There have been many Native American women who have contributed much to the world but have been completely forgotten or ignored in history. In our series on indigenous women we are relating the stories of only a few. I hope readers will be encouraged by their stories and appreciate the contributions that these women have made to society.
This week we feature an outstanding woman who was a first in many categories. In spite of not having an easy life Betty Mae Tiger Jumper fought for and accomplished lasting goals. She is a legend among her people the Seminole tribe in Florida.
Betty Mae Tiger Jumper – Seminole Leader (1923-2011)
Pa-Ta-Kee lived up to her Seminole name given to her by her grandmother when she was very small. It means “soldier” and Betty Mae Tiger Jumper fought against injustice and prejudice and fought for education and more opportunities for her people her whole life.[1]
Many indigenous women have had to live in two worlds – their tribe and the European culture around them. Betty Mae found herself in three worlds – the white world, the Seminole world and the “half-breed” world. Betty Mae’s mother was Seminole and since the tribe is a matriarchal society Betty Mae was Seminole. Her father was a French trapper. Betty Mae had fair skin and was an easy target for the Seminoles who were prejudiced against “half-breed” Indians. Seminoles believed that half-breeds were bad luck. The children could be put to death in a gruesome way such as strangulation, drowning, or mud stuffed in their mouths.
Betty Mae and her little brother were rescued by their great-uncle Jimmie Gopher. Jimmie had become a Christian and took them in. At one point he even had to make the persecutors leave his property at gunpoint. The newly formed family were living in the Dania/Hollywood (Florida) community and the children were safe.
Betty Mae Tiger attended the Cherokee Indian school in North Carolina, becoming the first Seminole to receive a high school diploma. This would be only one of many firsts. Betty Mae would become the first Seminole public health nurse, the first health director and the first to institute an Indian Health Program in order to bring improved conditions for her tribe.
She married Moses Jumper in 1946 after the war. She began to make crafts to sell to tourists.[2]
Moses made money from entertaining the tourists with alligator wrestling. This was a sport he had participated in since childhood. Moses could make up to $100/day in tips.
Sadly, Moses began to drink to escape his memories of the war. He remained an alcoholic. Betty Mae had her hands full to support their children. In this part of her life, she also helped out at their church.
While only in her thirties, she served on the first council to help organize the Florida Seminole government. This enabled her tribe to receive federal recognition. The move was controversial because some Seminoles wanted to remain independent. But Betty Mae could see the advantages to gaining government assistance such as better housing, sanitation, health care, and education.
In 1967 Betty Mae was elected as the tribe’s first female chairperson. She served until 1971. She was actually recognized as the first chairperson or chief of any federally recognized tribe. While serving her Tribe she increased their treasury from less than $40 to a surplus of a half-million by the end of her term. She instituted programs to earn the money such as leasing Seminole land to outside businesses.
Betty Mae founded the first tribal newspaper, Smoke Signals and was the editor for many years. It was renamed Alligator Times and then Seminole Tribune in 1982. This colorful publication won many awards.
During her tenure as chairperson, the United Southeastern Tribes (USET) was formed. This brought together the Seminole, Miccosukee, Cherokee, and Choctaw which became one of the most powerful lobbies in Indian country. Since then, many more tribes have joined. They are responsible for directing the education and health of the members.
Betty Mae was one of two women appointed by President Nixon to the National Congress on Indian Opportunity in 1970. In 1994 she was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame by Governor Lawton Chiles. That year Florida State University granted her an honorary doctor of humane letters for her many years of service to her community. This was another first as Betty Mae became the first Native American to receive such an honor.
Dr. Betty Mae Tiger Jumper helped to establish the Chickee Independent Baptist Church on the reservation. (A Chickee is an open-sided building with a thatched roof supported by cypress logs. It was the kind of home Betty Mae and many other Seminoles lived in until they got better housing many years later.) The new church building stands near where the original building stood, which was a chickee. In an effort to help preserve their culture, she taught children to sing hymns in the Creek and Mikasuki language.
Betty Mae authored several books. She wrote Seminole Legends in 1998. Each story is beautifully illustrated by Guy LaBree, artist and friend-to-the-Seminoles. She wrote And With the Wagon Came the Word in 2000. This book explains how the Christian Faith came to the Seminole people.
The last surviving member of the Snake Clan and an excellent storyteller, Betty Mae also wrote many Seminole legends for children. Some of the stories, like the one below, were told to her by her grandmother. The stories taught the children many things about the way of Seminole life and helped to preserve and honor their history.
Betty Mae concentrated on telling the story as close to the original version as possible. It was a great responsibility to pass the stories down to each generation, keeping intact the beliefs of the people. Here is one story from her book on Seminole legends.[3]
Little Frog – As Told by Betty Mae Jumper
“This story was told to me by my grandmother when I was just a baby. Where we lived, the sounds in the woods were very important to us. We were always asking, “What is that sound from?” A lot of times we were answered with a story such as this one.”
The little green frog was sitting on the edge of the water lilies sleeping away. A big ol’ rabbit came hopping along, came upon the frog and said, “Hi there! Why are you sleeping? It’s too pretty a day to sleep. Wake up! Wake up!”
“I don’t have to do anything,” said the irritated little frog. But that pretty ol’ pesky rabbit kept on until the little frog got really mad and told him, “I’ll fix you up.”
So little frog started singing his funny little song or noise he makes to call the rain. Within a few minutes, the black cloud came and the wind started blowing. Then the rains came and soaked the ol’ rabbit so much he got cold and ran home.
Whenever you hear the frogs singing away today, better be near shelter, because they are warning you that rain is coming soon.
Pa-Ta-Kee had lived up to her name – Soldier. She obtained a better education for her people, better healthcare, and better living conditions. She did this while fighting against prejudice from all sides. She helped to preserve the oral heritage of her people and to free them from disease and death due to lack of medicine. She helped many to share in the new life in Christ. She remains a legend among her people.
[1] The quote above and much of the information in this article from: Betty Mae Tiger Jumper and Patsy West. A Seminole Legend: The Life of Betty Mae Tiger Jumper. (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2001).
[2] The Seminole women earned money by making dolls and patchwork. See previous post: https://authormarywalker.com/native-american-women-patchwork-artists-and-doll-makers/
[3] From – A Legendary Storyteller, https://www.semtribe.com/culture/a-legendary-storyteller
