E-Mail to the Editor
Dear Editor,
We’re impressed to see the creative writing of Elgin Jumper in the Tribune. He’s taking after his uncle, James Jumper, who wrote great poetry in the 1950s.
Cordially,
Pat & Guy LaBree
Arcadia, Fla.
Dear Editor,
We would like to invite everyone, especially all southeastern Native Americans, to attend the celebration and unveiling of bronze sculptures of Florida Native Americans in Tallahassee on March 15. It is entitled “American Royalty.”
Former Governor Jeb Bush has proclaimed March 15 as “Florida Native American Day,” and the day’s celebration will kick off Florida Heritage Month. On that day in Tallahassee, there will be an unveiling of a bronze statue of a group of Florida Native Americans as depicted by 16th Century French artist Jacques Le Moyne.
At that time, the territory known as “La Florida,” or, “the flower,” covered an area from Alabama to Virginia. Therefore, the tribute will include the native people who originally lived in the Southeastern U.S. Most of these people were members of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes, consisting of Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee and Seminole.
It is hoped that this celebration will educate the public regarding the historic importance of the Southeastern Tribes; a great people too often neglected in film and television depictions of our country’s Native Americans.
This tribute to Native Americans is long overdue. We hope many Native Americans associated with the Southeastern Tribes will attend the unveiling and celebration. There are plans to continue this celebration for years to come.
Sincerely,
Bradley, Linda and
Bradley Cooley Jr.
Bronze By Cooley
Dear Editor,
I and the other members of the Homestead 4-H Club and were recently at the Billie Swamp Safari and had the most wonderful time.
I would like to commend all involved in the Billie Swamp Safari Tour. Jodi, Kathy and Raymond were fantastic. Glen did a great job of storytelling and was naturally courteous to all our inquiries. The man who did the tour and reptile show was so entertaining! Our raptor guide was exceptionally informed.
Thank you so much for the best weekend ever,
Bonnie Ferguson
Dear Editor,
I’m a basic white guy, over-40 of Euro background, and today I read an article about the Seminole purchase of much of the Hard Rock enterprise. I was particularly taken by this quote: “We’re going to buy Manhattan back one hamburger at a time,” Max Osceola said.
What a fantastic quote! And I hope you, in the large sense, make it, or at least come close. When you finalize the deal, I’m going to take my kids to a Hard Rock Café for the first time. I wish you the very best of luck!
Edward Rice
Vienna, VA
Dear Editor,
My name is Ian German. I’m a social work student from Florida Atlantic University and I am doing a community assessment of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. I’d like to meet with somebody or be referred to a website or library where I can find a great deal of information about the community, including housing, employment, demographics, spiritual systems, political forces, etc. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Ian German
Dear Mr. German,
Thank you for your inquiry and decision to build the Seminole Tribe of Florida into your learning experience. Our website is www.semtribe.com. If you need more information of interviews, all official requests for research should be submitted through our Tribe’s General Counsel, Jim Shore.
Tina M. Osceola
Director of Museums
Dear Editor,
As a child growing up in South Florida, I took many field trips to the Seminole Village from my various schools in Miami Beach, Hollywood and West Palm Beach. I hope I developed a true appreciation for the culture and ideals of the people we met during those trips and I tried to pass that appreciation on to our three sons.
It is in this spirit that I just want to say congratulations on the acquisition of the Hard Rock chain. When I read about it a few minutes ago on Yahoo, I felt compelled to write just to say way to go!
I think it’s great and it couldn’t happen to anyone more hard working or deserving than the people I met on those long ago field trips.