Mizerak andpremier cue maker Leonard Bludworth bothexpressed their appreciation to the Seminole Tribe bydonating cues for raffle at the upcoming NationalNative American Classic in May. Mizerak also pre-sented selections from his personal line of cues toPresident Mitchell Cypress and Big CypressRecreation Director George Grasshopper.

Along with their prize money, Varner andRempe also received large Dreamcatchers to com-memorate their visit to the Tampa reservation.

Afterwards, the tournament crew beganbreaking down the tables and the players made theirway towards the door. Back on the road to the nextpool hall, or home for work Monday morning, butthey’ll be at the next tour stop.

Because among all the war stories and jokes,somebody’s breaking and running rack after rack,another’s moving like he did 30 years ago, and theplayers want to be there to watch, to remember. Theywant to be part of the action.

The Seminole Tribune 8 April 14, 2000

Pool Tournament Brings Best To Tampa

Miccosukee

ad

Remember Howard Vickery in “Color Of Money?” He finished fourth ($3,000).

Russell Osceola pockets the nine ball,defeating Steve Mizerak in challenge match.

The legendary Steve Mizerak sizes up a shot.

Hall of famer Nick Varner received $10,000 for first place.

Buddy Hall won $4,000 for third place.

E.

Bow

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By Michael JamesOKEECHOBEE – It was a typical Monday

evening. Jo Leigh “Boogie” Johns was on horsebackat the Brighton arena exercising her horse. Jo Leighkeeps a very busy schedule.

Her first role is Mama to Calgary. In addi-tion to that she is an avid participant in the EasternIndian Rodeo Association (EIRA), tackling barrelracing and break away roping.

Johns addedshe is usually gonejust about everyevening to an eventeither in Arcadia orMoore Haven. And,this is just herevenings.

During the dayshe is the YouthSupport Coordinatorfor the SeminoleTribe.

Upon gradu-ation from FloridaGulf CoastUniversity (FGCU)last year with aBachelor’s Degree inLiberal Studies, sheconvinced TribalCouncil to implementa program gearedspecifically foryouth.

The programhas three objectives:

*Motivatehigh school agedTribal members byinviting motivationalspeakers to talk to theyouth and answer any questions on any issue theymay have. Three times a month, a differentspeaker is invited to address the youth aboutvarious issues from college to career to basic“life” questions.

*The innovative “Parenting Club,”held once a month. “You could almost call it asupport group for the parents,” says Johns, whosays the meetings are informal and confiden-tial; even grandparents attend. “The meeting isrun by them.”

“I have even learned things about myown parenting,” says Johns, candidly. Mostrecently, parents from Big Cypress have shownan interest in the program.

Seminole Broadcasting hasapproached Johns about taping the meetingsand later broadcasting them, but due to certainconfidentiality issues, the idea was rejected.Therefore, plans to train Tribal members hasbeen suggested.

Johns has a certain goal in mind withthe Parenting Club, and that is to form groups

at an early age and remain together throughout highschool. The club would be a support group for schoolreadiness.

*Outreach or peer counseling. Johns is oncall 24 hours a day and makes appearances at allschools where Tribal members attend.

This means it is not unheard of her toappear in Okeechobee in the morning, receive a call,and be needed in Moore Haven in the afternoon. She

makes regular visits to theschools to simply “check up”on students. Johns says she ishappy with the response fromthe students in elementary andmiddle school, but that the onesin high school are not asresponsive.

“I offer my ear, theylisten, but they already havetheir own ideas established andI accept that as long as theyknow that I am here,” saysJohns.

Presently, Johns isresponsible for 180 students onBrighton alone. She hopes herprogram will reach the otherreservations soon.

Future plans for theParenting Club includes severaloutings where all family mem-bers can attend. Although, herrole is somewhat mentally tax-ing and her frustration leveloften peaks, she says she isdoing what she has alwaysdreamed of doing. She is mak-ing a difference in not just onelife, but several lives.

Jo Leigh wishes tothank her mentor, FGCU Dr.

Susan Stans: “I’d be lost without her.”

The Seminole Tribune 9 April 14, 2000

SPORTSSPORTSEIRA Profile: Jo Leigh Johns

TAMPA – Cool temperatures and hot tem-pers marked the March 17 Tampa golf tournamentheld at the Walden Lakes Country Club. A heateddiscussion over scoring marked the low point of avery competitive tournament.

Only three strokes separated the top fiveteams, with three teams posting a 66. The team ofMarl Osceola, Cicero Osceola, Charlie Cypress, andLeroy King received a shot in the arm on the #10hole. After a good drive, the team was laying 220yards out on the par 5 when Marl sank a seven woodto record a rare double-eagle.

“It bounced off the front fringe and rolledright into the hole,” recalled Cicero.

The team of Max, Melissa, Mitch, andKahaine Osceola took first place with a 63.

The results are:4-man Scramble- 1) (63) Max Osceola, Jr., MelissaOsceola, Mitch Osceola, Kahaine Osceola 2) (65)Jimbo Osceola, Bo Young, Dino Rowland, JerryOrtis 3) (66)Joe Frank, Terri Hahn, Abe Rockwell4) (66) Marl Osceola, Cicero Osceola, CharlieCypress, Leroy King 5) (66) Mike Micco, Jahna

Smith, Carla Gopher, George Grasshopper .Most Honest Score- Alan Jumper, LawrenceOsceola, Joe Osceola, David Osceola.Closest to Pin- #4- Joe Frank, #6- Mitch Osceola,#8- Joe Osceola, Jr., #17- Jahna Smith.Longest Drive- David Osceola, Terri Hahn.

By Benny SecodyThe clock is ticking and with only one

more rodeo to rack up those coveted points beforethe finals on April 28 - 29 in Okeechobee, youngcowboys and cowgirls of the Florida Junior RodeoAssociation are pushing themselves in preparationfor the big event.

The weekend of March 18 - 19 was noexception, as the Seminole Horse Club/rodeo teamwas in Moore Haven to do the best they could intheir respective categories. Those in attendance —Nick Jumper, Stephen Billie, Clinton Holt, WilsonBowers, Tina Shadow Billie, Jade Braswell,Sheyanna Osceola and Shelby DeHass — put on animpressive show.

Clinton Holt is currently in second placein the bareback category; and Stephen Billie isholding onto second in bull riding. Both helpedsolidify their positions. There are currently threeSeminole kids in the top 10 in their categories.Shelby Osceola is hanging onto her sixth place inthe goat tie, with Shadow Billie not far behind inthe standings.

Shadow Billie is overcoming her hesitationto push herself to the limit after having her horse fallon her some time ago. She currently competes in bar-rel racing, goat tie and pole bending.

Debbie DeHass, a barrel racer since she wasa youngster, experienced a similar situation. For thefirst time ever, Debbie was thrown from her horse,and although she vowedto finish the day, soonrealized she had dislocat-ed her hip. She too,knows the importance ofgetting right back on andconquering fear.

Three of theSeminole cowboys whoentered were honored atthe end of the event onSunday with third, fourthand sixth place prizes.Stephen Billie ofHollywood placed thirdin the bull-riding cate-

gory, scoring 68 points. Clinton Holt took fourthplace, trailing Stephen by only three points at 65,while Wilson Bowers of Big Cypress took sixthplace.

With the finals right around the corner, thepush is also on to maintain good grades to insure par-ticipation. The kids schedule their time for home-work to coincide with practice. Most are doing verywell in school as well as in their horsemanship abili-

ties.Rodeo officials announced

several times that a count is neededfor the finals banquet, which isbeing held on April 30 inOkeechobee. All interested cow-boys and cowgirls who wish toattend, need to contact DavidDeHass with a count so he can geteveryone who plans to attend, reg-istered with the banquet committee.Also of note, FJRA members neednot be in the finals to attend thebanquet, as everyone is welcome.

The final weekend rodeowill be April 15 – 16, in Bunnell.

Jo Leigh “Boogie” Johns and daughter.

Mic

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Jam

es

(L-R): Nick Jumper, Clinton Holt, Wilson Bowers, Stephen Billie, Steve Osceola, Shadoe Billie, DavidDehass (holding Nick), Paul Bowers, Sr., kneeling - Shelby Dehass with dog.

Rodeo Finals Set April 28-29:FJRA Riders Seek Entry Points

Nick Jumper tries to hang in there.

Cheyanna Osceola rounds the final pole.

Tight Finish Marks Tournament

CORRECTION: Last issue an incorrect photo was

used on a story about Shelby DeHass. Pictured above is

the real Shelby. Ride ’em cowgirl!

Hollywood Recreation Spring BreakActivities Schedule

Monday, April 17 – Boy’s ATV ride, vanleaves at 9 a.m. and Pool Party at 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 18 – Girl’s ATV ride, vanleaves at 9 a.m. and Pool Party at 1 p.m.

Wednesday, April 19 – Movies, van leavesat 12:30 p.m. and Boy’s Club hunting trip.

Thursday, April 20 – Skating, van leavesat 1 p.m. and movies at gym at 1 p.m.

Friday, April 21 – Bowling, van leaves at11 a.m. and Horse Club’s Trail Ride & Camping.

For more information, please callHollywood Recreation at 954-989-9457.

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GOLF TOURNAMENT

MAY 29, 2000

ARROWHEAD GOLF

CLUB

(954) 475-8200

4-MAN BEST BALL –

BLIND DRAW

8 AM SHOT GUN START

$ 50.00 ENTRY FEE

$5,000 ADDED PRIZE

MONEY

Registration Deadline

Must call in by May 15

Pay Entry Fee at Tournament

For more information, call:

(863) 983-9659

1ST ANNUAL NATIONAL

NATIVE AMERICAN

POOL TOURNAMENT

MAY 26-27

AT HOLLYWOOD

GREYHOUND TRACK

(305) 454-9400

EIGHT-BALL

MEN’S & WOMEN’S

DIVISIONS

$8,000 ADDED PRIZE

MONEY

SINGLES DIVISION

MAY 26

REGISTER 11 - NOON

TOURNAMENT STARTS -

12:30 P.M.

ENTRY FEE - $10

MEN - RACE TO 3

WOMEN - RACE TO 2

TEAM DIVISION

MAY 27

4-MAN TEAM

REGISTER 11 - NOON

TOURNAMENT STARTS

12:30 P.M.

ENTRY FEE $40 PER

TEAM

NASA SOFTBALL

TOURNAMENT

ALL-INDIAN FAST

PITCH

MAY 26-27

AT OSCEOLA PARK

REGISTRATION

DEADLINE MAY 12

MEN & WOMEN’S

DIVISIONS

18 + OVER ONLY (NO

EXCEPTIONS)

MUST SHOW TRIBAL ID

AND PICTURE ID

NASA MEMBERS ENTRY

FEE $225.00

NON-NASA MEMBERS

ENTRY FEE $350.00

Entry fee, entry form, roster due by May

12. Check or money order made payable

to: Seminole Recreation

For more information contact: Bo Young

at Hollywood Recreation (954) 989-9457.

5TH ANNUAL BOWLING

TOURNAMENT

ABC - WIBCSANCTIONED

TEAM EVENT MAY 26-27

SINGLES/DOUBLESMAY 28-29

AT HOLIDAY BOWLINGCENTER

ENTRY FEE - $16 PERPERSON/PER EVENT

Mail entries no later than May15, 2000.Early entries will be given first, second,

or third choice of squad times. All hand

carried entries received one hour prior to

squad times will be accepted, provided

space is available.

No entry will be accepted unless accom-

panied by total fee. Entries must have

complete addresses and telephone num-

bers. Make cashiers check or money

order payable to: Seminole Tribe of

Florida

Bowling Tournament

No personal checks accepted. For more

information, contact: Jack Gorton at Big

Cypress Recreation (863) 983- 9659.

The Seminole Tribe of FloridaPresents

Rooms are available at the Fort Lauderdale Airport Hilton. Call (800) 426-8578 to make reservations.

After May 4, rate of $59 will become subject to availability.

SPECIAL GUESTS PRESIDENT MITCHELL CYPRESS

COUNCILMAN DAVID CYPRESS

BASEBALLTOM SHOPAY-YANKEES/BALTIMORE

BOXING BONNIE CANINO

GOLF LPGA PRO SHIRLEY AYLOR

ENTERTAINMENT BY LITEFOOT

FOOTBALLNEAL COLZIE- RAIDERS/DOLPHINS

JOE JONES- REDSKINS/BROWNS

MARK CLAYTON-DOLPHINS/GREEN BAY

FLORIDA CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLERS

“THE WARRIOR” JOE GOMEZ

DUKE “THE DUMPSTER” DROESE

“THE MASTER OF DARKNESS”

ABUDADIEN

“CHIEF OF OPERATIONS” LARRY LANE

THURSDAYMAY 25

FORT LAUDERDALEHILTON

POOL SIDE6-9 P.M.

