Betty Mae Tiger Jumper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper
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| 2nd Tribal Council Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida | |
| In office 1967–1971 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Osceola |
| Succeeded by | Howard Tommie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 27, 1923 Indiantown, Florida |
| Died | January 14, 2011 (aged 87) |
| Resting place | New Seminole Cemetery |
| Spouse | Moses Jumper |
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, also known as Potackee (April 27, 1923 – January 14, 2011), was a remarkable leader of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. She made history as the first, and so far only, woman to become the chief of the Seminole Tribe.
Betty Mae was a dedicated nurse who helped her community for 40 years. She also helped start the tribe's first newspaper, the Seminole News, in 1956. Later, she edited The Seminole Tribune and even won a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in journalism. In 2001, she shared her life story in a book called A Seminole Legend.
She was the first Florida Seminole person to learn to read and write English. She was also the first to finish high school and a nursing program. Besides her newspaper work, she was the Communications Director for the tribe.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Betty Mae Tiger was born on April 27, 1923. Her birthplace was a Seminole camp near Indiantown, Florida. Her mother, Ada Tiger, was a Seminole woman from the Snake clan. Her father was a French trapper named Abe Partan. Her grandmother, Mary Tiger, gave her the Seminole name Potackee.
In the Seminole culture, children traditionally belong to their mother's family group. This is called a matrilineal system. So, Betty Mae took her mother's family name, Tiger.
When Betty Mae was five, her family faced challenges because her father was white. To keep the children safe, her great-uncle moved the family to the Dania reservation in Broward County. Here, the government could protect them. Her mother had to leave behind many cattle. She sold some and gave others to the tribe to help people who needed food.
Betty Mae's first languages were Mikasuki and Creek. She learned these from her relatives. At night, she loved listening to older tribe members tell stories passed down through generations. She said these stories taught her "how to live." Later, she would write down these important stories.
Betty Mae was determined to learn to read and write. At that time, schools in Florida were segregated. This meant that neither the white nor the black schools would accept Seminole children. So, Betty Mae decided to go to a federal Indian boarding school. She enrolled at one in Cherokee, North Carolina, with her cousin Mary and younger brother.
She started learning English when she was 14. In 1945, she became the first formally educated Seminole from her tribe. She was also the first to read and write English. The next year, she completed a nursing program at the Kiowa Indian Hospital in Oklahoma. At that time, many Seminole people preferred care from Medicine Men. Betty Mae's family had many medicine people, including her mother, uncles, and great-uncle Jimmy. But her mother was open to white doctors and hospitals if it helped sick people.
Family Life
After finishing her nursing program, Betty Mae returned to Florida. She married Moses Jumper. They had a son named Moses and two daughters who sadly passed away young. Later, they adopted two Seminole children, Boettner Roger and Scarlet.
Her Career and Leadership
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper worked as a nurse for 40 years. She traveled to different Seminole communities, like Big Cypress, Brighton, and Hollywood reservations. She helped improve health care for her people. She and another nurse gave many children their first vaccinations. She also worked with her mother, who was a midwife, to encourage women to go to the hospital when needed.
In 1956, Betty Mae helped start a tribal newsletter called the Seminole News.
In 1967, Betty Mae Tiger Jumper was elected as the first female chairwoman, or chief, of the Seminole tribe. This was a decade after the tribe gained official recognition from the U.S. government. She also started the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET). This group helps run health and education programs for its members. It also became a strong voice for tribes with states and Congress. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon chose her to be part of the National Congress on Indian Opportunity. She served on the tribal council for a total of 16 years.
Thanks to her leadership, the Seminole Tribe grew financially. In 1967, the tribe was almost out of money. But by the time she left office in 1971, they had $500,000. In 1999, Mrs. Jumper said she had three main goals in life: "To finish school, to take nurse's training and come back and work among my people, and to write three books." She achieved these goals and many more.
In the 1970s, the tribal newspaper was renamed The Seminole Tribune. Betty Mae Tiger Jumper became its editor for several years. She also became the Communications Director for the Tribe. She wrote many articles about Seminole traditions and culture. By 1999, the newspaper was distributed across the country and even internationally. The Native American Journalists Association gave her their first Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her Books
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper wrote several books, sharing her knowledge and stories:
- And With the Wagon - Came God's Word
- Legends of the Seminoles, a children's book illustrated by Guy La Bree (1994)
- A Seminole Legend, which she wrote with Patsy West (2001)
She also narrated a video called The Corn Lady, where she told a traditional Seminole story.
Later Years and Legacy
When she published her memoir, A Seminole Legend, in 2001, Betty Mae Tiger Jumper also had her own website. She was the last surviving matriarch (female head) of the Snake clan. She passed away peacefully on January 14, 2011.
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper left a lasting impact.
- In 1989, The Seminole Tribune was the first Native American newspaper to win a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. It was also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize that year.
- In 1994, she was honored by being added to the Florida Women's Hall of Fame.
- In 1997, she received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Journalists Association.
- Also in 1997, The Seminole Tribune won five awards from the Native American Journalists Association.
- In 1997, the Florida Commission on the Status of Women named her "Woman of the Year."
- She received an honorary Doctorate degree from Florida State University.
- In 2019, a historical marker honoring her was placed in Stuart, Florida.
- She also received a Florida Department of State Folklife Heritage Award.
See also
In Spanish: Betty Mae Tiger Jumper para niños
