Wisdom from the past
A traditional Choctaw family from the early 20th century just before Phillip Martin began his successful career leading the Choctaw of Mississippi.
Seminole leader and journalist Betty Mae Jumper
Chief Phillip Martin was such a great leader that the Choctaws called him their Moses.
A long time ago, I went to the Indian boarding school in Cherokee, North Carolina. I met a lot of fellow Indians from across the country and most of us were from the same background-we were poor.
We didn't have the money to travel to our homes during holidays. We wore hand-me-down clothes and spending money just didn't exist.
One of my fellow students from that time was Phillip Martin. If you don't know Phillip, he's the Chairman of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians based in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Recently I visited Philadelphia to attend the 50th annual Choctaw Indian Fair. I have to give Phillip credit for transforming his community and his people. Under his guidance, the Choctaws have used Indian gaming to change their lives. The whole town is lit up to the sky. He has helped turn Philadelphia into a rich town from a poor folk's town.
I remember when there was nothing in Philadelphia. Now today, I see people all smiling at Phillip when he comes around. Even Wal-Mart and McDonald's have come and many other food stands.
While I was there, I thought of all the jobs that have been created. In fact, the Choctaws are one of the 10 largest employers in the state, with more than 6,600 full and part-time employees. And, the Tribe operates the largest unified school system in the United States with 1,700 students.
It's a far cry from the time Phillip and I went to school together at Cherokee. I never dreamed I would see the Indians in every office on the Choctaw Reservation. The day I was there I said to myself, "Thank God I've lived to see this Tribe come to the top."
It's nice to see that the Choctaws can eat steak instead of hamburger meat. Even the buildings and schools have every modern convenience.
I wanted to write this because I know where Phillip and most of us Indians come from. I know it hasn't been an easy trip. I remember when sometimes we went without because we didn't have anything.
Now, finally, thanks to leaders like Phillip Martin, Indians are getting a better chance at life. And for that, I say again, thank God.
Phillip Martin (March 13, 1926–February 4, 2010) was Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians until 2007. His people knew him as the Choctaw's Moses.
This article was written by the late Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, also known as Potackee (April 27, 1923-January 14, 2011) (Seminole) was the first and so far the only female chief of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. A nurse, she co-founded the tribe's first newspaper in 1956, the Seminole News, later replaced by The Seminole Tribune, for which she served as editor, winning a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Journalists Association. In 2001 she published her memoir, entitled A Seminole Legend. This column was published in the August 20, 1999 issue of The Seminole Tribune.
