Inside - Seminole Tribe of Florida

The Seminole Tribune 15 April 7, 2006when you worked for $10–15 per day and werehappy to have the money. Finally, it went up to $25per day and we thought we had it all. Times werehard, but we had families to feed and our pride andself-reliance kept us going.Richard Bowers introduced Iris Wall of theCracker Horse Association of Florida. Born 76 yearsago on her family’s ranch near Indiantown, sheremembered the Seminole day workers and her oldfriend, Betty Mae Jumper. Not too long ago, she hada fish fry and the highlight of the day was sittingaround identifying the old timers in a photo from oneof the old cattle drives more than 50 years ago.She ended by saying: “I am a cowgirl. Whenmy husband died, I turned the lumber business overto the family and I began to run our ranching operations.Cattle runs in the blood of my family. I wouldlike to say how proud I was of the Seminole Tribewhen I attended their recent Veterans’ DayCelebration. Their patriotism is something to be honored.”Moses Jumper confided, “I was sittingaround the campfire with Paul and Richard Bowersone night many years ago and we talked about wantingto preserve the wonderful feeling and memoriesthat the cattle drives gave to us. In that setting, theJunior Cypress Cattle Drive was born.“Every year it has gotten bigger and better.It is a pleasure to welcome everyone here and impossibleto thank all the fine people who have made itpossible. I would however like to mention BennyHernandez. He cares for the livestock and makesthem available for our use and then attends to them atthe end of the trail. He has been with us since thefirst drive and I hope will help us with many more tocome.”Moses Jumper is not only a storyteller buthas published three books of poems. For everyone’sdelight, he then recited “Indian Cowboy Dreams,”which received a round of applause. Jumper talkedabout his mother, the history of horses among theSeminoles and his great pride in the warriors whohave fought in the armed forces to preserve our freedom.“Today is a tradition,” he said. “The originalround ups were done by mosquitoes and horsefliesaround the waterholes. Wewere beat up from all day inthe brush and weary aroundthe campfire at night, butnone of us would trade ourmemories.”Old Florida CrackerStoryteller Butch Harrisonentertained the audience withhis tales of old Florida andtold a humorous accountabout an alligator sharing thebed of an obnoxious youngman. Being a Florida native,he grew up on the East coastand has spent his lifetime as afishing guide, photographer,wildlife conservationist andstoryteller.Benny Motlowrecalled growing up aroundPaul Bowers, who is one ofhis idols.“When I was ayoung man, I sure could getinto trouble,” he said. “Paulwould shake my hand when Iwas good, and straighten meout when I was bad.”Pointing at Bowers,he said: “When I think ofPaul, I don’t see the man youare looking at now. I rememberhim in his ’72Thunderbird pulling a trailerwith his cowboy hat tippeddown over his eyes and hiscrooked grin. He had the attitudeand self assurance ofSteve McQueen’s JuniorBonner. I can’t thank Paulenough for everything he hasmeant to me.”Like all good thingsthat have to come to an end,the rest stop was over and itwas time to head’um up andmove’um out! The second legof the journey brought theriders into the Big Cypresscommunity where the roadsidewas lined with appreciativespectators. At the journey’send was the JuniorCypress Rodeo Arena wherea fantastic barbeque had beenprepared for the ridersdelight.Numerous vendorswere on hand with souvenirsof the day ranging from horsetack, clothing, western furniture,pictures, jewelry, hats,toys, blankets and variousmemorabilia. While gatheredbeneath the food tent, the participantsoffered a continualchorus of thank you’s to theSeminole Tribe and weremaking plans for next year.Before partaking ofthe delicious meal, JoeOsceola offered a blessing.Osceola is one of the Tribalelders, who have been veryactive in the cattle industryfor many years and havemade it a family tradition.His daughter Janice,not only grew up helpingwith his ranching efforts, butfilmed the cattle drive forSeminole Broadcasting. Shewas accompanied all day longby his great-granddaughter,Ragan Osceola, whose