Summary

She Sang Promise

the Story of Betty Mae Jumper, Seminole Tribal Leader
ELIZABETH RAMSEY BIRD
She was “the first female elected leader of the unconquered Seminole Tribe of Florida,” but I doubt anyone could have predicted such future greatness when she was first born. The daughter of a Seminole woman and a French trader, Betty Mae Tiger entered this world in 1923. The daughter of a white man and living in a family that incorporated his religion into their beliefs, Betty Mae and her relatives were threatened early on by fellow Seminoles and moved away when she was five. Over time, Betty Mae showed an interest in getting a good education. She trained as a nurse, and when she returned to her tribe she was able to put her medical skills to good practice. Her experience with English allowed her to aid her fellow Seminoles until at long last in 1967 she was elected Seminole Tribal Chairman, the first woman to gain such an honor. This biography of her life includes an afterword by her son Moses Jumper, Jr., a Chronology of her life and the life of her tribe, an author’s note including further information on Ms. Jumper, a Glossary of terms, a Selected Bibliography, and a list of websites for more information.