Post by blackcrowheart on Sept 27, 2006 17:07:31 GMT -5
National Indian Day offers Seminoles chance to share heritage
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
<http://www.topix.net/redir/loc=off-hosted-page/http=3A=2F=2Fwww.sun-sen\
tinel.com>
By Juan Ortega
September 23, 2006
It should be just like any other holiday, and we should be
recognized
As 10-year-old Sierra Bracho rattled a rice-filled cardboard tube that
made the sound of rain, her brother, A.J., stared at river otters and
birds indigenous to Florida <http://www.topix.net/state/fl> .
The Hollywood <http://www.topix.net/city/hollywood-fl> siblings joined
hundreds immersing themselves in American Indian culture Saturday during
the National Indian Day Celebration
<http://www.topix.net/city/celebration-fl> at the Seminole Okalee
Indian Village near Hollywood. The event continues today.
'They've never been to an event like this, and I want my children to
experience all cultures,' said the youngsters' father, Alvaro Bracho,
who is Venezuelan.
National Indian Day, which tribes in Florida and other states celebrate
on the fourth Friday of September, isn't recognized as a national legal
holiday. But the Seminoles say it's a good way to share their culture,
so they extended the celebration into the weekend.
'It should be just like any other holiday, and we should be recognized,'
said Leoma Poore, who has Seminole ancestry and manages the village, at
Seminole Paradise at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Since 1990, presidents have passed proclamations dubbing November
National American Indian Heritage Month. But the day in September, also
called American Indian Day, continues to be an observance, not a legal
holiday, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of
Indian Affairs.
Billy Pewo and his wife, Tracy, flew five hours Friday from their
American Indian reservation in Oklahoma to join as dancers.
'We traveled, and this will be our celebration,' said Billy Pewo, a
Comanche tribe member. 'There's no hard feelings that it's not a
holiday. I just really wish the government would make it one.'
Visitors celebrated on Saturday underneath authentic chickee huts and
around the outdoor village. Children made totem bead necklaces and hula
hooped. A storyteller told youths how a determined turtle beat a hare.
Dancers wore feathered, embroidered suits and dresses. There was
alligator wrestling, and tribe members beaded jewelry and wove baskets.
The event is co-sponsored by the Seminole Okalee Village and South
Florida Parenting <http://www.topix.net/family/parenting> magazine.
Sierra, holding her cardboard rainmaker, said she planned to continue
the fun at home. 'I'll shake it all the time, never stop, and keep my
dad up all night,' she said.
Staff researcher William Lucey contributed to this report. Juan Ortega
can be reached at jcortega@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2004.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
<http://www.topix.net/redir/loc=off-hosted-page/http=3A=2F=2Fwww.sun-sen\
tinel.com>
By Juan Ortega
September 23, 2006
It should be just like any other holiday, and we should be
recognized
As 10-year-old Sierra Bracho rattled a rice-filled cardboard tube that
made the sound of rain, her brother, A.J., stared at river otters and
birds indigenous to Florida <http://www.topix.net/state/fl> .
The Hollywood <http://www.topix.net/city/hollywood-fl> siblings joined
hundreds immersing themselves in American Indian culture Saturday during
the National Indian Day Celebration
<http://www.topix.net/city/celebration-fl> at the Seminole Okalee
Indian Village near Hollywood. The event continues today.
'They've never been to an event like this, and I want my children to
experience all cultures,' said the youngsters' father, Alvaro Bracho,
who is Venezuelan.
National Indian Day, which tribes in Florida and other states celebrate
on the fourth Friday of September, isn't recognized as a national legal
holiday. But the Seminoles say it's a good way to share their culture,
so they extended the celebration into the weekend.
'It should be just like any other holiday, and we should be recognized,'
said Leoma Poore, who has Seminole ancestry and manages the village, at
Seminole Paradise at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Since 1990, presidents have passed proclamations dubbing November
National American Indian Heritage Month. But the day in September, also
called American Indian Day, continues to be an observance, not a legal
holiday, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of
Indian Affairs.
Billy Pewo and his wife, Tracy, flew five hours Friday from their
American Indian reservation in Oklahoma to join as dancers.
'We traveled, and this will be our celebration,' said Billy Pewo, a
Comanche tribe member. 'There's no hard feelings that it's not a
holiday. I just really wish the government would make it one.'
Visitors celebrated on Saturday underneath authentic chickee huts and
around the outdoor village. Children made totem bead necklaces and hula
hooped. A storyteller told youths how a determined turtle beat a hare.
Dancers wore feathered, embroidered suits and dresses. There was
alligator wrestling, and tribe members beaded jewelry and wove baskets.
The event is co-sponsored by the Seminole Okalee Village and South
Florida Parenting <http://www.topix.net/family/parenting> magazine.
Sierra, holding her cardboard rainmaker, said she planned to continue
the fun at home. 'I'll shake it all the time, never stop, and keep my
dad up all night,' she said.
Staff researcher William Lucey contributed to this report. Juan Ortega
can be reached at jcortega@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2004.