grandfatheris cattleman JonahCypress and she is also thegreat-granddaughter of JuniorCypress for whom the CattleDrive is named.At the end of a longday on the trail the TenthAnnual Cattle Drive participantswere treated to a performanceof the EasternIndian Rodeo Association(EIRA).Arena announcerWendell Cooper ofAnd away they go!Okeechobee, Fla. was assisted during the evening’sproduction by Council Delegate for the Crow NationDale Oldham. Oldham has a distinctive, deep, clearvoice which has placed him in popular demand as anannouncer since 1969. In the past he has spent 50 ofthe 52 weekends in a single year announcing rodeos,pow-wows, horse races and boxing events.Oldham’s accomplishments don’t end here.Indian Cowboy DreamsA tribute to Morgan Smith, one of the SeminoleTribes First Indian CowboysAs a young boy I stood in awe, as I watchedthese rugged men of oldThey were dark with their jet black hair, toppedwith “ole Stetson hats,” andfaces that were bold!Their jeans were worn as were the faded longsleeve shirts they wore with pride…The boots, the spurs, they had it all, even to thehorses they would ride…I knew these men before I’d heard of Gene,Roy, and Wayne,I didn’t know these movie cowboys stood for away of life that would cause our people somuch pain!The Indian Cowboys I knew were for real! Andsomething told me, that’s what I needed to be,Big Morgan Smith cracking the whip, and ridingalong with old Samson Dixie…Those were the days of the big roundups, thefamily feast and the long cattle run,There were no one day shows or being late,and you stayed til the work was done!I would spend the nights at the Morgan’s Camplying under the ole tin roof while having myIndian Cowboy Dreams,Awakening to the sounds of the squeaky oldarmy saddles and feeling the coolness of themorning fog as the men would have thatimportant coffee and cream…I loved it all and for a boy of nine, it was all Iwanted to be,Cattle begin the 12 mile drive from the West Boundary Road to theJunior Cypress Arena.Moses Jumper introducing Bruce Pratt of the Hollywood ChickeeChurch.Judy WeeksJudy WeeksJudy WeeksJudy WeeksThe magnificent three (L-R): Chairman Mitchell Cypress, Benny Motlow,and Richard Bowers.The wet season, the hanging moss, the BigCypress Swamp it was a place where a youngboy could really be free!The names are etched in my mind of theseIndian Cowboys of yesteryear:Charlie Micco, Naha Tiger, Josiah Johns, truecattlemen who knew no fear!Braided bull whips, Mexican spurs, and high inthe deep seated saddle they sat,These wee “real men” from the tip of their bootto the top of their “Tom Mix Hat”…I would play in the “Ole Red Barn”, and waitas the bullets in my toy gun I would load,I would listen and from far off I could hear thehorse’s hooves, as they walked on the shellrock road…These men stood for a way of life that I’m sureonce again, we would all like to see,Good Cow Dogs, Cracker Cattle, a good horseand the glades where a man could really befree…These men were my Heroes, and their namesyou won’t hear on TV,But to those of us who remember, their nameswill always be a part of our history…And as long as there is a horse to ride, a steerto rope, and a bunch of good dogs that work asa team,I’ll remember back to those days when as aboy, I slept under the “Ole Tin Roof,” as thesemen rode tall in my Indian Cowboy Dreams...—Moses Jumper Jr.Judy Weeks(L-R) Vivian Villarreal, Curtis Weeks, Adriane Cypress and Ayze Henrywait for the cattle release at the pens.Judy WeeksGeorge and Sally Billie joined the cowboys and cowgirls for breakfast atthe Swampwater Cafe.Jenny Johns Garcia and Benny MotlowHe has been a college professor since 1971 teachingNative American studies. Retiring in 2005, he tookthe position of Crow Tribal historical preservationofficer and reduced his public appearances to approximately20 events per year.The Junior Eastern Indian Rodeo got underwayat 6 p.m. with a generous crowd in the bleaches.The clown offered his encouragement to the youngstersby making wagers with them on the results.Sarah Descheene got a good grip on hersheep and made it all the way down the area beforebeing dislodged after her mount went airborne. Asalways the mutton bustin’ was a favorite with the followingresults: 1.Ahnee Jumper, 2.Sarah Descheene,3.Danny