April 26 - Seminole Tribe of Florida

Big Cypress to celebrate big 1 – 1 – 75A • The Seminole Tribune • April 26, 2013BY EILEEN SOLERStaff ReporterBIG CYPRESS — Country music starSara Evans will headline festivities May 3-4during the Big Cypress 117th AnniversaryCelebration at the Junior Cypress RodeoGrounds.A grand entrance 10 a.m. each day ofSeminole Tribe officials and royalty willherald the two-day event. Tori Osceola, thegrand prize winner of the 2009 SeminoleStar Search Competition, will kick offentertainment with a performance of theNational Anthem. Colorful dancing by theCentral Plains Dancers and the SeminoleTribe Traditional Stomp Dancers willfollow on both days.Tribal members are invited to modeltheir finest handmade Seminole attire inseveral clothing contests that will highlightold, modern, traditional and contemporarystyles.Critter shows hosted by Okalee Villagewill thrill and delight with native Floridaswamp creatures that hiss, slither, chomp –and set the stage for the mystical sounds ofGordon “Ollie” Wareham’s soulful flute andunique storytelling.Tribal food vendors will sell an arrayof traditional cuisine from sofkee topumpkin frybread, spam with tomatoes andIndian tacos. Some clan families will cookover wood fires, as their ancestors did forcenturies.Merchandise vendors will includeHarley Davidson motorcycles and SouthernDivas jewelry, and intermittent bingo gameswill be held throughout the event.The 117th Anniversary Celebrationcommemorates the Bureau of IndianAffairs’ land purchase in 1896 of a tract ofswampland that, when added to 160 acrespreviously purchased in 1889, became thenucleus of the Big Cypress Reservation.Though Native American ancestorswho eventually became the SeminoleTribe likely made camps throughout SouthFlorida’s Everglades for generations, it wasnot until 1911 that the land was orderedby then-President William Howard Taft tobecome an Indian reservation and not until1936 that it was officially dedicated.Big Cypress Councilman Mondo Tigerhosted a similar festival in 2011 to mark BigCypress’ 115th anniversary.“We’d like to make it a Tribal fairevery year moving forward into the future,”Councilman Tiger said.The multi-platinum selling star, SaraEvans, who is of Native American descent,will take the rodeo arena stage at 8:30 p.m.following a lineup of country music artists,including the homegrown Cowbone Bandand Osceola Brothers and national sensationMorgan Frazier. The night will cap off witha fireworks display.Big Cypress Rep. assistant WovokaTommie said non-Tribal members will geta chance to see a great concert and “theculture, art, history and integrity of a greatnation never conquered by the government.”For Tribal members, the two-day eventwill be a chance to bask in the same.“They can come out and see what’snew, visit old friends, swap stories andpictures,” he said. “And for those who don’twant to cook, they’ll get a chance to eatsome old-fashioned Tribal soul food.”If you go:Gates open at 9:30 a.m. both days.The festival is free but concert ticketscost $35 each through www.TicketMaster.com or www.BigCypressCelebration.com.Wristbands for carnival rides cost $10 forages 12 and older, $5 for ages 5 through 11.Kids younger than 5 get in free.For more information, call 863-902-3200 ext. 13314.Seminole Chairman, Princessesstar at Florida Folk Heritage AwardsBY PETER B. GALLAGHERSpecial Projects ReporterTALLAHASSEE — Floridasongwriter Frank J. Thomas, whose songsabout Seminole Indians and FloridaCrackers are Florida music legend, wasawarded the highest cultural honor in thestate recently when he was inducted into theFlorida Artists Hall of Fame at the FloridaFolk Heritage Awards.Attending the March 20 event inTallahassee were Seminole ChairmanJames E. Billie, Miss Florida SeminoleAlexis Aguilar and Jr. Miss Brianna Nunezwho met with Florida Secretary of StateKen Detzner.Thomas, a longtime friend of theSeminole Tribe, was delighted.“You know for an old Cracker boythat grew up over in rural Clay County it’shard to believe some of this is happening,”Thomas said. “As my friends will tell you,I don’t consider myself nothin’ extra. I havewritten a lot of songs about Florida and Idearly love this state.”Detzner opened the show by introducingChairman Billie to the audience.“Chairman Billie, we applaud yourpersonal vision for cultural programs forthe Seminole Tribe of Florida, includingthe Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum of History,programs for seniors, student educationsprogram and your long-time dedication tothe Florida Folk Festival,” he said.Chairman Billie, a friend of Thomas,gave attendees insight into the SeminoleTribe by describing how Seminoles havefought against and with the U.S. and haveendured.“By the time the Seminole Indiansfinally crawled out of the swamps inthe 1900s and finally got used to theenvironment in Miami, Fort Lauderdale,Naples, Immokalee, Fort Pierce, one of thefirst things that put money in our pocketswas tourism. Somewhere in the Miamiarea, a white man picked up an alligatorand wrestled around with it, a bunch oftourists liked it and said, ‘Hey that wouldlook better if an Indian did it,’ and the nextthing I knew, we started wrestling thosealligators. The tourists would throw moneyinto the alligator pit and the rest of the daywe would spend trying to find those nickelsand quarters. But it served us well.