Betty Mae Tiger left quite a legacy with the Seminole Tribe of Florida
MIAMI - CBS News Miami's Hank Tester recently caught up with Tina Osceola at the Council Oak on the Seminole reservation, a traditional gathering location for Seminole leaders. The tree and surrounding park are on the National Register of Historic Locations and a perfect place to talk about Betty Mae Tiger Jumper.
Osceola, a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, serves as both the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and the Director of the program.
"Betty Mae is one of the most profound women that we have, I think in the Seminole tribe," she said.
In 1967, Betty Mae Tiger Jumper became the first female chairwoman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
"Our culture is matriarchal. Women are leaders and Betty is a constant reminder of that," said Osceola.
Tiger was the first Florida Seminole to graduate from high school and a nursing program. Several children's books about her life are still in print and available on Amazon.
For Betty Mae Tiger Jumper. it was a hard road. Born in 1923 to a white father and Seminole mother, Tiger Betty faced a huge challenge.
"She grew up at a time where being a half breed, like, like, myself of being half white, something that was not very common, wasn't supported either," said Osceola.
Tiger could not go to "white schools" because she was considered an Indian and she could not go to segregated schools because she was not Black and was considered white. So it was off to a boarding school out of state. There she learned English, eventually attending nursing school in Oklahoma. In the late 1940's she returned to treat tribal members who were not always accepting of her or the "White Man's Medicine."
"So for Betty May to pioneer medicine in that era of time is unbelievable," said Osceola.
Tiger was a pioneer in preservation. She founded the first Seminole newspaper, later serving as the editor of the award-winning Seminole Tribune. Osceola said Tiger was all about preserving history, getting it written down for future tribal generations to absorb. The Seminole Tribue was nominated for a Pulitzer prize.
"As a woman looking at, at that and being raised as a little girl watching Betty Mae go through her life was the reason why I think many of us women decided to get involved in tribal government," said Osceola as thumbed through book about Tiger entitled A Seminole Legend: The Life of Betty Mae Tiger. "Nothing kept her back. I mean you can tell she was a force to be reckoned with."
The book details a life of service, preservation, staying strong, being recognized nationally, getting the tribe out of debt, and yet being completely grounded as a vendor selling Seminole arts and crafts at exhibitions and shows across Florida.
"She was a diplomat for the tribe too. I mean long after she was out of office until she passed, she was a tribal diplomat and she was, she represented the tribe in Tallahassee," said Osceola.
She added that Tiger was an amazing woman and had an amazing story. Rejected as a little girl, she made it to the top of the Seminole tribe and left quite a legacy.
