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| Volume XXIII Number 12 | September 6, 2002 |
Ida F. Osceola Crowned Miss Seminole
By Alexandra Frank
HOLLYWOOD — A year has come and gone since the last princess
pageant was held to determine who would represent the tribe as Miss Seminole
and Junior Miss Seminole.
This year, nine contestants entered. Two contestants vied for Miss Seminole and seven for the Jr. Miss Seminole title.
The nine young women represented Trail, and the Hollywood, Big Cypress, Immokalee, and Brighton reservations. The contestants’ ages ranged from 12 to 23 years old.
During the week of the Princess Pageant, the nine contestants spent the better part of three days with each other, three judges, their families, and the princess committee at the Holiday Inn in Hollywood.
On their first evening together, the contestants were treated to a poolside dinner. At the beginning of dinner, the contestants were introduced to everyone in attendance.
For tribal officials and judges, this was a chance to wish all contestants well and congratulate them for entering the prestigious event.
The evening also featured a luau, which got the contestants, along with judges and well-wishers, up and dancing around. Thus, the contest weekend started off on a festive note that everyone seemed to enjoy.
On Friday, the contestants were practicing their entrances onto the stage, where they would perform their talent/demonstration on Saturday night.
The three Princess Pageant judges, Edmond Nevaquaya, Donnie Hamilton, and Miss Indian World Tia Smith, toured the Hollywood Reservation on Friday. They were also treated to lunch at Benihana’s by outgoing Miss Seminole Mercedes Osceola and mother, Virginia Osceola.
During their tour, the three judges visited the Anhinga Museum and the Okalee Village and Museum. All three enjoyed the tour and had a chance to purchase Seminole arts and crafts to remember their visit to the Hollywood Reservation.
However, the day was far from over. A formal dinner was held for the contestants at the Tower Club Banquet in downtown Ft. Lauderdale on Friday night.
Miss Seminole Mercedes Osceola and Jr. Miss Seminole June Jumper, along with emcee Moses Jumper Jr., again introduced the contestants of the Miss Seminole and Jr. Miss Seminole pageant.
This time, the contestants were called up to introduce and share a little bit about themselves to everyone in attendance. This allowed everyone, especially the judges, to see how articulate and well spoken these young women are.
Each one of the contestants were clothed in beautiful Seminole patchwork outfits and shared their knowledge of Seminole culture.
The members of the Princess Committee were also introduced. Many members of the committee are former Miss Seminoles who still promote the contest and what it stands for: positive Seminole representation.
Then it was Saturday, the big day. The contestants started off with “personal interviews” with the judges. During this process, the judges begin to learn how a contestant speaks, how well they present themselves, and how knowledgeable they are about their people and culture, and if they are committed to getting an education.
The personal interview also helps the judges to become acquainted with the contestants in a one-on-one atmosphere. This is important, because the judges can see the communication level of a contestant, which is important.
The personal interviews also show how well a contestant can handle questions when put on the spot, so to speak. It also displays a contestant’s knowledge of current events and how conscious they are of the world around them.
The time had finally arrived for the evening event, which was held the Administrative building. The lobby was packed with Tribal citizens who had come to cheer on their favorite contestant, but everyone socialized during the community dinner, which was served to all who attended the event.
Excitement filled the air as Moses Jumper Jr., and co-host Suraiya Youngblood began the event with an introduction of the judges. Each judged conveyed how privileged they felt to be given the chance to select the new Miss and Jr. Miss Seminole.
After the judges spoke, Moses then introduced the Tribal Officials present at the pageant.
The first to be called up was Max Osceola, Jr., the Council Representative for Hollywood. Max spoke of the pride he felt by having the Seminole Tribe being represented by these beautiful young women.
Osceola said that the young contestants were a reflection of the tribe, the elders, and the family.
“While the Seminoles, at one time, did not have much money or a lot of material possessions, they were always rich in tradition, culture, and family,” said Osceola.
Osceola said that, although there would only be two crowned princesses, all of the participants were winners because they were involved in the pageant. They were present because they are the best the tribe has to offer.
This year, the qualifications for entry into the pageant had been raised. These young women had to excel in tradition, culture, and in school. Everyone knows education is the key, but these young women must personify that belief because they are going to represent the tribe.
“When they go out, others will see Seminole,” said Osceola, who also said he was proud of them because of the representation they will be conveying. Osceola then gave his thanks for being able to share his thoughts with the audience.
Other representatives called on to share a few encouraging words were John Wayne Huff, Council Representative for Brighton; Elaine Aguilar, Council Representative for Immokalee; and William Osceola, Council Liaison for the Tamiami Trail.
They wished all of the contestants the best of luck and said that the contestants were all winners, no matter what place they took home, or if they placed at all.
Joe Dan Osceola, Ambassador to the tribe, remarked that the Princess Pageant has grown roots within the tribe’s history and that the women chosen to represent the tribe have always done so in a positive manner. He said that he was glad to see so many Tribal officials supporting the pageant and the contestants.
Suraiya then introduced the reigning Miss Seminole Mercedes Osceola and Jr. Miss Seminole June Jumper. Mercedes wished all the contestants well and thanked everyone for coming out to support the pageant.