ALL PARTICIPANTS INVITED TO THE OPENING RECEPTION

The Seminole Tribune 11 April 14, 2000

By Tommy BennIMMOKALEE — The

Roberts Family of Immokalee,long time friends of the Seminolesof the Big Cypress and Immokaleecommunities, held its first annualRoberts Ranch Roundup Saturday,April 1.

The event was held at the“Old Homeplace,” home to theRoberts family since 1914 whenRobert Roberts brought his wifeSarah and their seven children toImmokalee in oxcart wagons. Theproperty has been turned over tothe county as a historical museum.

The Roberts family donat-ed the house and four acres of theranch where the original buildingwas located in 1996. Recently thecounty purchased additionalacreage adjoining the Homeplacefor a reported $600,000 to bringthe future museums site locations to 15 acres.

It will take an estimated five years andapproximately $1 million to complete the project. Themuseum, headed by Donna Ridgewood, will be goingto Tallahassee and applying for a $30,000 grant tohelp get things underway.Ridgewood is also the direc-tor of the Museum of theEverglades in EvergladesCity.

The festivities start-ed with a cattle drive andparade with both remainingchildren of Robert and SarahRoberts taking part. Chief JimBillie headlined the musicalentertainment.

On the Homeplaceproperty historic reenactorsshowed the visitors whatearly Florida life was like.Judge Nelson Bailey sharedFlorida’s cattle history.Florida’s 5th Calvary was onhand, led by none other thanTeddy Roosevelt himself.

The legendarySwamp Owl and SeminoleCowhunter Jesse Necolettosanswered many a question forthe youngsters. Ralph Westdisplayed his collection oftools of the Cowhunters trade, which included sad-dles, spurs, cow whips branding irons, horse and mulebits.

Buddy Taylor of Felda handled the cookingchores of barbecued chicken and beef served with his

world famous Gator Sauce. For the sweet tooth, acracker delight “sour orange pie” was on hand. Alongwith Chief Billie and the Raiford Starke and, plentyof bluegrass and old timed gospel was enjoyed by thespectators.

“The Roberts family had always treated the

local Seminole fairly and were honest with us,” saidElaine Aguilar, councilwoman from the ImmokaleeReservation. “They always helped us whenever weneeded help.

“We traded at the Roberts General Store. Wetraded alligator and otter pelts forstore goods. The older brotherDius ran the store and gave uscredit when times were hard. Inthe days when we had to workthe fields picking tomatoes, andpeppers, or cut, grade and loadwatermelon trucks to make amoney to feed our families.”

In his lifetime RobertRoberts saw his cattle empiregrow from a 300-head herd to anestimated 8,000 cattle operation.From the original 60 acre home-stead to a 40,000 acre cattleranch. The elder Roberts was oneof the first county commissionerswhen Collier County was estab-lished in the late 1920s.

“The county seat was inEverglades City and my fatherwould make the trip fromImmokalee and it would take him3 or 4 days,” Bobby Robertssaid, recalling many of the oldmemories. “There were no roadsand you never knew from day to

day what the woods would be like. If it was rainy andwet you traveled one way. If it was dry you wentanother, It’s a long way to anywhere from Immokalee.

“I had hoped they would have a dance to goalong with the roundup,” added Bobby. “We used to

have them. The dance would endat midnight and the boys wouldfight till daylight.

“We survived the TexasTick Infestation,” he said. “Iremember Range Riders killingdeer by the thousands. TheSeminoles and the U.S.Government almost started the 4thSeminole War over the deerkilling.

“The range cattle had tobe dipped every six weeks. RangeRiders would count the cattle andif they weren’t accounted for therancher was fined by a head count.Then came the God awful screw-worm epidemic. If a cow had anopen sore it had to be doctored.

“A cowhunter wouldcarry a can of medicine with adauber brush and paint the blackgreasy medicine on the open sore.That’s when the cowhunters start-

ed carring ropes on their saddles. We tied our ropes toour saddles — we never dallied off like the team rop-ers of today do. The days were long and hard, butsomehow we survived. I guess you had to be as toughand rough as the country itself.”

By T. R. BennBRIGHTON — The Seminole cow-

boys are back in the saddle again, beginning theannual task of penning the vast herds of theSeminole Tribe of Florida.

From the Pahokee prairies around LakeOkeechobee to the marsh wetlands of the BigCypress swamp, the cattle will be brought to thecowpens, worked then turned out until sale timelate April or early May.

The annual round-up, which started thefirst week in March, should take about twomonths from start to finish, allowing for a fewbadly needed rain days.

During the gathering, cowboys workfrom daylight to dark because Murphy’s Law issure to come in to play: what can go wrong, will.

From broken hydraulic hoses, andbranding pots, squeeze chutes that can’t bemoved because the wheel spindles have wrungoff, fences that were all right yesterday somehoware down today. It’s a never-ending battlebetween the cow crews and Mother Nature andtime.

At the Brighton Reservation, 40 somecattle owners covering 35,000 acres and 4,500head of brood cows will be handled this year byScott “Cotton” Baxley.

Paul Bowers will act as cow boss forthe Big Cypress cattle owners until the positionis filled by a permanent man to replace JonahCypress, who retired earlier this year. The 30cattle owners, with their combined 2,900 head ofbrood cows on the Big Cypress’ 40,000 acrereservation, hope to finish a little earlier than theBrighton cow crew.

Dr. Kenneth Keen of the Clewiston AnimalClinic will again vaccinate the heifer calves forBrucellosis, and bleed the cows and bulls for recerti-

fication of the owner’s herds. This is the 14th yearKeen has worked the Seminole herd.

The cow crew’s responsibility is to vacci-nate for Vibro-Lepto-Tric — either a 4-way or 8-way vaccine, worm delouse and dehorn each animal.

Dr. Keen will work one herd inBrighton for “Cotton Baxley” in the morningthen travel to Big Cypress and works the cat-tle penned there in the afternoon. Paul Bowersand his cow crew say it makes for a long hardday.

Gary Raulerson and his crew havestarted working the cattle on the MiccosukeeLand Lease that houses some 3,000 broodcows on the 10,000-acre lease. Raulerson willthen move his crew to the Parker Island Leaseand assist cattle foreman Jerry Skates in work-ing the 1,500 brood cows there on the 4,000-acre lease.

Doctors Debbie or Dennis VanRokel, a husband and wife team of veterinari-ans from Alva, will certify the Board Cattleoperations.

After the cattle have been worked,the Tribe will ready for the annual productionsale. The sale has been scheduled for the lastof April or May with a delivery date of July orAugust.

Proper fertilizing and mowing ofpastures help in keeping the stock cattle ingood flesh, which means good health. Thecalves that come from both the board andindividual Seminole owned herds are some ofthe best calves shipped in the Nation.

With the livestock market pricesvery strong at this date, producers are lookingforward to a banner year at the annual Springsale.

The hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based

solely upon advertisements before you decide, ask us to send you free written

information about our qualifications and experience.

The Law Offices of Guy J. Seligman, P.A.320 S. E. 9th Street

Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33316

954-760-7600

Tired of hiding?

Violations of Probation?

Warrants, open criminal cases?

DUI or DUI injury cases?

Protect Your Rights!Maybe we can help!

By Tommy BennOKEECHOBEE — Tractor Supply

Company is coming to Okeechobee, and perhapswe’ll get a surprise visit from country superstar andcompany spokesman George Strait.

The Nashville Tennessee Companyannounced it would be taking over the old Wal-MartStore building at the Northlake Village ShoppingCenter. Tractor Supply will hold its grand openingJune 24.

Okeechobee was selected for the site of thecompany’s latest store because it fits all the require-ment and demands to reach the store chain’s variedcustomer base. The company sells to large full-timeand part-time ranchers and farmers as well as week-

end, backyard and hobbyist agriculturists. The store will carry a full inventory of farm

and ranch supplies, feed animal health care productswork clothes. It will feature a full lawn and gardensupply center and hardware automotive supplies.

Currently there are 270 retail Tractor SupplyStores in 26 states. There are plans to open 10 storesin south and central Florida by mid-summer. Startedin 1938 as a mail order tractor parts business, it is thelargest owner of retail agricultural stores in the UnitedStates.

Corporate spokesperson George Strait maycome for the grand opening of the Okeechobee store.Plans are still incomplete at this time.

George Strait May Come To Okeechobee

Cowboys Begin Rounding Up The HerdRoberts Ranch Holds Roundup

MATRIARCH: She stands next to a Model T. Or is that a Model A?

BIG CHICKEE: The old Roberts Family house still stands.

An old butt-squeezin’ saddle.

Original Brighton cattleman Tom Bowers.

TRUSTY STEED: Paul Bowers cares for his horse.

Tom

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enn

Tom

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Tom

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Tom

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Tom

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The Seminole Tribune 12 April 14, 2000

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Democratic National Committee (DNC)National Chair Joe Andrew todayannounced the appointment of Holly Cookas Director of Native American Affairs.Cook comes to the DNC from the RedLake Band of Chippewa Indians andHolland & Knight, a Washington, D.C., lawfirm.

“We are excited to have HollyCook join our team as our new Director ofNative American Affairs,” said Joe Andrew.“Her experience with working on issues ofconcern to Indian Country will help spreadour progressive democratic message forAmerica throughout the country.”

Holly Cook served as Director ofFederal Relations for the Red Lake Band ofChippewa Indians and a Senior Consultantfor Native American Affairs at the HollandKnight Law Firm. Prior to that, Cookserved in the White House Office ofIntergovernmental Affairs. Cook was alsoan instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College,Leech Lake Reservation.

“Holly will be an asset to the

Democratic Party as we continue to reachout to Indian Country,” added Andrew.“The Democratic National Committee isfortunate to have someone with Holly’sskill and experience,” said Andrew.

A member of the Red Lake Bandof Chippewa Indian in northern Minnesota,Cook received a Bachelor of Arts degreefrom the University of North Dakota inGrand Forks, ND and MBA from theUniversity of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

The mission of the NativeAmerican Affairs office at the DemocraticNational Committee is to increase the par-ticipation and representation of NativeAmericans in the Democratic Party and thepolitical system. It also strives to electDemocrats to all levels of office, offertraining in Indian issues, and increase theknowledge of American Indians about theDemocratic Party through training and pro-grams.

The Director of Native AmericanAffairs provides outreach, education, andadvocacy on issues that affect NativeAmericans.

DNC Appoints NativeAmerican Affairs Director

TALLAHASSEE — On April 1,approximately 40 Florida AIM membersand supporters from AIM Support Groupsin St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach,Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale and othersprotested the racist parade of genocidersknown as “Springtime Tallahassee.”

While local “Springtime” organiz-ers have claimed to be making efforts toremove Andrew Jackson, he remained inthe parade. And new efforts to glorifyIndian killers were spotted throughout theparade with floats honoring the conquista-dors, U.S. Cavalry and Roughriders; eventhe Buffalo Soldiers were added to honorthe genocidal assaults on Indian people.

Florida AIM, after protesting non-disruptively for three years, began the esca-lation of its efforts to halt this genocidalglorification ceremony when the FloridaAIM State Executive Director SheridanMurphy went into the street to confront the“Andrew Jackson.”

He was joined by nine FloridaAIM and AIM Support Group members —North Florida Regional AIM DirectorDavid Narcomey, St. Augustine AIM mem-ber Bruce Felton, St. Augustine AIMDirector Michelle Davis, State AIMSecurity Director George Garcia,Gainesville AIM Support Group MemberBarbara Howe, West Palm Beach SupportGroup Coordinator Maria Zwicker, South

Florida Support Group Coordinator TomScott, Tallahassee support group memberRoy Saunders, and St. Petersburg SupportGroup coordinator Rebecca Johns.

Murphy then threw blood on thestreet and managed to cover “AndrewJackson” in blood forcing him off theparade route. Florida AIM Security inter-vened during the brief detention ofSheridan Murphy by Leon County Sheriffsdeputies and it was later decided not toarrest Murphy or any of the other protes-tors.

Florida AIM will continue to offerthe dialogue of cooperation to the“Springtime Tallahassee” officials whoshould make no mistake, Florida AIM isfully prepared for the rhetoric and actualityof confrontation.

It is our vow that the “SpringtimeTallahassee” parade must change now, ordie. We will continue to escalate our effortsto force the removal of Andrew Jackson,the Buffalo Soldiers and all other glorifica-tions of the murderers of Indian peoples.This year 10 AIM members and SG mem-bers stood in the street and one threw bloodon one of the many potential targets glori-fying the genocide of Indian people

Next year we will miss no targetand spare no effort to stop this heinousparade.— Florida AIM News Wire.

