Do you know...

Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, 1922 -
First Woman to Lead Florida's Seminoles

She was born in 1922 in a little place east of Lake Okeechobee called Indiantown. At that time, Indiantown had 100 Native Americans and 75 White residents. Soon she moved to the Dania Indian Reservation near Hollywood, Florida. There she began her study of English so she could not only understand her Seminole world, but also the world outside her reservation. Soon she wanted to go to school, but in those days Native Americans could not attend Florida's schools. For this reason, Betty Mae Tiger and her cousin, Mary, went off with Betty Mae's brother, Howard, to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina -- over one-thousand miles from their home in Florida.

Over 700 students studied at the Cherokee school from many native language groups and thus, they had to use English as a common language. When Betty Mae graduated in 1945, she and a cousin were the first Seminoles from Florida to ever graduate from high school.

Betty Mae went to Oklahoma to train as a practical nurse at the Kiowa Indian Hospital. Returning to Florida, Betty Mae used her nurses' training and her command of English to provide ever better medical and health care for Seminoles on the Florida reservations. She drove and walked many miles to care for the sick and to teach about health care. During her twenty years of health care service, she married Moses Jumper, a War veteran, and had three children. One of the health clinics she helped to get started is named in her honor, the "Betty Mae Jumper Complex."

In 1950, Betty Mae began a tribal newsletter called the Seminole News (now The Seminole Tribune), using her English language skills. In 1957, when the Seminole Indians became organized as the Seminole Tribe of Florida, she was a leader using her ability to speak Creek Miccosukee and English. First she was vice-chairman, and then, she was elected Chairman of the Tribal Council...the highest position in the Seminoles' government! Today, Betty Mae Tiger Jumper writes, and teaches about the Seminole people. As she said, "As a young girl, I knew that I wanted to help my people and I do believe that I have made a difference to the Seminole people of today."

She also made the 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History list.

Shakopee to appeal decision to put city land into trust

Associated Press

SHAKOPEE, Minn - The Shakopee City Council voted unanimously Monday to appeal a Bureau of Indian Affairs ruling that says the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community can transfer about 750 acres it owns into a tax-exempt trust.

The vote came just hours after Scott County officials decided not to appeal the ruling, saying they'd rather negotiate with the tribe than pursue litigation.

The tribe, which owns the popular Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, has been seeking unfettered use of its land for years. Glynn A. Crooks, vice chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, said the tribe plans to use the land primarily for homes for members.

City Administrator Mike McNeill called the appeal "a necessary step," noting that Monday was the deadline for filing an appeal. However, McNeill said the city is willing to discuss the issue with the tribe and remains open to a negotiated settlement.

Want to know more? Click here: http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=16951.html

Pukúu, Cultural Commuity Services

For over thirty-nine years the Fernandeño Tataviam Tribe through a non-profit, has provided social services to the American Indian community. The word pukúu derives from the Fernandeño Tataviam language meaning "ONE." Pukúu, Cultural Community Services is a not-profit organization that strives to strengthen the continuity of the American Indian community.

Pukúu offers temporary aid to low-income Native Americans and community members who encounter a financial emergency. Our endeavors also focuse on being a cultural resource for American Indians living in Los Angeles County and providing cultural celebrations in which individuals may participate and reconnect with their traditions.

Pukúu works to ensure that the California American Indian youths have an opportunity to pursue a higher education. Both the Fernandeño Tataviam Tribe and Pukúu raise funds throughout the year to provide scholarships for California Tribal youths who want to attend a college or university.

Check out their website: http://www.pukuu.org/

KQRS to apologize for Red Lake remarks

By: Curt Brown

After a meeting Monday with tribal leaders and American Indian advocates, KQRS Radio said it will apologize for comments made on Tom Barnard's highly popular "Morning Show" that linked high suicide rates on the Red Lake Indian Reservation with incest and genetics.

KQRS-FM (92.5) said it will hire Indian interns and invite members of the Red Lake Chippewa and Shakopee Mdewakanton communities to be on Barnard's show, which is the perennial morning ratings leader by a wide margin in Twin Cities' radio.

"KQ did admit that the statements made on the radio were wrong-headed and stupid," said Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd (Buck) Jourdain, who drove down from northern Minnesota for the hour-long meeting at KQ's headquarters in Minneapolis. "I fail to see how any community can stand for such behavior under the guise of humor."

Read more here: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1515148.html