Jr. Miss Seminole June Jumper welcomed everyone to the event and thanked them for their support. She also intoned that all the contestants were winners no matter if they won or lost in the pageant.
June acknowledged that it took a lot of courage for them to enter and compete in the pageant and that they should be proud of who they are. She again wished all the contestants the best of luck and congratulated them for their efforts.
Recognition was extended to the tribe’s other titleholders in attendance, including 2002-2003 Little Mr. Seminole Eric Garcia, 2002-2003 Miss Brighton Codene Jumper, Jr. Miss Brighton Jenna McDuffie, and Brooke Osceola, the 2002-2003 Little Miss Seminole.
Suraiya then started things off by introducing the Jr. Miss Seminole contestants by number.
The first contestant was Mary Huff of the Brighton Reservation. Contestant number 2 was Erica Billie of Immokalee. Contest number 3 was Christine McCall of Hollywood. Contestant number 4 was Stephanie Hall of the Big Cypress reservation.
Contestant number 5 was Codene Jumper of the Brighton Reservation. Contestant number 6 was Janet Billie of the Immokalee Reservation. Last, but not least, was contestant number 7 Harmony Stewart of the Hollywood Reservation.
The next group to be introduced were the Miss Seminole contestants.
The first contestant came from Tamiami Trail, Ida Frances Osceola. The second contestant was Rachel Billie who came from Tamiami Trail as well.
During the introductions, a number of contestants gave their Seminole name and clan, some speaking in their native language. This impressed the judges, as well as a number of pageant attendees.
After the introduction segment, the Seminole Outfit review was conducted. Each contestant wore an impressive ensemble of patchwork clothing.
The contestants were called onto the stage and modeled the clothes, which ranged from traditional to modern traditional, for the judges and the audience.
After the outfit review was the much-anticipated Talent presentation.
Mary Huff spoke of a legend about the “Box Turtle”, Erica Billie did as well. Christine McCall and Harmony Stewart demonstrated the art of making palmetto dolls.
Stephanie Hall gave a demonstration about sweetgrass basket weaving. She described, in detail, the supplies needed to make a basket, obtaining the supplies, and finally, how to create a basket that would be considered a work of art.
Contestant number 5 Codene Jumper performed the song, “In the Sweet Bye and Bye,” in the Creek language. Codene gave an excellent performance and received a rousing round of applause when she was finished.
Contestant number 6 Janet Billie spoke about the game of “stickball” and the equipment needed to play. She also explained how the game is played between men and women.
All of the Jr. Miss contestants were well versed in their talent/demonstration. The next to present their talent/demonstration were the Miss Seminole contestants.
Ida Osceola demonstrated the art of “stomp dancing”. She displayed the equipment needed to create the shakers, using examples dating back to the 1800’s to the present style used today.
Rachel Billie demonstrated the art of fry bread making. She demonstrated how the flour and water are mixed and arranged to create bread so scrumptious many people have been known to sell their souls for it.
She even had a few samples that, to the audience’s despair, she handed out to the judges ONLY. Remind me to try and be judge next time.
After the Talent segment, a video, created by the Seminole Broadcasting Department, was shown. The video was rich in historical photos of Seminole women and video footage of past princess pageants.
It was a wonderful tribute that celebrated the longevity of the princess pageant and to the beauty within all Seminole women.
Then, it was “Impromptu Questions” time. Some the questions asked were “What is being done in your community to promote diabetes awareness?” and “The tribe has two languages, what are they and how important is it to maintain them?”
Some of these questions stumped a few of the contestants. Which was the point, these impromptu questions help determine if an individual can handle questions while representing the tribe.
The questions showed how the princesses would likely react to some of the questions about their people, culture, and beliefs.
It also showed how well the tribe will be represented by whoever is chosen to wear the Miss Seminole or Jr. Miss Seminole crown.
After an intermission that featured the “Black Hawk Blues Band,” it was finally time to announce the winners for the “Talent” and “Miss Congeniality” awards. The talent winners were Stephanie Hall and Ida Osceola in the Jr. Miss and Miss Seminole categories, respectively.
Miss Congeniality was awarded in the Jr. Miss category to Mary Huff and Ida Osceola in the Miss Seminole category. The “Miss Congeniality” award was based on points given by other contestants, not the judges.
The moment had come to announce the winners.
In the Junior Miss category, Third Runner Up went to Codene Jumper, Second Runner Up to Stephanie Hall, First Runner Up was Christine McCall and the new Junior Miss Seminole 2002-2003 was Mary Huff of Brighton!
With a loud cheer from the audience, Mary became the newly crowned Junior Miss Seminole.
When the next crown was being announced, a hush fell over the audience who wondered, would it be Rachel or Ida?
The First Runner Up was Rachel Billie, which meant the newly crowned Miss Seminole 2002-2003 was none other than Ida Osceola.
Again, a loud cheer rose from the crowd, as a stunned Ida received the crown she had competed for over the last three days.
Congratulations to Ida and Mary, there is no doubt these two young women will represent the Seminole Tribe proudly and honorably.
Congratulations also to all of the young women who entered the pageant. You all showed that you could compete with beauty, grace, and perseverance!
Good luck to the Ida and Mary, our new princesses in the upcoming year, may you travel to new places and have wonderful experiences as you represent the Tribe with pride, honor and tradition.
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