Florida AIM Attacks Parade

how the west is worn.

Davie

6211 S.W. 45th

Street

(954) 587-9000

plus locations inCoconut Creek,

Hialeah and Ocala

It’s more than western wear

. . . It’s a way of life.

www.seminoletribe.comVisit the Seminole Tribe without leaving your chickee.

Hear unique Seminole sounds; Subscribe to the Seminole

Tribune; Selection of baskets, jewelry, dolls and clothing;

Discover the Seminole culture through books and videos.

7th Annual Seminole Wellness ConferenceDeadline for applications are

June 9, 2000. Due to the limit of partici-pants, when you register for the 7thAnnual Seminole Wellness Conference,you must commit yourself to participatefor the duration of the conference.

Those who are active in supportgroups, or have participated in treatmentcenters, or who are pursuing a healthierdrug and alcohol free lifestyle will have

first priority if registration exceeds thelimit. It is the Conference Attendee’sresponsibility to make the properarrangements with your supervisor con-cerning your absence from work. A letterof notification will be sent to confirmthat you are a participant in this year’sconference. Lack of participation willresult in a letter to your supervisor.

For an application please con-

tact: Hollywood: Ralph Billie at 954-9652-2009; Brighton: Michele Thomasor Rita Gopher at 863-763-4128; BigCypress: Glen Osceola at 863-983-4141or Helene Buster at 863-983-5151;Immokalee: Billie Brodway at 941-657-6567; Tampa: Tom Ryan at 813-621-2811; Fort Pierce: Sally Tommie at 954-967-3700; and Miccosukee: AndyBuster at 305-223-8380.

Kenyon were threatened with possiblearrest, and Big Al with a tranquilizergun, by the Port Authority PoliceDepartment (PAPD) if the duct tape wasremoved from the gator’s mouth or if J.R. or Gator John attempted any“wrestling” demonstrations.

The police even threatened BigAl with a tranquilizer gun. Maybe theyheard about Chief Jim Billie getting hisfinger bitten off, recently, by a gator.

Later the cops liked posing withthe unarmed reptile.

While professional gator han-dlers were not allowed to do their show,the police had no problem with peoplesitting on and posing with Big Al, whocould have, but never did swat anyonewith his massive tail.

An extended “safe-zone” of 35feet with six armed and ready cops near-by allowed the handlers to sit on thegator before a handful of passing-by pas-sengers and lots of Delta employees.Also there for the photo-taking sessionwere Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum DirectorBilly L. Cypress (dressed in traditionalclothing as Chief Jumper) and FloridaSeminole Tourism Director Lee Tiger.Someone also brought over a pair of

giant sunglasses as a prop. “One of the cops showed up

with a pole and a noose at the end, justin case the alligator ran away,” statedTiger who referred to the PAPD as “cityslickers.”

Why bring a Big Cypress gatorall the way to New York City to sleep ina crate overnight and spend a couplehours in an airplane lobby with a tapedup mouth and people sitting on him?

Someone dropped the ball.“It wasn’t us,” said Lucy

Evanicki, the Billie Swamp Safari mar-keting director who arranged for thegator and made sure all the necessarypermits were in hand to transport thegator from Florida. “We had our acttogether. But we had no control overwhat happened at their end.”

According to PAPD OfficerJerry O’Brien, the event could have beenstaged without incident had his depart-ment known in advance and precautionsbeen agreed to and implemented.

Notification to local authoritiesof staged events at the airport is theresponsibility of the hosting organization– in this case Delta Airlines.

Seminole Tourism and the Tribedid get some publicity out of the event.Local print and television media were onhand in Fort Lauderdale as Big Al wasplaced on the plane for the trip to New

York. The gator also drew a lot of noticefrom fellow travelers.

“Word kind of spread like wild-fire that there was a special passengerhere today,” stated Chuck Malkus, ofIMS Public Relations, hired by Tiger tocoordinate the event with Delta and theCVB.

The “wild fire” never burnedhot enough for the press in the largestmedia town in the world to feel the heat,however.

“Most of the passengers’biggest concern was that we were travel-ing at lunchtime, and did the alligatorget fed before he boarded?” addedMalkus. This was a good question sinceDelta Express is a no-frills flight –meaning no food on board. Big Al, how-ever, was fine. As a Billie Swamp Safarigator he was well fed and cared for. Hewas the only passenger on board with afull stomach.

Big Al also had more leg roomthan his fellow passengers. One hun-dred-nineteen seats — and one bathroom— are crammed into the Boeing 737-200plane.

Today, Big Al is back walleringin the gator pit next to the Swamp WaterCafé at Billie Swamp Safari. “I’d say hisflyin’ days are over,” said Gator John.“He don’t care about New York City.”

GatorContinued from page 1

Scherley Busch, a noted pho-tographer, said Betty was photographedbeneath the Council Oak, a large oaktree on the Hollywood Reservation,because it reveals Betty’s background.

As a young woman Bettyrecalls translating Miccosukee, Creekand English for the elders as they metunder the Council Oak to organize theSeminole Tribe in the late 1950s.

Noted Miami historian ArvaMoore Parks McCabe, whose photo-graph is also included in the exhibit, saidBetty is a woman who has made a largecontribution to the history of Florida.

“It was about time,” said Parksabout Betty’s recognition. “She [Betty]has done so much for her people andcontributed to their development that she

is an inspiration to all of us.”Betty Mae, who was the first

female elected chairman — or chief —of a major Indian Tribe, helped advancethe medical care of her people. She hasauthored two books, was the first editorof the Tribal newspaper and appointedby President Richard Nixon to a term onthe National Indian Council. Betty hasalso been named ‘Woman of the Year’by the Jewish Defense League, ‘PioneerWoman’ by the city of Dania, andinducted in the Florida Hall of Fame.

About her many achievements,Betty humbly expressed that her sourceof inspiration has always been her Tribe.To other women striving to achieve theirgoals, Betty said there is no mystery toit. She said that anyone with determina-tion can make things happen.

“Any woman can do it,” Bettyasserted. “It’s just a matter of determina-tion. If you set a goal and work towards

it, you can achieve wonderful things.That’s the message for young people. Seta goal and work towards it.”

This year, Edith Osman, thecurrent president of the Florida BarAssociation and the second woman inthe Bar’s 49-year history to hold theposition, was also included in the exhib-it.

The photographic documentaryfeatures women like international super-star and Grammy award winning record-ing artist Gloria Estefan, the late envi-ronmental advocate Marjory StonemanDouglas, record braking tennis championChris Evert and Congresswoman IleanaRos-Lehtinen among the other womenwho have been honored.

The exhibition runs throughMay 1. It is open to the public at nocharge. For more information call Ms.Busch at (305) 661-8018.

BettyContinued from page 1

Join the estimated 100,000 vol-unteers across the state who will clean up,fix up, and keep up their communityneighborhoods during the Florida GreatAmerican Cleanup in Marchand April.

Litter and illegaldumping are Florida’s num-ber one solid waste prob-lems. The annual cleanupbrings much needed atten-tion to a problem that notonly affects our naturalenvironments, but our com-munity environments aswell.

Florida Sheriffsreport that when neighbor-hoods are cleaned up, crime goes down.Cleaning up is the first step toward revi-talization. It’s good for property value and

its good for business, too.Leading the fight against grime

will be Sticky Man, the star of a hard hit-ting PSA campaign developed for televi-

sion by Keep FloridaBeautiful, Inc. Thanks tothe Florida StateUniversity School ofTheatre, Sticky Man willwalk off the screen andonto the roads. Five FSUactors will perform asSticky Man during Marchand April and spread theword that Florida’s envi-ronmental future is inyour hands.

Find out how youcan join Florida’s fight against crime. Call1-800-828-9338 or visitwww.keepFLbeautiful.org.

Car & Boat Auction – April 2,at 9 a.m. By the Salvation Army, nextones will be May 20, June 17 and July 29.For more information call 954-463-3725.

Wolf’s Flat EOD Conference –July 23 – 26, at the Round Up Centre inCalgary, Alberta, Canada. First Nationscoming together Sharing Experience ToClean Up Indigenous Lands. To register:by phone; 1-888-341-1011 or 1-403-269-1011, by e-mail; tamgrp@cadvision.com,by fax at 1-403-269-1438, by mail toWolf’s Flat Ordinance Disposal Corp, c/oSuite 600, 808-4th Ave. S.W., Calgary,Alberta, Canada T2P3E8.

Bunny Breakfast & Train Ride– April 15 & April 22 – Family eventincludes Meet the Bunny, travel by trainto Deerfield Beach and receive a souvenirgift, 7:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. For info call954-921-3404, adults $13, children $11.

23rd Annual LifesavingCompetition – April 21 – April 23.Contact Jim Shoemaker at 954-921-3423.

Kuumba Festival 2000 – Sat.,April 22 – 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. at YoungCircle Park. Free. Call 921-3404 or LamarDavis at 954-921-3447.

Arbor Day Tree Give-Away –Sat., April 29. Free trees to Hollywoodresidents with driver’s license & waterbill. At Young Circle Park. ContactGrances Nip at Public Works 954-967-4567.

Hollywood Medical CenterMay Day 5K Run – Sun., April 30 at7:30 a.m.. Contact Peter Mercer at 954-985-6241.

Food Handler CertificationTraining and Exam – April 19, 2000.Class begins at 9:00 a.m., exam to followat 2:00 p.m., registration will begin at8:30 a.m. To register contact JoanTavalaro at 954-370-3725, ext. 234.

6th Annual Running The RedRoad – Sat., May 13, 2000. A tradition inSan Diego as a community-wide eventcombining Native American culturalawareness and physical activity into a dayof fun for the entire family. Featuring a10K, 5K Fun Run/Walk and 1KChildren’s run. For info contact Lucindaat 619-641-2377.

23rd Annual Indian EducationPow Wow – Sat., May 13, 2000,“Honoring Our Elders” at Hoover Highschool, San Diego, CA. There is noadmission charge, please bring your ownchair. Call 858-627-7362 for more infor-mation.

The Tribal ConstitutionalSymposium – May 14 – 17, 2000 in

Phoenix, AZ. “Laying the Cornerstone forStrong Nations” As tribal leaders and trib-al government officials, you are chargedwith the task of building and maintaininga strong nation – a nation worthy ofrespect from its own citizens and formother governments. This session willexamine all aspects of developing, adopt-ing, amending, and enforcing a tribal con-stitution. Call 1-800-992-4489 forbrochure or information.

12th Annual San DiegoAmerican Culture Days – Sat., May 20and Sun., May 21, 2000. From 10 a.m. to6 p.m., both days, in San Diego’s BalboaPark on the corner of Park Blvd. andPresidents Way. Call 619-281-5964 formore information.

Skullyville CommemorativeTrail of Tears Walk – April 29, 2000. Tocommemorate the paths of those who firstarrived in Indian Territory along the Trailof Tears. For more information, pleasecall 580-924-8280 extension 2132.

Gathering of Nations PowWow – April 27 – 29, 2000 at the Pit inAlbuquerque, NM. For tickets and infocall 505-836-2810 or visit www.gath-eringofnations.org.

Native American LanguageServices – Train your own TribalLanguage Specialist. For any NativeAmerican Language, contact or orderfrom Dr. Julian Granberry at 800-484-8445 (Pin #5794). E-mail:nalserv@svic.net.

FREE “How To” Car CareClasses – April 29, at 10 a.m. and April30, at noon. Each class will run two hoursand feature hands-on demonstration. Tobe held at Discount Auto Parts at 1511 S.State Road 7, Hollywood and 12120 S.W.117th Aven., Kendall.

Culture-Based CurriculumDevelopment Workshop – July 10-13,2000 in Warm Spring, Oregon. Sponsoredby American Indian Institute, Norman,OK. Visit us on the web at:www.occe.ou.edu/aii. Make you reserva-tions no later than June 10. To registercall 405-325-2248 or 800-522-0772, ext.2248, fax: 405-325-7164. For additionalworkshop information call 405-325-4127.

Third Annual ToomsboroInter-tribal Pow Wow – September 7 –10 in Toomsboro, Georgia. Contact JerryLang at 912-377-8621.

Stretch & Sculpt Class – EveryFriday from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., held atthe Hollywood Recreation Center. Pleasecall Toni at 962-2009.

7th Annual Seminole WellnessConference – July 17 – 21, 2000 at theMarco Island Hilton. Deadline for appli-cations are June 9, 2000. Contact yourhealth centers for more information andapplications.