“I grew up around Delray Beach andmy grandmother would take me to the busstation. We had a little chickee hut there andI’d be with my grandmother selling dollsand Indian jackets, and my grandfatherwould be over there carving wood andselling it to the tourists.“There always seemed to be tourism inmy blood. When [the] Seminole Tribe wasorganized in 1957, so be it we had an Indianvillage called Seminole Okalee IndianVillage. We went to alligator wrestling andtried to do other things. These were theyears that the Indians were trying to cuteach other’s tongues out, meaning we weretrying to catch up in this marvelous systemso fast and so bad, with the desire to learnwhat we called ‘the white man’s way,’ tolearn to read English, and do arithmetic andall that when we started into school.”Chairman Billie explained how thisPhoto courtesy of SaraEvans.comCountry music star Sara Evans will headline festivities May 3 during the two-day Big Cypress 117thAnniversary Celebration at the Junior Cypress Rodeo Grounds.Peter B. GallagherChairman James E. Billie and Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner, along with Seminole royaltyand Aubee and Eecho Billie, take a moment to pose with an actor portraying Spanish explorer JuanPonce de León during the Florida Folk Heritage Awards.led to kids born in the 1950s not knowingtheir own language. However, by the 1970s,Seminoles of older generations beganonce again trying to teach their culture andlanguage.“Today, we are doing well; our cultureis still intact,” he said.Brianna Nunez, Jr. Miss FloridaSeminole, educated the audience abouther dress and patchwork: “Our clothing isknown around the world. In my traveling, Ialways have people come up to me saying,‘Let me feel your dress. Did you make this?’It’s overwhelming.”She went on to explain the patchworkand the meaning of the different designs:“Turtle, Broken Arrow, Panther, Man onHorse – they keep our traditions going. Itgives us a chance to express where we comefrom.”Alexis Aguilar, Miss Florida Seminole,was next to address the crowd, whichobservers said was the largest since theawards began in the late ’80s. She began,as Nunez did, saluting the crowd in her ownlanguage.“You notice Brianna spoke a differentlanguage from me. Because our Tribe isCreek and Seminole, she spoke Creek and Ispoke the Miccosukee language. Our Tribescame together in a melting pot of cultureand that is what you guys know today as theSeminole Tribe,” she said.The evening ended with the inductionsinto Florida Artists Hall of Fame which isFlorida’s highest cultural award.Other 2013 inductees included 19thcenturypainter Laura Woodward, whowas awarded posthumously, and Miami’sown Gloria Estefan. Estefan sent a videoaccepting her award. The awards ceremonyincluded winners of the Secretary of StateHistoric Preservation Awards and theFlorida Book Awards. On hand was anactor from Viva Florida 500 who portrayedPeter B. GallagherChairman James E. Billie is on hand to helphonor Frank J. Thomas when he is inducted intothe Florida Artists Hall of Fame on March 20.explorer Juan Ponce de León on a search, hesaid, for Tribal historian Willie Johns.Thomas, who has written more than 500songs about Florida, is known as the Deanof Florida Folk Music, his songs performedfor decades at venues and cultural eventsthroughout the Sunshine State and onNational Public Radio (NPR).Chairman Billie joined Thomas onstage when his old friend received theaward:“I would like to invite all of you to comeover to the Florida Folk Festival, MemorialDay weekend, in White Springs, a beautifulold town on the Suwannee River, and see acelebration of who we are here in Florida,where all the different cultures cometogether in this one event. The conchs downin Key West, the Tarpon Springs divers, tothe Seminole Indians, the Minorcans overon the East Coast …”Thomas had the last word.“We are Florida,” he said. “And we areshowing ourselves off to the world.”Beverly BidneyKurya Kippenberger holds Casper as veterinarian Amie Lanier gives a rabies shot.Animal Control Programtakes good care of petsBY BEVERLY BIDNEYStaff ReporterThe Tribe’s Animal ControlProgram ensures treasured familypets receive vaccinations, rabies shotsand electronically tracked implantedmicrochips through semi-annual clinics.About 50 Hollywood dogs and catsbrought their owners to the rabies andmicrochip clinic on March 28 outsidethe Health Department.“When the Animal Control Programwas started in 2006, we had animals withrabies,” said Jonathan Vazquez, AnimalControl Program coordinator. “We seea lot more people at these clinics everyyear.”In 2007 the Tribe enacted anordinance similar to the county andstate’s, which requires pet owners toregister their animals annually. Therabies and microchip clinics were heldin Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywoodand Immokalee. The next clinic will beat Trail on May 2 behind the MiccosukeePreschool.Education is an important serviceprovided by Animal Control.The program reinforces thatanimals stay on their owner’s property,so they don’t become a nuisance in thecommunity. It also focuses on trainingpet owners to keep pets safe and healthy.Other responsibilities includetrapping feral animals and dealingwith wildlife that can endanger people,including alligators, bears, panthers,coyotes and bobcats.