march

hAPPY eASTER, y'ALL!

Happy Easter to you and yours! We hope your day has been a beautiful and blessed one! Keep reading to find out all that we have been up to since our last newsletter.

trip to wewoka, oklahoma -
​february 17, 2024

INDIAN VOICES ARTICLE

On Saturday, February 17, 2024, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Seminole Nation Museum in Wewoka, Oklahoma. I was invited to speak by Chief Lewis Johnson of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. He’d seen a presentation that I’d done for the Fort Worth Public Library on YouTube, and after connecting with the kind people there, extended an invitation. I happily (and quickly)accepted.

To say that the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Seminole Nation Museum were kind and hospitable is an understatement. As mi prima and fellow travel partner Corina Torralba said, “They treated us like royalty.” And I am not exaggerating when I say the whole trip was magical.

From the time I got on the plane, everyone that I encountered was so warm and friendly. The Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City was full of great energy and easy to navigate. Then, when Corina and I hopped in our rental car, after setting our GPS for Wewoka, we enjoyed a scenic drive filled with endless flat land, cows, and beautifully colorful houses that dotted the sparse landscape. There were even a few times when we were directed to take backroads. It was an unexpected adventure that showed us equal parts sights we’d never seen before and surroundings that felt very much like home.

When we arrived in Wewoka, we went right to the Seminole Nation Museum, where we were greeted by museum director Richard Ellwanger and collections manager Caitlin Maddox, who quickly made us feel welcomed. We also were finally able to meet Chief Phillip Barkus of the Dosar Barkus Band in person. He made us feel instantly at home as well. He and Sen. Anastasia Pittman set up a lovely display that included tons of books and personal photos and artifacts. After they finished setting up their display, we went out to eat at a great restaurant called Rudy Alan’s Steakhouse. It was a great way to end our first day in Wewoka, where the weather was incredibly, unbelievably cold, but the people were so warm.

The next day, the day of the presentation, we were treated to a traditional Seminole meal that was arranged by Chief Johnson. The meal included fry bread and sofke/soski. I’d grown up hearing about sofke/soski, but had never had the opportunity to try it. I was surprised by how much I liked it. Everything was incredibly tasty.

Ahead of the presentation, several dear friends, old and new, began to appear. Guy Narcomey and his beautiful mom Phyllis, Erwin and Cynthia Atchico, LeEtta Osbourne-Sampson, Elizabeth Ann Gaines Ali, and Arthur “Butch” Conley all braved the cold to come out and show their support. Seeing so many familiar faces in the audience made me feel loved and just a little less nervous.

My presentation lasted about 45 minutes and was titled “The Black Seminoles of Texas and Mexico.” It consisted of a (brief) history of the Black Seminoles and a (brief) discussion about our culture, annual events, and current revitalization efforts (which include our language, Afro-Seminole Creole, and our songs.) I dedicated my presentation to my mom, Darnett Darlene Goodloe Hardrick, who passed away just over a year ago on February 3.
Following the presentation, there was a short Q&A. Then, a beautiful spread of refreshments was enjoyed by everyone who attended.
​
If I am being honest, it’s hard to believe that I am even writing about this experience right now. Being invited to Oklahoma has, quite literally, been a dream. And as with most experiences that we can’t wait to have, the date seems to take forever to approach. Then, once it’s here, it, quite literally, flies by. Even though the time was short, many wonderful memories and amazing new friends were made.

If you'd like to watch the presentation, click the link below:

SEMINOLE NATION MUSEUM PRESENTATION

FORT CLARK DAYS
March 1-2, 2024
FORT CLARK SPRINGS/BRACKETTVILLE, TEXAS

On Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2, several members of SISCA participated in Fort Clark Days, which is the annual living history event that takes place at Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville.

Fridays are always dedicated to school children. We had a booth in the living history section and were able to expose a whole new group of children to the history of the Black Seminoles and, more specifically, the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts. For the second year in a row, our booth was right next to Tom Ashmore with the West Texas Archealogical Society. Sharing a space with him meant we were able to provide a more tangible aspect to our stories. The students were able to see some of his finds and touch some of the artifacts that he brought with him.

On Saturday, we also sold brisket sandwiches. The brisket was prepared by Herbert Brown. We had a great turnout and had several customers who returned for seconds and thirds. We didn't turn them away! 

Fort Clark Days is always a great event. We are certainly looking forward to 2025!

women's history month
march 1-31, 2024
internatonal women's day
march 8, 2024

March is Women's History Month, and March 8 is International Women's Day. This year, we honor some of our most important and influential women on our Facebook page. Below are all the ladies that we honored. 

Check out our Facebook page (Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association) to read what was written about each of the women we honored.

trip to camp meyers spring 
March 17, 2024

On Saturday, March 17, several members of SISCA went out to Camp Meyers Spring in Dryden, Texas. Tom Ashmore invited the group out to witness the unveiling of a painting depicting the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts and to go on a tour. This is our second trip out to Camp Meyers Springs. And each trip has been filled with more information as more and more artifacts are found and identified. We are certainly looking forward to Mr. Ashmore's report on his findings.

afro-seminole Creole Zooms 
on Youtube

We began revitalizing Afro-Seminole Creole (ASC) on Juneteenth in 2021. Following our inital meeting, we had 11 additional lessons. Now, all of the lessons have been uploaded to our SISCA Brackettville (@siscabrackettville1413) YouTube channel.
​To check out our first lesson, click the link below:

AFRO-SEMINOLE CREOLE ON YOUTUBE

mONTHLY zOOM PRESENTATIONS
​ON YOUTUBE

Just like with our ASC lessons, we've also started uploading our Monthly Zoom Presentations onto YouTube. Check out our very first Zoom Presentation, featuring Dr. Wallis Tinnie and Mr. Victor Norfus below:

FIRST MONTHLY ZOOM PRESENTATION

JUNETEENTH 2024

SEMINOLE DAYS 2024

MEMBERSHIP

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MEMBERSHIP

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Thank you to everyone who supports SISCA.
​None of this would be possible without your support.