Spring Break for PreschoolPrograms will be April 17 – 21. The cen-ter will be opened only for parents whoare working, in a two parent home bothparents must be working. A form forSpring Break must be filled out beforeyour child/children can attend. Forms canbe picked up from the Parent InvolvementAide. Deadline for forms to be turned inis Friday, April 14, 200. (No exception!)Regular school will resume on Monday,April 24th. Questions call 797-1441, ext.1105.

The Seminole Tribune 13 April 14, 2000

Classified • AnnouncementsNew Born Notices

Congratulations

Happy Birthday

Job Announcements

DDeeaaddlliinneessSeminole TribuneMay 5, Issue • Deadline April 21May 26, Issue • Deadline May 12June 16, Issue • Deadline June 2

Happy 40th Birthday, Mom (Barbara Osceola Butera). What more can Isay about the light of my life, other than you are my mother and my best friend. Eversince I can remember you have been so caring and thoughtful not only to me, but toeverybody else.

The two of us have been through thick and thin together, but yet we are readyto meet any other challenge that may rise. I am so fortunate to have a mother I cancount on and run to for whatever the case may be, whether it be good or bad. Thanksfor being a wonderful mentor for me and for caring for me.

I want this birthday to be the best it can be for you, because you deserve it. Ilove you, Mom! From your daughter, Ciara Billie.

Congratulations! MorningstarWebster. I read The Seminole Tribuneand saw your score for Beginners BarrelRacing. I am so proud of you andDanielle also. Hugs and kisses to youboth. Daddy loves you both very much.Keep up the good work. I will keep read-ing the newspaper to watch for your pic-ture and your scores. Hugs and kisses:Daddy, Daniel Webster Sr.

Health Notice

Attention Diabetic Patients:Rezulin, a drug used for dia-

betes has been taken off the market dueto its effects on the liver.

All diabetic patients areadvised to stop taking this drug and con-tact your medical doctor/SeminoleHealth Department immediately.

Patients previously takingRezulin will be placed on a differentdrug/medication.— The Seminole Health Department.

New arrival: Trinity AndraBeth Bowers born Jan. 28, 2000 at 1 p.m.Trinity weighed 7 lbs., 13 oz. and was 19½ inches long. Congratulations ElrodBowers and Holly Tiger.

Chickee Baptist Church64th Ave. and Josie Billie

Hollywood Seminole Reservation

Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 am

Sunday Evening Worship 6:00 am

Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 pm

Rev Arlen Payne: Pastor

(954) 894-5651

5791 South State Road 7 (441)Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314

Anhinga IndianMuseum

and Art Gallery

Joe Dan and Virginia Osceola

954/581-8411FREE ESTIMATES

Joe Dan Osceola

Convert your background

into a Native Wonderland

• CUSTOM MADE TIKIS

• WOOD DECKING

• PATIOS & BARS

• NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS

CALL 954/581-8411 FOR

FREE ESTIMATES

Fax 954/316-5003

Mobile 954/980-7104

5791 S State Rd. 7 • Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

SEMINOLE TIKI HUTS

This Space Is Reserved For You!

Business Card Ad$45

4.216” X 2.65”Call The Seminole Tribune

(954) 967-3416

Position: Survey Party ChiefLocation: Water Resource

ManagementBig Cypress

Opening: Jan. 27, 00Closing: Until FilledSalary: $14.03 per hour

plus benefits

Position: Staff NutritionistLocation: Health Department

BrightonOpening: February 2, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $30,000/Yearly

(Negotiable)Plus Benefits

Position: Maintenance WorkerLocation: Building and Grounds

BrightonOpening: February 24, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $6.50 Per hour plus benefits

Position: Operator MaintenanceTrainee

Location: Utilities – HollywoodOpening: February 23, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $8.00 per hour plus benefits

Position: Dental AssistantLocation: Health (Hollywood)Opening: Feb. 11, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $10.00 per hour plus

benefits

Position: Assistant Cook/JanitorLocation: Nutrition (Hot Meals

Hollywood)Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $8.73 per hour plus benefits

Position: Assistant EducationCounselor

Location: Education (Big Cypress)Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $7.18 per hour plus benefits

Position: Certified BehavioralAnalyst (LaBelle)

Location: Health (Big Cypress)Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until Filled Salary: $25,000 – 35,000 annually

plus benefits

Position: Direct Care Aides (5 needed in LaBelle)

Location: Health Department Big Cypress

Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $10.00 – 15.00 per hour

full time

Position: Alternative High SchoolTeacher in Math and Science

Location: Ahfachkee SchoolBig Cypress

Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: Based on salary schedule

Position: Assistant Cook (Brighton)Location: Preschool ProgramOpening: February 9, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $8.29 per hour plus benefits

Position: Speech LanquageTherapist

Location: Ahfachkee SchoolOpening: February 22, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: Based on Instructional

Salary Scale

Position: Reading SpecialistLocation: Ahfachkee School

Big CypressOpening: January 12, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: Instructional salary scale

plus benefits

Position: TransporterLocation: Health (Big Cypress)Opening: January 11, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $7.90 per hour plus benefits

Position: Teacher Aide II – 2 need/1 year olds & infants

Location: Eeducation PreschoolHollywood

Opening: February 29, 2000Closing: March 14, 2000Salary: $8.73 per hour plus benefits

Position: Maintenance SupervisorLocation: Buildings and Grounds

Big CypressOpening: March 8, 2000Closing: March 22, 2000Salary: $8.00 per hour plus benefits

Position: Classroom TeacherLocation: Ahfachkee School

Big CypressOpening: November 22, 1999Closing: Until FilledSalary: Negotiable (Instructional

Salary Schedule)

Position: Background InvestigatorLocation: HollywoodOpening: March 31, 2000Closing: April 14, 2000Salary: $9.00 per hour plus benifits

The Seminole Tribe of Florida’sDepartment of Education would like tocongratulate Hollywood GED graduate,Olivia Cypress. Olivia received her GEDon March 17, 2000. She is now employedwith the Travel Department.

The Hollywood GED program islocated at the DSO building. Office hoursare 8 a.m to 5 p.m. If you are interestedin getting your GED, contact WendyGreen at 954-989-6840, ext 101.

Happy 7th Birthday Kristen Billie April14. Hope you have lots of fun on yourbirthday. Love You Always, Dad, Mom,Chelsea, Byron, Grandpa, Grandma,aunts and Cousin.

A very special Happy 4th Birthday toMailani. With lots of love, Mommy,Daddy, Nana, Grandma Jimmie, andRandy.

Campaign Hopes To Clean Florida

The Seminole Tribune 14 April 14, 2000

By Dan McDonaldHOLLYWOOD – Over 200

Tribal members received diabetes screen-ings the last week of March as part of theAmerican Diabetes Alert program spon-sored by the American DiabetesAssociation.

Physician’s assis-tant Susanne Davis, theTribe’s diabetes coordina-tor, and Toni Taglione, theHollywood and BigCypress health educator,conducted the tests at sever-al sites on the HollywoodReservation on March 28.

“The response wasreal good,” Susanne said ofthe 70 tests the pair per-formed on that day alone.“The word is really gettingout on diabetes and howimportant it is that peoplein high risk categories havetheir blood tested.

“It’s important thatpeople get tested. Diabetescan be controlled if it’s dis-covered. And, if you takethe proper treatment, manyof the more serious compli-cations can be avoided orminimized.”

According to theADA, diabetes is called thesilent killer. It is estimatedthat 16 million people have diabetes, butthat one out of every three victims isunaware that their body is having troublemanufacturing and using sugar normally.

Every minute, at least one personis diagnosed with diabetes. You are athigher risk if:

*You are age 45 and older.

*Member of a high-risk ethnicgroup, including African American,Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, AsianAmerican or Pacific Islander.

*You are overweight.*You have high blood pressure.

*You have a family history ofdiabetes.

*You have a history of diabetesduring pregnancy or you are a womanwho has had a baby weighing more than 9pounds at birth.

“Often people can have diabetesfor years without realizing it,” Suzanne

says. “But there are some warning signs aperson can watch for, including extremethirst, frequent urination and unexplainedweight loss.

“The Health Department is doingeverything we can to make sure that

everyone gets the message to have theirblood checked. It’s important that every-one get tested, especially if they’re in thehigh risk category.”

For more information, contactSusanne Davis at (954) 962-2009.

HOLLYWOOD — Stephen D. Bowers says that theDepartment of Veterans Affairs is looking for veterans whomay have been exposed to Agent Orange, a herbicide used inVietnam.

According to DVA:*An estimated 3.1 million veterans served in the

Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flightcrews based in Thailand, and sailors in the South China Sea).

*An estimated 2.6 million personnel served within theborders of South Vietnam and in adjacent waters.

Agent Orange was a herbicide used in Vietnam todefoliate trees and remove cover for the enemy. Agent Orangespraying missions were flown in Vietnam between January1965 and April 1970. Shipped in orange-striped barrels, it wasa reddish-brown liquid containing four herbicides: 2, 4, 5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4, 5-T), 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid (2, 4-D), cacodylic acid and picloram.

The 2, 4, 5-T was contaminated in the manufacturingprocess with dioxin. Several herbicides were sprayed inVietnam at different times – during different years as well as

during different seasons because of the variety of vegetationand environmental conditions.

The history of herbicides for military use dates toWorld War II. During the early part of the war, interest arose inchemicals that could be used for crop destruction. Two chemi-cals were developed as a result of those early efforts – 2, 4-Dand 2, 4, 5-T. Although neither chemical was used in WorldWar II, the value of their use in weed and brush programs wasrecognized, and both chemicals have been used widelythroughout the world since the 1940s by farmers, foresters andhomeowners.

The VA has offered special access to health servicesand studies since 1978, when it initiated a medical surveillanceprogram for Vietnam veterans with health concerns. By 1981,VA offered priority medical care to Vietnam veterans with anyhealth problems which may have resulted from Agent Orangeexposure. That program continues today.

If you feel you may have been exposed to AgentOrange, or have any questions, please call Stephen Bowers,(954) 966-6300, ext. 1480.

Suzanne Davis, and Toni Taglione (l-r) test Joel Frank and Virginia Mitchell in office lobby.

Diabetes Program Screens Over 200

DVA Searching For Agent Orange Victims

Well, here I am, Raiford Starkeand I’m in the dog house. Mygirlfriend Lowella is screaming

at me to clear the hallways in our house.You see, there are these large bags ofU.S. Mail everywhere and I admit, I’vebeen a little lax in answering my fanmail. So here goes:

Dear Raiford:Why do you wear that big, black

hat?June TigerHollywood

Truth is, It’s to hidethose beautiful golden locksof blond hair that grow allover the top of my head thatchicks go crazy over.Especially the German ones.It just became too much formy Lowella, who becamerather uncomfortable withall the extra female atten-tion I was getting. So toappease her and keep allwomankind under control, Ileave my hat on!

Dear Raiford:So really, why do

you wear that big, black hat?Rhonda RoffBoca Raton

Gosh, my fans justwon’t let that one go, willthey? You really want toknow the truth? Well, okay,now that you’ve asked me,here goes: It’s really tomake me appear taller, andby golly, it works! You see,I’m really only five feet, twoinches tall. . .

Dear Raiford:So what’s your take on the

whole Elian controversy? Ray BecceraHialeah

Controversy? I didn’t knowthere was a controversy, but now thatyou’ve asked me, here goes: To tell youthe truth, I OD’d on this Elian stuff along time ago. I mean, look at the pat-tern here: First you have Elian, thenyou got yer Elian II and so on. I mean,can anyone stop this thing, and whatelse has Sigourney Weaver really donein the last 20 years?

Dear Raiford:You seem to be a bit disturbed.

Were you abused as a child?Pat WickmanBig Cypress

Well now, that seems to be arather personal question, but now thatyou’ve asked me, here goes: I don’thave any memory of any real abuse as achild. I mean, we grew up right nextdoor to a radioactive waste dump just onthe edge of Starkansaw, because my

daddy Alcatraz Starke believed in havinga nuclear family. So, I don’t believe I’vesuffered any abuse in this life, but previ-ous lives are a different story. I remem-ber one day I was sitting on a parkbench, checking out the college basket-ball scores in the sports page, when Ilooked up and saw this sign by the lakethat said, “Warning: Please don’t feedor molest the alligators.” That rightthere must have triggered one of those“past life regressions,” for when I wentto sleep that night, I had this strangedream that I was an alligator in a previ-ous life —- one of them Florida ‘gators,and I must have been in ancient Greecebecause I was being molested bySpartans!