“We assess the animals and makesure they aren’t a threat,” Vazquez said.“We have to live with these animals;they’ve always lived here.”Animals are usually captured andrelocated elsewhere on the reservationunless they have lost their fear ofhumans. In that case, animals likealligators are given to Okalee Villageor Billie Swamp Safari. Animal Controlworks with the state to tag and collarbears and panthers for relocation.Raccoons can be a nuisance if theyfind a regular food source, includinggarbage cans.“They are part of nature and theecosystem,” Vazquez said. “Oncethey find a food source, they stay. Weeducate the public on how to securetheir garbage.”Beverly BidneyJonathan Vazquez prepares to give a dog arabies shot as Gus Batista secures the dog.Seminoles increase FloridaFolk Festival participationBY PETER B. GALLAGHERSpecial Projects ReporterWHITE SPRINGS, Fla. — Sincethe Florida Folk Festival began in 1953,the Seminole Indians have been popularparticipants, presenting their unique Nativeculture through dance, song, stories andcrafts on the grounds of the Stephen FosterFolk Culture Center State Park in WhiteSprings.Historically, a group of old chickeeshas marked the north entrance of the park,which borders the historic Suwannee River.Now, workers are rejuvenating thechickee camp by building a new authenticvillage to be completed just in time for the2013 festival set for May 24-26.“I can’t believe it. It is so exciting.We have waited so long for this day,” saidFestival director Elaine McGrath, who isconvinced the new village and performingarea will rejuvenate the entire festival. “Ihave been assured the chickees will befinished by opening day of the festival.We can’t thank Chairman Billie and theSeminole Tribe enough for this wonderfulgift.”In the mid-1990s, Chairman James E.Billie renovated the structures and addeda stage built with cypress and palmettothatch. The music attracted more visitors tothe area – called Ee-to-lit-kee – to observeTribal members cook, carve, chop and sewin the old ways when Seminoles lived inchickee villages.Over the past decade, however, Tribalparticipation waned at the Memorial Dayweekend event – the chickees deterioratedand Ee-ti-lit-kee began to crumble.Discussions to renovate again starteda decade ago between Chairman Billie,Florida State Parks director DonaldForgione and McGrath. Chairman Billiewanted to relocate the Seminole area insidetoward the middle of the park and build itthe way a 19th-century Seminole village inNorth Florida might have looked.The state park officers agreed.At this year’s event, for the first time,Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum staff will operatean information booth near the plannedvillage where a team of Tribal members willprovide cultural demonstrations. The team,assembled by Lorene Gopher and YvonneCalhoun in the Brighton Cultural EducationDepartment, will include Gopher, JennyShore, Nancy Shore, Victor Billie, MollieJolly, Beulah Gopher, Charlotte Burgessand Martha Jones who will demonstrateSeminole sewing, patchwork, cooking,wood carving, doll making and other craftsover the three-day festival.About 300 performances arescheduled. Headliners include songwriter/TV star Jim Stafford, country musiclegends The Bellamy Brothers, bluesmanBen Prestage and Florida Folk patriarchFrank J. Thomas. Country music star BillyDean will make a special appearance onMay 26.The Florida Folk Festival will happenon the grounds of the Stephen Foster StateFolk Culture State Park in White Springs,just south of the Florida-Georgia line. Thepark features one of the largest carillontowers in the United States (it playsStephen Foster music periodically all day)and a grand antebellum museum dedicatedto Foster, who penned the song, Way DownUpon the Suwannee River, or as Fostercalled it, Old Folks at Home.Employee witnesses Boston explosionsBY BEVERLY BIDNEYStaff ReporterBOSTON — Seminole MediaProductions Brighton employee JoseGarcia and his girlfriend, Lisa Molyneaux,took a few days off work to support a friendracing in the Boston Marathon. There, theywitnessed history and walked away shaken,but unscathed.Two deadly explosions near the finishline of the marathon on April 15 killed threeand injured more than 170 people. At presstime, one suspect had been killed, and lawenforcement was searching for the second.Garcia was trying to get to the finishline by taking a shortcut through the Lord& Taylor department store when the firstbomb detonated. On his way outside, thesecond bomb exploded across the street.“Everyone was running and there wasa lot of smoke,” said Garcia, a servicetechnician. “We got about 2 miles awaybefore we stopped to decide what to do next.Like everyone else, we were panicking anddidn’t know what was going on.”Once Garcia determined his friend wassafe, he and Molyneaux breathed easier.“You don’t ever picture yourself inthat kind of situation,” he said. “It wasfrightening because we left our kids athome; I was worried about them.”Before getting on a plane at LoganInternational Airport, Garcia andMolyneaux were interviewed by theMassachusetts State Police and the FBI,who were looking for photos of the scene.They had nothing to help the investigation,but they arrived home safely.