Rodriguez, 4.Kirkland Boney.The wild pony and bareback competitionfound the youngsters on some very nasty critters. J.J.Johns’ white pony was full of the devil and was notsatisfied with bucking him off, but kicked him afterhe hit the ground. Pony riding results are: 1.JoshJohns, 2.Austin Holmes; Junior bareback: 1. EthanArnold.There were an abundance of entries in calfriding and some very energetic rough stock. MichaelGarcia didn’t just get bucked off, but did a doublesomersault as he hit the ground. Kelton Smedley hadan excellent ride with a 3.16 score, followed by JobeJohns and Blevins Jumper.There were several tense moments in thesteer riding when Cody Motlow got hung up anddragged into the fence, but you can’t keep a goodman down and he eventually walked away unharmedand sporting a first place position.Josh Johns took second and Andrew Holmeswas third. Andre Jumpers steer bucked so hard it torehis chaps off. Zane Ducheneaux had a fantastic rideand ended by throwing his hat in the air.Unfortunately, Ducheneaux’s hand had touched thebull half way down the arena and caused a disqualification,but it still will be a ride to remember.The junior bulls gave Ethan Gopher, JustinAldridge and Seth Randolph a run for their money.One bull went to bucking in the chute and anotherwouldn’t react for a good ride resulting in a secondshot for the contestant. Seth Randolph took first andEthan Gopher was second.Four to eight year old barrels finished withthe following scores: 1.Kalgary Johns, 2.Jobe Johns,3.Ahnee Jumper, 4.Cyrus Smedley.There were a number of beginners on leadline with their moms and siblings running the patternsfor them. Rayvan King, son of Ray and JodyKing, did his debut appearance by himself on a whitepony. Although the animal refused to cooperate, Kingstuck with him and not onlyrode the length of the arena,but stayed on board when thepony raced out of the arena.That pony didn’t know whatkind of a tough hombre hewas messing with.Nine to 12 year oldbarrels had one buck off andtwo broken patterns, but fourriders came home with themoney. Results: 1.NauthkeeHenry, 2.AcealynYoungblood, 3. AdrianneCypress, 4.Regan Tigertail.There was a big surprisein the 13 to 18 year oldbarrels when RebeccaOsceola blew everyone’sdoors off with an 18.215 andtook first place. Osceola hasbeen practicing a lot andJudy Weeksentered a few barrel races, butwould have to be considered anovice. However, her March25 ride was spectacular andmade her want to practice allthe more. She had very stiffcompetition from JanaeBraswell and Taylor Johnswho were hot on her heels.It was a rough nightin the junior breakaway withthe animals winning in manycases. With six entries, theonly perfect catch was DaltonBerry with a 50.2 score.The legends breakawaybrought three elderssuccess: 1.Amos Tiger,2.Parker Jones and 3.NormanJohns.The special attractionfor the evening was SidMcFarland and his son Trent.Hailing from Montgomery,Ala., Sid has 36 years ofrodeo under his belt, whileTrent has been clowning professionallyfor 13 years.During Sid’s career,he has appeared in rodeosfrom Madison Square Gardenin New York, N.Y. to the CowPalace in San Francisco,Calif. From north to south, hehas played Canada toNicaragua. Moving for a timeto Cody, Wyoming, to bemore centrally located on therodeo circuit, he eventuallyreturned home to Alabama.Sid McFarland wasn’talways a clown. He hascompeted in bareback, bullsand steer wrestling and canboast of a combined time incasts of over two-and-a-halfyears. A firefighter by tradehe has one more year toretirement and then plans notto let a day job get in the wayof his rodeo clowning. Hisson Trent is a registered nurseand looks forward to a longcareer in the medical fieldbefore he can make rodeo afull time proposition.The sanctionedevening performance includedbareback, saddle bronc, andbulls with favorites ShawnBest, Freddie Warbonnet andGreg Louis taking top honors.Greg Louis walked off withthe money in the steerwrestling while AlfonzoTigertail, Cort Herrera andHilliard Gopher excelled inthe calf roping.In the women’sevents the results were as follows:Breakaway: 1. MindyFish, 2. Clarissa Bowers, 3.Leanna Billie; Barrels: 1.Boogie Jumper, 2. SheyannaOsceola, 3. Clarissa Bowers,4. Perrie Whidden, 5. LisaOsceola.