HUMOR

R A I F O R D S T A R K E

R A I F O R D S T A R K E

Dear Raiford Starke:

Dan

McD

on

ald

The Seminole Tribune 15 April 14, 2000

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By Debi LoweApril 1, 2000 was National Census Day. Have

you been counted?Since 1790, in accordance with the U.S.

Constitution mandate, the Census or “count of every per-son in the U.S. living in a particular household” has beenperformed every 10 years.

Today, accurate census information ensures bil-lions of federal monies are distributed properly. Also,population numbers determine congressional representa-tion and State legislature seats. Most importantly the lawprotects your privacy (confidentiality) related to yourresponses to the Census2000 questionnaire.

To date, the U.S.Census Bureau has heldseveral Census 2000 con-ferences around IndianCountry to partnership withAmerican Indians andAlaska Natives. The pur-pose? To assist tribal lead-ers and officials organizetheir own Census recruit-ment activities and com-munity awareness pro-grams.

The new milleni-um’s 22nd Census countcomes with promotionalinformation and materialspecifically designed forIndian Tribes and AlaskaNatives including a spe-cially designed logo, slo-gan and Indian artworkposters as well as other“giveway” items.

The SeminoleTribe of Florida communi-ty partnership includesRecruitment Assistant/Tribal Liaison Debi Lowe(Onondaga Nation) andTribal PartnershipSpecialist Vickey Sellers(Poarch Creek). Both havemanned booths at pow-wows and other communi-ty events and utilized Tribalmedia programs to get theword out that “each andevery Seminole Tribal member and Indian and AlaskaNative person counts” during the decennial Census 2000.This includes needs and services provided at all levels ofgovernment including tribal, local, state and federal.

It is important for tribal communities to under-stand that the combined statistics (not individual informa-tion) are published. Data gathered from completed andreturned short or long Census Questionnaires makes sureeach person in the household is included or counted forneeded services.

Such services and successful plans made by tribaldecision-makers and leaders health care, housing, elderly

services, child and infant care, education, jobs training,roads improvement, Accurate maps for 911 emergencysystems (including law enforcement, fire or medical emer-gencies, disease control, environmental/catastrophic emer-gencies, business development and more.

The “Short” Form Questionnaire consists ofseven subjects: name, relationship to head of house, sex(male or female), date of birth, Hispanic or Latino,race(s)/Tribe (name), housing unit (rent or own). Five outof six households will receive the short form.

The “Long” Form Questionnaire includes the 7subjects above plus: marital status, education background,

ancestry or ethnicity, language,citizenship, residency history,medical disabilities or otherimpairments, employment sta-tus. Age, military status, incomeand household information.

No matter which formyou receive be sure to answereach question completely.Expect a visit by a census takerto obtain missing information.Check your answers before youseal the self-addressed envelope.

Households, who havenot received a questionnaire yetor have inadvertently tossed itaway, please contact your localQAC (Questionnaire AssistanceCenter). QAC’s are setup on theSeminole Brighton, Hollywoodand Immokalee reservations atthe tribal offices. Check withyour local tribal office for QACtime schedule. Miccosukee andCreek languages interpreters areavailable to answer questions.

Seminole Tribal mem-bers and community members –including a few non-Indian tribaloffice workers – are happy toassist with the questionnaire.Please greet them – as they willwith you – with courtesy.

Several SeminoleTribal member “census takers”have been trained and haveworked hard to complete thefirst phase or Census operation.This phase included updatingtribal addresses and leaving the

questionnaire. The Census 2000 operation will continuethrough April and May. Tribal census takers will continueto update household addresses and complete question-naires with households in some Seminole communities.Households who do not mail back their completed formswill also be visited in the near future.

The Census 2000 questionnaire is important, safeand easy. Your response is very important. If you have anyquestions contact your local census office or call DebiLowe at 954/966-6300 x1473. Remember: genarations areconting on this don’t leave it blank.

Have You Filled Out The Census Form?

Debi Lowe Is Counting On You

CENSUS LADY: Debi Lowe holds poster.

By Benny SecodyEVERGLADES CITY

— Gator Osceola, a fifth gradestudent at Everglades City Schooland a Tribal member competedagainst 300 other Collier Countrystudents ranging from firstthrough fifth grade and wasselected as the winner of a postercontest by a team of professionaldesigners.

The purpose of the con-test was to encourage school-agedchildren to spread the word aboutthe upcoming Census 2000 count.Collier County has initiated a pub-lic awareness campaign to educateand encourage residents to fill outand mail back their census forms.

Children are an especial-ly critical element in the overallsuccess of the census count. In the1990 census, over four millionindividuals were missed in theU.S., and over half of these werechildren.

It is vital that everyonecomply with the Census count, asFederal funding and local moniesare contingent upon the number of people counted – with children the most integral aspect

of our future.As the first place poster contest

winner, Gator was presented with a bal-loon bouquet, a professionally mounteddisplay of his winning poster and a bag ofcensus goodies. His poster will be repro-duced and distributed around the county,as well as be displayed in the NaplesDaily News.

Gator is taking all of this hooplain stride, and although pleased by hisaccomplishment, shyly shrugs off the bar-rage of compliments bestowed upon him.He states he will continue to develop hisartistic skills, but when asked what hewanted to be when he finished school, hereplied, “I have no idea!”

Gator is the son of ClaudiaOsceola, and resides on the MiccosukeeReservation with his three brothers andtwo sisters.

Gator Osceola Wins Poster Contest

Each year, thousands of acres of wild-land and hundreds of homes are destroyed bywildfires. Last year, the number of wildfires inFlorida prompted Governor Jeb Bush to declarea state of emergency for the entire state.

With rainfall once again below averagefor this time of year, Allstate InsuranceCompany recommends the following to protectyour family and property from wildfires:Regularly clear roof and gutters of leaves andother debris.Keep household items handy that can be used asfire tools: a rake, ax, hand or chain saw, bucketand shovel.

Create a defensible zone, remove alldry grass, brush and dead leaves at least 30 feetaround your home.Remove vines from the wall of the home.Remove leaves and rubbish from under struc-tures.

Remember that if you are warned that awildfire is threatening your area, personal safetyshould always come first. If you have time, shutoff gas at meter; turn off pilot lights, close win-dows, vents and doors. If possible, take yourhomeowners policy with you.

Wildfires Spell Trouble For Floridians

Gato

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Gator Osceola displays his winning Census 2000 poster.

The Seminole Tribune 11 April 14, 2000

By Tommy BennIMMOKALEE — The

Roberts Family of Immokalee,long time friends of the Seminolesof the Big Cypress and Immokaleecommunities, held its first annualRoberts Ranch Roundup Saturday,April 1.

The event was held at the“Old Homeplace,” home to theRoberts family since 1914 whenRobert Roberts brought his wifeSarah and their seven children toImmokalee in oxcart wagons. Theproperty has been turned over tothe county as a historical museum.

The Roberts family donat-ed the house and four acres of theranch where the original buildingwas located in 1996. Recently thecounty purchased additionalacreage adjoining the Homeplacefor a reported $600,000 to bringthe future museums site locations to 15 acres.

It will take an estimated five years andapproximately $1 million to complete the project. Themuseum, headed by Donna Ridgewood, will be goingto Tallahassee and applying for a $30,000 grant tohelp get things underway.Ridgewood is also the direc-tor of the Museum of theEverglades in EvergladesCity.

The festivities start-ed with a cattle drive andparade with both remainingchildren of Robert and SarahRoberts taking part. Chief JimBillie headlined the musicalentertainment.

On the Homeplaceproperty historic reenactorsshowed the visitors whatearly Florida life was like.Judge Nelson Bailey sharedFlorida’s cattle history.Florida’s 5th Calvary was onhand, led by none other thanTeddy Roosevelt himself.

The legendarySwamp Owl and SeminoleCowhunter Jesse Necolettosanswered many a question forthe youngsters. Ralph Westdisplayed his collection oftools of the Cowhunters trade, which included sad-dles, spurs, cow whips branding irons, horse and mulebits.

Buddy Taylor of Felda handled the cookingchores of barbecued chicken and beef served with his

world famous Gator Sauce. For the sweet tooth, acracker delight “sour orange pie” was on hand. Alongwith Chief Billie and the Raiford Starke and, plentyof bluegrass and old timed gospel was enjoyed by thespectators.

“The Roberts family had always treated the

local Seminole fairly and were honest with us,” saidElaine Aguilar, councilwoman from the ImmokaleeReservation. “They always helped us whenever weneeded help.

“We traded at the Roberts General Store. Wetraded alligator and otter pelts forstore goods. The older brotherDius ran the store and gave uscredit when times were hard. Inthe days when we had to workthe fields picking tomatoes, andpeppers, or cut, grade and loadwatermelon trucks to make amoney to feed our families.”

In his lifetime RobertRoberts saw his cattle empiregrow from a 300-head herd to anestimated 8,000 cattle operation.From the original 60 acre home-stead to a 40,000 acre cattleranch. The elder Roberts was oneof the first county commissionerswhen Collier County was estab-lished in the late 1920s.

“The county seat was inEverglades City and my fatherwould make the trip fromImmokalee and it would take him3 or 4 days,” Bobby Robertssaid, recalling many of the oldmemories. “There were no roadsand you never knew from day to

day what the woods would be like. If it was rainy andwet you traveled one way. If it was dry you wentanother, It’s a long way to anywhere from Immokalee.

“I had hoped they would have a dance to goalong with the roundup,” added Bobby. “We used to

have them. The dance would endat midnight and the boys wouldfight till daylight.

“We survived the TexasTick Infestation,” he said. “Iremember Range Riders killingdeer by the thousands. TheSeminoles and the U.S.Government almost started the 4thSeminole War over the deerkilling.

“The range cattle had tobe dipped every six weeks. RangeRiders would count the cattle andif they weren’t accounted for therancher was fined by a head count.Then came the God awful screw-worm epidemic. If a cow had anopen sore it had to be doctored.

“A cowhunter wouldcarry a can of medicine with adauber brush and paint the blackgreasy medicine on the open sore.That’s when the cowhunters start-

ed carring ropes on their saddles. We tied our ropes toour saddles — we never dallied off like the team rop-ers of today do. The days were long and hard, butsomehow we survived. I guess you had to be as toughand rough as the country itself.”

By T. R. BennBRIGHTON — The Seminole cow-

boys are back in the saddle again, beginning theannual task of penning the vast herds of theSeminole Tribe of Florida.

From the Pahokee prairies around LakeOkeechobee to the marsh wetlands of the BigCypress swamp, the cattle will be brought to thecowpens, worked then turned out until sale timelate April or early May.

The annual round-up, which started thefirst week in March, should take about twomonths from start to finish, allowing for a fewbadly needed rain days.

During the gathering, cowboys workfrom daylight to dark because Murphy’s Law issure to come in to play: what can go wrong, will.

From broken hydraulic hoses, andbranding pots, squeeze chutes that can’t bemoved because the wheel spindles have wrungoff, fences that were all right yesterday somehoware down today. It’s a never-ending battlebetween the cow crews and Mother Nature andtime.

At the Brighton Reservation, 40 somecattle owners covering 35,000 acres and 4,500head of brood cows will be handled this year byScott “Cotton” Baxley.

Paul Bowers will act as cow boss forthe Big Cypress cattle owners until the positionis filled by a permanent man to replace JonahCypress, who retired earlier this year. The 30cattle owners, with their combined 2,900 head ofbrood cows on the Big Cypress’ 40,000 acrereservation, hope to finish a little earlier than theBrighton cow crew.

Dr. Kenneth Keen of the Clewiston AnimalClinic will again vaccinate the heifer calves forBrucellosis, and bleed the cows and bulls for recerti-

fication of the owner’s herds. This is the 14th yearKeen has worked the Seminole herd.

The cow crew’s responsibility is to vacci-nate for Vibro-Lepto-Tric — either a 4-way or 8-way vaccine, worm delouse and dehorn each animal.

Dr. Keen will work one herd inBrighton for “Cotton Baxley” in the morningthen travel to Big Cypress and works the cat-tle penned there in the afternoon. Paul Bowersand his cow crew say it makes for a long hardday.

Gary Raulerson and his crew havestarted working the cattle on the MiccosukeeLand Lease that houses some 3,000 broodcows on the 10,000-acre lease. Raulerson willthen move his crew to the Parker Island Leaseand assist cattle foreman Jerry Skates in work-ing the 1,500 brood cows there on the 4,000-acre lease.

Doctors Debbie or Dennis VanRokel, a husband and wife team of veterinari-ans from Alva, will certify the Board Cattleoperations.

After the cattle have been worked,the Tribe will ready for the annual productionsale. The sale has been scheduled for the lastof April or May with a delivery date of July orAugust.

Proper fertilizing and mowing ofpastures help in keeping the stock cattle ingood flesh, which means good health. Thecalves that come from both the board andindividual Seminole owned herds are some ofthe best calves shipped in the Nation.

With the livestock market pricesvery strong at this date, producers are lookingforward to a banner year at the annual Springsale.

The hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based

solely upon advertisements before you decide, ask us to send you free written

information about our qualifications and experience.

The Law Offices of Guy J. Seligman, P.A.320 S. E. 9th Street

Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33316

954-760-7600

Tired of hiding?

Violations of Probation?

Warrants, open criminal cases?

DUI or DUI injury cases?

Protect Your Rights!Maybe we can help!

By Tommy BennOKEECHOBEE — Tractor Supply

Company is coming to Okeechobee, and perhapswe’ll get a surprise visit from country superstar andcompany spokesman George Strait.

The Nashville Tennessee Companyannounced it would be taking over the old Wal-MartStore building at the Northlake Village ShoppingCenter. Tractor Supply will hold its grand openingJune 24.

Okeechobee was selected for the site of thecompany’s latest store because it fits all the require-ment and demands to reach the store chain’s variedcustomer base. The company sells to large full-timeand part-time ranchers and farmers as well as week-

end, backyard and hobbyist agriculturists. The store will carry a full inventory of farm

and ranch supplies, feed animal health care productswork clothes. It will feature a full lawn and gardensupply center and hardware automotive supplies.

Currently there are 270 retail Tractor SupplyStores in 26 states. There are plans to open 10 storesin south and central Florida by mid-summer. Startedin 1938 as a mail order tractor parts business, it is thelargest owner of retail agricultural stores in the UnitedStates.

Corporate spokesperson George Strait maycome for the grand opening of the Okeechobee store.Plans are still incomplete at this time.

George Strait May Come To Okeechobee

Cowboys Begin Rounding Up The HerdRoberts Ranch Holds Roundup

MATRIARCH: She stands next to a Model T. Or is that a Model A?

BIG CHICKEE: The old Roberts Family house still stands.

An old butt-squeezin’ saddle.

Original Brighton cattleman Tom Bowers.

TRUSTY STEED: Paul Bowers cares for his horse.

Tom

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The Seminole Tribune 12 April 14, 2000

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Democratic National Committee (DNC)National Chair Joe Andrew todayannounced the appointment of Holly Cookas Director of Native American Affairs.Cook comes to the DNC from the RedLake Band of Chippewa Indians andHolland & Knight, a Washington, D.C., lawfirm.

“We are excited to have HollyCook join our team as our new Director ofNative American Affairs,” said Joe Andrew.“Her experience with working on issues ofconcern to Indian Country will help spreadour progressive democratic message forAmerica throughout the country.”

Holly Cook served as Director ofFederal Relations for the Red Lake Band ofChippewa Indians and a Senior Consultantfor Native American Affairs at the HollandKnight Law Firm. Prior to that, Cookserved in the White House Office ofIntergovernmental Affairs. Cook was alsoan instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College,Leech Lake Reservation.

“Holly will be an asset to the

Democratic Party as we continue to reachout to Indian Country,” added Andrew.“The Democratic National Committee isfortunate to have someone with Holly’sskill and experience,” said Andrew.

A member of the Red Lake Bandof Chippewa Indian in northern Minnesota,Cook received a Bachelor of Arts degreefrom the University of North Dakota inGrand Forks, ND and MBA from theUniversity of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

The mission of the NativeAmerican Affairs office at the DemocraticNational Committee is to increase the par-ticipation and representation of NativeAmericans in the Democratic Party and thepolitical system. It also strives to electDemocrats to all levels of office, offertraining in Indian issues, and increase theknowledge of American Indians about theDemocratic Party through training and pro-grams.

The Director of Native AmericanAffairs provides outreach, education, andadvocacy on issues that affect NativeAmericans.

DNC Appoints NativeAmerican Affairs Director

TALLAHASSEE — On April 1,approximately 40 Florida AIM membersand supporters from AIM Support Groupsin St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach,Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale and othersprotested the racist parade of genocidersknown as “Springtime Tallahassee.”

While local “Springtime” organiz-ers have claimed to be making efforts toremove Andrew Jackson, he remained inthe parade. And new efforts to glorifyIndian killers were spotted throughout theparade with floats honoring the conquista-dors, U.S. Cavalry and Roughriders; eventhe Buffalo Soldiers were added to honorthe genocidal assaults on Indian people.

Florida AIM, after protesting non-disruptively for three years, began the esca-lation of its efforts to halt this genocidalglorification ceremony when the FloridaAIM State Executive Director SheridanMurphy went into the street to confront the“Andrew Jackson.”

He was joined by nine FloridaAIM and AIM Support Group members —North Florida Regional AIM DirectorDavid Narcomey, St. Augustine AIM mem-ber Bruce Felton, St. Augustine AIMDirector Michelle Davis, State AIMSecurity Director George Garcia,Gainesville AIM Support Group MemberBarbara Howe, West Palm Beach SupportGroup Coordinator Maria Zwicker, South

Florida Support Group Coordinator TomScott, Tallahassee support group memberRoy Saunders, and St. Petersburg SupportGroup coordinator Rebecca Johns.

Murphy then threw blood on thestreet and managed to cover “AndrewJackson” in blood forcing him off theparade route. Florida AIM Security inter-vened during the brief detention ofSheridan Murphy by Leon County Sheriffsdeputies and it was later decided not toarrest Murphy or any of the other protes-tors.

Florida AIM will continue to offerthe dialogue of cooperation to the“Springtime Tallahassee” officials whoshould make no mistake, Florida AIM isfully prepared for the rhetoric and actualityof confrontation.

It is our vow that the “SpringtimeTallahassee” parade must change now, ordie. We will continue to escalate our effortsto force the removal of Andrew Jackson,the Buffalo Soldiers and all other glorifica-tions of the murderers of Indian peoples.This year 10 AIM members and SG mem-bers stood in the street and one threw bloodon one of the many potential targets glori-fying the genocide of Indian people

Next year we will miss no targetand spare no effort to stop this heinousparade.— Florida AIM News Wire.

Florida AIM Attacks Parade

how the west is worn.

Davie

6211 S.W. 45th

Street

(954) 587-9000

plus locations inCoconut Creek,

Hialeah and Ocala

It’s more than western wear

. . . It’s a way of life.

www.seminoletribe.comVisit the Seminole Tribe without leaving your chickee.

Hear unique Seminole sounds; Subscribe to the Seminole

Tribune; Selection of baskets, jewelry, dolls and clothing;

Discover the Seminole culture through books and videos.

7th Annual Seminole Wellness ConferenceDeadline for applications are

June 9, 2000. Due to the limit of partici-pants, when you register for the 7thAnnual Seminole Wellness Conference,you must commit yourself to participatefor the duration of the conference.

Those who are active in supportgroups, or have participated in treatmentcenters, or who are pursuing a healthierdrug and alcohol free lifestyle will have

first priority if registration exceeds thelimit. It is the Conference Attendee’sresponsibility to make the properarrangements with your supervisor con-cerning your absence from work. A letterof notification will be sent to confirmthat you are a participant in this year’sconference. Lack of participation willresult in a letter to your supervisor.

For an application please con-

tact: Hollywood: Ralph Billie at 954-9652-2009; Brighton: Michele Thomasor Rita Gopher at 863-763-4128; BigCypress: Glen Osceola at 863-983-4141or Helene Buster at 863-983-5151;Immokalee: Billie Brodway at 941-657-6567; Tampa: Tom Ryan at 813-621-2811; Fort Pierce: Sally Tommie at 954-967-3700; and Miccosukee: AndyBuster at 305-223-8380.

Kenyon were threatened with possiblearrest, and Big Al with a tranquilizergun, by the Port Authority PoliceDepartment (PAPD) if the duct tape wasremoved from the gator’s mouth or if J.R. or Gator John attempted any“wrestling” demonstrations.

The police even threatened BigAl with a tranquilizer gun. Maybe theyheard about Chief Jim Billie getting hisfinger bitten off, recently, by a gator.

Later the cops liked posing withthe unarmed reptile.

While professional gator han-dlers were not allowed to do their show,the police had no problem with peoplesitting on and posing with Big Al, whocould have, but never did swat anyonewith his massive tail.

An extended “safe-zone” of 35feet with six armed and ready cops near-by allowed the handlers to sit on thegator before a handful of passing-by pas-sengers and lots of Delta employees.Also there for the photo-taking sessionwere Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum DirectorBilly L. Cypress (dressed in traditionalclothing as Chief Jumper) and FloridaSeminole Tourism Director Lee Tiger.Someone also brought over a pair of

giant sunglasses as a prop. “One of the cops showed up

with a pole and a noose at the end, justin case the alligator ran away,” statedTiger who referred to the PAPD as “cityslickers.”

Why bring a Big Cypress gatorall the way to New York City to sleep ina crate overnight and spend a couplehours in an airplane lobby with a tapedup mouth and people sitting on him?

Someone dropped the ball.“It wasn’t us,” said Lucy

Evanicki, the Billie Swamp Safari mar-keting director who arranged for thegator and made sure all the necessarypermits were in hand to transport thegator from Florida. “We had our acttogether. But we had no control overwhat happened at their end.”

According to PAPD OfficerJerry O’Brien, the event could have beenstaged without incident had his depart-ment known in advance and precautionsbeen agreed to and implemented.

Notification to local authoritiesof staged events at the airport is theresponsibility of the hosting organization– in this case Delta Airlines.

Seminole Tourism and the Tribedid get some publicity out of the event.Local print and television media were onhand in Fort Lauderdale as Big Al wasplaced on the plane for the trip to New

York. The gator also drew a lot of noticefrom fellow travelers.

“Word kind of spread like wild-fire that there was a special passengerhere today,” stated Chuck Malkus, ofIMS Public Relations, hired by Tiger tocoordinate the event with Delta and theCVB.

The “wild fire” never burnedhot enough for the press in the largestmedia town in the world to feel the heat,however.

“Most of the passengers’biggest concern was that we were travel-ing at lunchtime, and did the alligatorget fed before he boarded?” addedMalkus. This was a good question sinceDelta Express is a no-frills flight –meaning no food on board. Big Al, how-ever, was fine. As a Billie Swamp Safarigator he was well fed and cared for. Hewas the only passenger on board with afull stomach.

Big Al also had more leg roomthan his fellow passengers. One hun-dred-nineteen seats — and one bathroom— are crammed into the Boeing 737-200plane.

Today, Big Al is back walleringin the gator pit next to the Swamp WaterCafé at Billie Swamp Safari. “I’d say hisflyin’ days are over,” said Gator John.“He don’t care about New York City.”

GatorContinued from page 1

Scherley Busch, a noted pho-tographer, said Betty was photographedbeneath the Council Oak, a large oaktree on the Hollywood Reservation,because it reveals Betty’s background.

As a young woman Bettyrecalls translating Miccosukee, Creekand English for the elders as they metunder the Council Oak to organize theSeminole Tribe in the late 1950s.

Noted Miami historian ArvaMoore Parks McCabe, whose photo-graph is also included in the exhibit, saidBetty is a woman who has made a largecontribution to the history of Florida.

“It was about time,” said Parksabout Betty’s recognition. “She [Betty]has done so much for her people andcontributed to their development that she

is an inspiration to all of us.”Betty Mae, who was the first

female elected chairman — or chief —of a major Indian Tribe, helped advancethe medical care of her people. She hasauthored two books, was the first editorof the Tribal newspaper and appointedby President Richard Nixon to a term onthe National Indian Council. Betty hasalso been named ‘Woman of the Year’by the Jewish Defense League, ‘PioneerWoman’ by the city of Dania, andinducted in the Florida Hall of Fame.

About her many achievements,Betty humbly expressed that her sourceof inspiration has always been her Tribe.To other women striving to achieve theirgoals, Betty said there is no mystery toit. She said that anyone with determina-tion can make things happen.

“Any woman can do it,” Bettyasserted. “It’s just a matter of determina-tion. If you set a goal and work towards

it, you can achieve wonderful things.That’s the message for young people. Seta goal and work towards it.”

This year, Edith Osman, thecurrent president of the Florida BarAssociation and the second woman inthe Bar’s 49-year history to hold theposition, was also included in the exhib-it.

The photographic documentaryfeatures women like international super-star and Grammy award winning record-ing artist Gloria Estefan, the late envi-ronmental advocate Marjory StonemanDouglas, record braking tennis championChris Evert and Congresswoman IleanaRos-Lehtinen among the other womenwho have been honored.

The exhibition runs throughMay 1. It is open to the public at nocharge. For more information call Ms.Busch at (305) 661-8018.

BettyContinued from page 1

Join the estimated 100,000 vol-unteers across the state who will clean up,fix up, and keep up their communityneighborhoods during the Florida GreatAmerican Cleanup in Marchand April.

Litter and illegaldumping are Florida’s num-ber one solid waste prob-lems. The annual cleanupbrings much needed atten-tion to a problem that notonly affects our naturalenvironments, but our com-munity environments aswell.

Florida Sheriffsreport that when neighbor-hoods are cleaned up, crime goes down.Cleaning up is the first step toward revi-talization. It’s good for property value and

its good for business, too.Leading the fight against grime

will be Sticky Man, the star of a hard hit-ting PSA campaign developed for televi-

sion by Keep FloridaBeautiful, Inc. Thanks tothe Florida StateUniversity School ofTheatre, Sticky Man willwalk off the screen andonto the roads. Five FSUactors will perform asSticky Man during Marchand April and spread theword that Florida’s envi-ronmental future is inyour hands.

Find out how youcan join Florida’s fight against crime. Call1-800-828-9338 or visitwww.keepFLbeautiful.org.

Car & Boat Auction – April 2,at 9 a.m. By the Salvation Army, nextones will be May 20, June 17 and July 29.For more information call 954-463-3725.

Wolf’s Flat EOD Conference –July 23 – 26, at the Round Up Centre inCalgary, Alberta, Canada. First Nationscoming together Sharing Experience ToClean Up Indigenous Lands. To register:by phone; 1-888-341-1011 or 1-403-269-1011, by e-mail; tamgrp@cadvision.com,by fax at 1-403-269-1438, by mail toWolf’s Flat Ordinance Disposal Corp, c/oSuite 600, 808-4th Ave. S.W., Calgary,Alberta, Canada T2P3E8.

Bunny Breakfast & Train Ride– April 15 & April 22 – Family eventincludes Meet the Bunny, travel by trainto Deerfield Beach and receive a souvenirgift, 7:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. For info call954-921-3404, adults $13, children $11.

23rd Annual LifesavingCompetition – April 21 – April 23.Contact Jim Shoemaker at 954-921-3423.

Kuumba Festival 2000 – Sat.,April 22 – 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. at YoungCircle Park. Free. Call 921-3404 or LamarDavis at 954-921-3447.

Arbor Day Tree Give-Away –Sat., April 29. Free trees to Hollywoodresidents with driver’s license & waterbill. At Young Circle Park. ContactGrances Nip at Public Works 954-967-4567.

Hollywood Medical CenterMay Day 5K Run – Sun., April 30 at7:30 a.m.. Contact Peter Mercer at 954-985-6241.

Food Handler CertificationTraining and Exam – April 19, 2000.Class begins at 9:00 a.m., exam to followat 2:00 p.m., registration will begin at8:30 a.m. To register contact JoanTavalaro at 954-370-3725, ext. 234.

6th Annual Running The RedRoad – Sat., May 13, 2000. A tradition inSan Diego as a community-wide eventcombining Native American culturalawareness and physical activity into a dayof fun for the entire family. Featuring a10K, 5K Fun Run/Walk and 1KChildren’s run. For info contact Lucindaat 619-641-2377.

23rd Annual Indian EducationPow Wow – Sat., May 13, 2000,“Honoring Our Elders” at Hoover Highschool, San Diego, CA. There is noadmission charge, please bring your ownchair. Call 858-627-7362 for more infor-mation.

The Tribal ConstitutionalSymposium – May 14 – 17, 2000 in

Phoenix, AZ. “Laying the Cornerstone forStrong Nations” As tribal leaders and trib-al government officials, you are chargedwith the task of building and maintaininga strong nation – a nation worthy ofrespect from its own citizens and formother governments. This session willexamine all aspects of developing, adopt-ing, amending, and enforcing a tribal con-stitution. Call 1-800-992-4489 forbrochure or information.

12th Annual San DiegoAmerican Culture Days – Sat., May 20and Sun., May 21, 2000. From 10 a.m. to6 p.m., both days, in San Diego’s BalboaPark on the corner of Park Blvd. andPresidents Way. Call 619-281-5964 formore information.

Skullyville CommemorativeTrail of Tears Walk – April 29, 2000. Tocommemorate the paths of those who firstarrived in Indian Territory along the Trailof Tears. For more information, pleasecall 580-924-8280 extension 2132.

Gathering of Nations PowWow – April 27 – 29, 2000 at the Pit inAlbuquerque, NM. For tickets and infocall 505-836-2810 or visit www.gath-eringofnations.org.

Native American LanguageServices – Train your own TribalLanguage Specialist. For any NativeAmerican Language, contact or orderfrom Dr. Julian Granberry at 800-484-8445 (Pin #5794). E-mail:nalserv@svic.net.

FREE “How To” Car CareClasses – April 29, at 10 a.m. and April30, at noon. Each class will run two hoursand feature hands-on demonstration. Tobe held at Discount Auto Parts at 1511 S.State Road 7, Hollywood and 12120 S.W.117th Aven., Kendall.

Culture-Based CurriculumDevelopment Workshop – July 10-13,2000 in Warm Spring, Oregon. Sponsoredby American Indian Institute, Norman,OK. Visit us on the web at:www.occe.ou.edu/aii. Make you reserva-tions no later than June 10. To registercall 405-325-2248 or 800-522-0772, ext.2248, fax: 405-325-7164. For additionalworkshop information call 405-325-4127.

Third Annual ToomsboroInter-tribal Pow Wow – September 7 –10 in Toomsboro, Georgia. Contact JerryLang at 912-377-8621.

Stretch & Sculpt Class – EveryFriday from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., held atthe Hollywood Recreation Center. Pleasecall Toni at 962-2009.

7th Annual Seminole WellnessConference – July 17 – 21, 2000 at theMarco Island Hilton. Deadline for appli-cations are June 9, 2000. Contact yourhealth centers for more information andapplications.

Spring Break for PreschoolPrograms will be April 17 – 21. The cen-ter will be opened only for parents whoare working, in a two parent home bothparents must be working. A form forSpring Break must be filled out beforeyour child/children can attend. Forms canbe picked up from the Parent InvolvementAide. Deadline for forms to be turned inis Friday, April 14, 200. (No exception!)Regular school will resume on Monday,April 24th. Questions call 797-1441, ext.1105.

The Seminole Tribune 13 April 14, 2000

Classified • AnnouncementsNew Born Notices

Congratulations

Happy Birthday

Job Announcements

DDeeaaddlliinneessSeminole TribuneMay 5, Issue • Deadline April 21May 26, Issue • Deadline May 12June 16, Issue • Deadline June 2

Happy 40th Birthday, Mom (Barbara Osceola Butera). What more can Isay about the light of my life, other than you are my mother and my best friend. Eversince I can remember you have been so caring and thoughtful not only to me, but toeverybody else.

The two of us have been through thick and thin together, but yet we are readyto meet any other challenge that may rise. I am so fortunate to have a mother I cancount on and run to for whatever the case may be, whether it be good or bad. Thanksfor being a wonderful mentor for me and for caring for me.

I want this birthday to be the best it can be for you, because you deserve it. Ilove you, Mom! From your daughter, Ciara Billie.

Congratulations! MorningstarWebster. I read The Seminole Tribuneand saw your score for Beginners BarrelRacing. I am so proud of you andDanielle also. Hugs and kisses to youboth. Daddy loves you both very much.Keep up the good work. I will keep read-ing the newspaper to watch for your pic-ture and your scores. Hugs and kisses:Daddy, Daniel Webster Sr.

Health Notice

Attention Diabetic Patients:Rezulin, a drug used for dia-

betes has been taken off the market dueto its effects on the liver.

All diabetic patients areadvised to stop taking this drug and con-tact your medical doctor/SeminoleHealth Department immediately.

Patients previously takingRezulin will be placed on a differentdrug/medication.— The Seminole Health Department.

New arrival: Trinity AndraBeth Bowers born Jan. 28, 2000 at 1 p.m.Trinity weighed 7 lbs., 13 oz. and was 19½ inches long. Congratulations ElrodBowers and Holly Tiger.

Chickee Baptist Church64th Ave. and Josie Billie

Hollywood Seminole Reservation

Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 am

Sunday Evening Worship 6:00 am

Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 pm

Rev Arlen Payne: Pastor

(954) 894-5651

5791 South State Road 7 (441)Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314

Anhinga IndianMuseum

and Art Gallery

Joe Dan and Virginia Osceola

954/581-8411FREE ESTIMATES

Joe Dan Osceola

Convert your background

into a Native Wonderland

• CUSTOM MADE TIKIS

• WOOD DECKING

• PATIOS & BARS

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CALL 954/581-8411 FOR

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Fax 954/316-5003

Mobile 954/980-7104

5791 S State Rd. 7 • Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314

SEMINOLE TIKI HUTS

This Space Is Reserved For You!

Business Card Ad$45

4.216” X 2.65”Call The Seminole Tribune

(954) 967-3416

Position: Survey Party ChiefLocation: Water Resource

ManagementBig Cypress

Opening: Jan. 27, 00Closing: Until FilledSalary: $14.03 per hour

plus benefits

Position: Staff NutritionistLocation: Health Department

BrightonOpening: February 2, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $30,000/Yearly

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Position: Maintenance WorkerLocation: Building and Grounds

BrightonOpening: February 24, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $6.50 Per hour plus benefits

Position: Operator MaintenanceTrainee

Location: Utilities – HollywoodOpening: February 23, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $8.00 per hour plus benefits

Position: Dental AssistantLocation: Health (Hollywood)Opening: Feb. 11, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $10.00 per hour plus

benefits

Position: Assistant Cook/JanitorLocation: Nutrition (Hot Meals

Hollywood)Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $8.73 per hour plus benefits

Position: Assistant EducationCounselor

Location: Education (Big Cypress)Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $7.18 per hour plus benefits

Position: Certified BehavioralAnalyst (LaBelle)

Location: Health (Big Cypress)Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until Filled Salary: $25,000 – 35,000 annually

plus benefits

Position: Direct Care Aides (5 needed in LaBelle)

Location: Health Department Big Cypress

Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $10.00 – 15.00 per hour

full time

Position: Alternative High SchoolTeacher in Math and Science

Location: Ahfachkee SchoolBig Cypress

Opening: January 25, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: Based on salary schedule

Position: Assistant Cook (Brighton)Location: Preschool ProgramOpening: February 9, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $8.29 per hour plus benefits

Position: Speech LanquageTherapist

Location: Ahfachkee SchoolOpening: February 22, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: Based on Instructional

Salary Scale

Position: Reading SpecialistLocation: Ahfachkee School

Big CypressOpening: January 12, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: Instructional salary scale

plus benefits

Position: TransporterLocation: Health (Big Cypress)Opening: January 11, 2000Closing: Until FilledSalary: $7.90 per hour plus benefits

Position: Teacher Aide II – 2 need/1 year olds & infants

Location: Eeducation PreschoolHollywood

Opening: February 29, 2000Closing: March 14, 2000Salary: $8.73 per hour plus benefits

Position: Maintenance SupervisorLocation: Buildings and Grounds

Big CypressOpening: March 8, 2000Closing: March 22, 2000Salary: $8.00 per hour plus benefits

Position: Classroom TeacherLocation: Ahfachkee School

Big CypressOpening: November 22, 1999Closing: Until FilledSalary: Negotiable (Instructional

Salary Schedule)

Position: Background InvestigatorLocation: HollywoodOpening: March 31, 2000Closing: April 14, 2000Salary: $9.00 per hour plus benifits

The Seminole Tribe of Florida’sDepartment of Education would like tocongratulate Hollywood GED graduate,Olivia Cypress. Olivia received her GEDon March 17, 2000. She is now employedwith the Travel Department.

The Hollywood GED program islocated at the DSO building. Office hoursare 8 a.m to 5 p.m. If you are interestedin getting your GED, contact WendyGreen at 954-989-6840, ext 101.

Happy 7th Birthday Kristen Billie April14. Hope you have lots of fun on yourbirthday. Love You Always, Dad, Mom,Chelsea, Byron, Grandpa, Grandma,aunts and Cousin.

A very special Happy 4th Birthday toMailani. With lots of love, Mommy,Daddy, Nana, Grandma Jimmie, andRandy.

Campaign Hopes To Clean Florida

The Seminole Tribune 14 April 14, 2000

By Dan McDonaldHOLLYWOOD – Over 200

Tribal members received diabetes screen-ings the last week of March as part of theAmerican Diabetes Alert program spon-sored by the American DiabetesAssociation.

Physician’s assis-tant Susanne Davis, theTribe’s diabetes coordina-tor, and Toni Taglione, theHollywood and BigCypress health educator,conducted the tests at sever-al sites on the HollywoodReservation on March 28.

“The response wasreal good,” Susanne said ofthe 70 tests the pair per-formed on that day alone.“The word is really gettingout on diabetes and howimportant it is that peoplein high risk categories havetheir blood tested.

“It’s important thatpeople get tested. Diabetescan be controlled if it’s dis-covered. And, if you takethe proper treatment, manyof the more serious compli-cations can be avoided orminimized.”

According to theADA, diabetes is called thesilent killer. It is estimatedthat 16 million people have diabetes, butthat one out of every three victims isunaware that their body is having troublemanufacturing and using sugar normally.

Every minute, at least one personis diagnosed with diabetes. You are athigher risk if:

*You are age 45 and older.

*Member of a high-risk ethnicgroup, including African American,Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, AsianAmerican or Pacific Islander.

*You are overweight.*You have high blood pressure.

*You have a family history ofdiabetes.

*You have a history of diabetesduring pregnancy or you are a womanwho has had a baby weighing more than 9pounds at birth.

“Often people can have diabetesfor years without realizing it,” Suzanne

says. “But there are some warning signs aperson can watch for, including extremethirst, frequent urination and unexplainedweight loss.

“The Health Department is doingeverything we can to make sure that

everyone gets the message to have theirblood checked. It’s important that every-one get tested, especially if they’re in thehigh risk category.”

For more information, contactSusanne Davis at (954) 962-2009.

HOLLYWOOD — Stephen D. Bowers says that theDepartment of Veterans Affairs is looking for veterans whomay have been exposed to Agent Orange, a herbicide used inVietnam.

According to DVA:*An estimated 3.1 million veterans served in the

Southeast Asia Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flightcrews based in Thailand, and sailors in the South China Sea).

*An estimated 2.6 million personnel served within theborders of South Vietnam and in adjacent waters.

Agent Orange was a herbicide used in Vietnam todefoliate trees and remove cover for the enemy. Agent Orangespraying missions were flown in Vietnam between January1965 and April 1970. Shipped in orange-striped barrels, it wasa reddish-brown liquid containing four herbicides: 2, 4, 5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4, 5-T), 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid (2, 4-D), cacodylic acid and picloram.

The 2, 4, 5-T was contaminated in the manufacturingprocess with dioxin. Several herbicides were sprayed inVietnam at different times – during different years as well as

during different seasons because of the variety of vegetationand environmental conditions.

The history of herbicides for military use dates toWorld War II. During the early part of the war, interest arose inchemicals that could be used for crop destruction. Two chemi-cals were developed as a result of those early efforts – 2, 4-Dand 2, 4, 5-T. Although neither chemical was used in WorldWar II, the value of their use in weed and brush programs wasrecognized, and both chemicals have been used widelythroughout the world since the 1940s by farmers, foresters andhomeowners.

The VA has offered special access to health servicesand studies since 1978, when it initiated a medical surveillanceprogram for Vietnam veterans with health concerns. By 1981,VA offered priority medical care to Vietnam veterans with anyhealth problems which may have resulted from Agent Orangeexposure. That program continues today.

If you feel you may have been exposed to AgentOrange, or have any questions, please call Stephen Bowers,(954) 966-6300, ext. 1480.

Suzanne Davis, and Toni Taglione (l-r) test Joel Frank and Virginia Mitchell in office lobby.

Diabetes Program Screens Over 200

DVA Searching For Agent Orange Victims

Well, here I am, Raiford Starkeand I’m in the dog house. Mygirlfriend Lowella is screaming

at me to clear the hallways in our house.You see, there are these large bags ofU.S. Mail everywhere and I admit, I’vebeen a little lax in answering my fanmail. So here goes:

Dear Raiford:Why do you wear that big, black

hat?June TigerHollywood

Truth is, It’s to hidethose beautiful golden locksof blond hair that grow allover the top of my head thatchicks go crazy over.Especially the German ones.It just became too much formy Lowella, who becamerather uncomfortable withall the extra female atten-tion I was getting. So toappease her and keep allwomankind under control, Ileave my hat on!

Dear Raiford:So really, why do

you wear that big, black hat?Rhonda RoffBoca Raton

Gosh, my fans justwon’t let that one go, willthey? You really want toknow the truth? Well, okay,now that you’ve asked me,here goes: It’s really tomake me appear taller, andby golly, it works! You see,I’m really only five feet, twoinches tall. . .

Dear Raiford:So what’s your take on the

whole Elian controversy? Ray BecceraHialeah

Controversy? I didn’t knowthere was a controversy, but now thatyou’ve asked me, here goes: To tell youthe truth, I OD’d on this Elian stuff along time ago. I mean, look at the pat-tern here: First you have Elian, thenyou got yer Elian II and so on. I mean,can anyone stop this thing, and whatelse has Sigourney Weaver really donein the last 20 years?

Dear Raiford:You seem to be a bit disturbed.

Were you abused as a child?Pat WickmanBig Cypress

Well now, that seems to be arather personal question, but now thatyou’ve asked me, here goes: I don’thave any memory of any real abuse as achild. I mean, we grew up right nextdoor to a radioactive waste dump just onthe edge of Starkansaw, because my

daddy Alcatraz Starke believed in havinga nuclear family. So, I don’t believe I’vesuffered any abuse in this life, but previ-ous lives are a different story. I remem-ber one day I was sitting on a parkbench, checking out the college basket-ball scores in the sports page, when Ilooked up and saw this sign by the lakethat said, “Warning: Please don’t feedor molest the alligators.” That rightthere must have triggered one of those“past life regressions,” for when I wentto sleep that night, I had this strangedream that I was an alligator in a previ-ous life —- one of them Florida ‘gators,and I must have been in ancient Greecebecause I was being molested bySpartans!

HUMOR

R A I F O R D S T A R K E

R A I F O R D S T A R K E

Dear Raiford Starke:

Dan

McD

on

ald

The Seminole Tribune 15 April 14, 2000

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By Debi LoweApril 1, 2000 was National Census Day. Have

you been counted?Since 1790, in accordance with the U.S.

Constitution mandate, the Census or “count of every per-son in the U.S. living in a particular household” has beenperformed every 10 years.

Today, accurate census information ensures bil-lions of federal monies are distributed properly. Also,population numbers determine congressional representa-tion and State legislature seats. Most importantly the lawprotects your privacy (confidentiality) related to yourresponses to the Census2000 questionnaire.

To date, the U.S.Census Bureau has heldseveral Census 2000 con-ferences around IndianCountry to partnership withAmerican Indians andAlaska Natives. The pur-pose? To assist tribal lead-ers and officials organizetheir own Census recruit-ment activities and com-munity awareness pro-grams.

The new milleni-um’s 22nd Census countcomes with promotionalinformation and materialspecifically designed forIndian Tribes and AlaskaNatives including a spe-cially designed logo, slo-gan and Indian artworkposters as well as other“giveway” items.

The SeminoleTribe of Florida communi-ty partnership includesRecruitment Assistant/Tribal Liaison Debi Lowe(Onondaga Nation) andTribal PartnershipSpecialist Vickey Sellers(Poarch Creek). Both havemanned booths at pow-wows and other communi-ty events and utilized Tribalmedia programs to get theword out that “each andevery Seminole Tribal member and Indian and AlaskaNative person counts” during the decennial Census 2000.This includes needs and services provided at all levels ofgovernment including tribal, local, state and federal.

It is important for tribal communities to under-stand that the combined statistics (not individual informa-tion) are published. Data gathered from completed andreturned short or long Census Questionnaires makes sureeach person in the household is included or counted forneeded services.

Such services and successful plans made by tribaldecision-makers and leaders health care, housing, elderly

services, child and infant care, education, jobs training,roads improvement, Accurate maps for 911 emergencysystems (including law enforcement, fire or medical emer-gencies, disease control, environmental/catastrophic emer-gencies, business development and more.

The “Short” Form Questionnaire consists ofseven subjects: name, relationship to head of house, sex(male or female), date of birth, Hispanic or Latino,race(s)/Tribe (name), housing unit (rent or own). Five outof six households will receive the short form.

The “Long” Form Questionnaire includes the 7subjects above plus: marital status, education background,

ancestry or ethnicity, language,citizenship, residency history,medical disabilities or otherimpairments, employment sta-tus. Age, military status, incomeand household information.

No matter which formyou receive be sure to answereach question completely.Expect a visit by a census takerto obtain missing information.Check your answers before youseal the self-addressed envelope.

Households, who havenot received a questionnaire yetor have inadvertently tossed itaway, please contact your localQAC (Questionnaire AssistanceCenter). QAC’s are setup on theSeminole Brighton, Hollywoodand Immokalee reservations atthe tribal offices. Check withyour local tribal office for QACtime schedule. Miccosukee andCreek languages interpreters areavailable to answer questions.

Seminole Tribal mem-bers and community members –including a few non-Indian tribaloffice workers – are happy toassist with the questionnaire.Please greet them – as they willwith you – with courtesy.

Several SeminoleTribal member “census takers”have been trained and haveworked hard to complete thefirst phase or Census operation.This phase included updatingtribal addresses and leaving the

questionnaire. The Census 2000 operation will continuethrough April and May. Tribal census takers will continueto update household addresses and complete question-naires with households in some Seminole communities.Households who do not mail back their completed formswill also be visited in the near future.

The Census 2000 questionnaire is important, safeand easy. Your response is very important. If you have anyquestions contact your local census office or call DebiLowe at 954/966-6300 x1473. Remember: genarations areconting on this don’t leave it blank.

Have You Filled Out The Census Form?

Debi Lowe Is Counting On You

CENSUS LADY: Debi Lowe holds poster.

By Benny SecodyEVERGLADES CITY

— Gator Osceola, a fifth gradestudent at Everglades City Schooland a Tribal member competedagainst 300 other Collier Countrystudents ranging from firstthrough fifth grade and wasselected as the winner of a postercontest by a team of professionaldesigners.

The purpose of the con-test was to encourage school-agedchildren to spread the word aboutthe upcoming Census 2000 count.Collier County has initiated a pub-lic awareness campaign to educateand encourage residents to fill outand mail back their census forms.

Children are an especial-ly critical element in the overallsuccess of the census count. In the1990 census, over four millionindividuals were missed in theU.S., and over half of these werechildren.

It is vital that everyonecomply with the Census count, asFederal funding and local moniesare contingent upon the number of people counted – with children the most integral aspect

of our future.As the first place poster contest

winner, Gator was presented with a bal-loon bouquet, a professionally mounteddisplay of his winning poster and a bag ofcensus goodies. His poster will be repro-duced and distributed around the county,as well as be displayed in the NaplesDaily News.

Gator is taking all of this hooplain stride, and although pleased by hisaccomplishment, shyly shrugs off the bar-rage of compliments bestowed upon him.He states he will continue to develop hisartistic skills, but when asked what hewanted to be when he finished school, hereplied, “I have no idea!”

Gator is the son of ClaudiaOsceola, and resides on the MiccosukeeReservation with his three brothers andtwo sisters.

Gator Osceola Wins Poster Contest

Each year, thousands of acres of wild-land and hundreds of homes are destroyed bywildfires. Last year, the number of wildfires inFlorida prompted Governor Jeb Bush to declarea state of emergency for the entire state.

With rainfall once again below averagefor this time of year, Allstate InsuranceCompany recommends the following to protectyour family and property from wildfires:Regularly clear roof and gutters of leaves andother debris.Keep household items handy that can be used asfire tools: a rake, ax, hand or chain saw, bucketand shovel.

Create a defensible zone, remove alldry grass, brush and dead leaves at least 30 feetaround your home.Remove vines from the wall of the home.Remove leaves and rubbish from under struc-tures.

Remember that if you are warned that awildfire is threatening your area, personal safetyshould always come first. If you have time, shutoff gas at meter; turn off pilot lights, close win-dows, vents and doors. If possible, take yourhomeowners policy with you.

Wildfires Spell Trouble For Floridians

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Gator Osceola displays his winning Census 2000 poster.

Smallwood StoreSeminole Indian Day

March 18, 2000

Melissa BusterMary Frances Fewell Cypress

Joslyn Cypress

Clothing competition: Young women’s modern traditional.

Clothing competition: Women’s modern traditional.

Clothing competition: Boy’s modern traditional.

Clothing competition: Toddler’s modern traditional. Darion Osceola with her great grandfather Pete Osceola Sr.

Lesley Billie

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