Photo: (l to r) Kevin Thompson (of Indian Voices) with son Robert, Lonnie Harrington, 2nd from left with Iron Feather Singers, New Faces of an Ancient People Powwow, Penn State U, 2009, photo courtesy of lonnieharrington.com
by Windy Goodloe, secretary of the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association
On Wednesday, August 21, the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association held its Monthly Zoom Presentation. Lonnie Harrington was our guest speaker for our eighth presentation of the year.
Lonnie began his presentation by reciting a quote from James Baldwin’s No Name in the Street, which was published in 1972. He then greeted the audience in a variety of languages, including Cherokee, Seminole Creek, and Afro-Seminole Creole.
His presentation included personal narratives and historical references. He began by talking about Dania (Dania Beach, Florida) in the1940s. He told us about a girl who was forbidden from visiting the Dania Seminole Reservation by her mother. That girl was Lonnie’s mother.
His mother disobeyed her mother and visited the reservation anyway. His mother would take him and his sister to the Seminole reservation as well, where they attended one of the biggest pow wows.
In 1958, his mother moved up north, and she sent for Lonnie not long after. Lonnie learned that his mother never talked about her experiences at the reservations. There was a stigma about being from the south. Lonnie stated that discussing one’s Indian ancestry in Black circles was also frowned upon. He didn’t realize how dangerous it was until he attended high school in the Bronx, but he realizes that this might have been the reason whyhis mother never spoke much about her ancestry or experiences. It wasn’t until he became an adult that his mom felt free to share this aspect of her life with her son.
Lonnie’s Black Seminole and Spanish Seminole lines are his mother’s side, while his Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry come from his father’s side. He stated, although she may not have discussed it a lot while he was a child, his mother raised him to be proud of everything that he is.
Lonnie is a self-professed bookworm, who shared many important titles with the audience. He is a musician – a singer, songwriter, percussionist, and guitarist, who has toured quite a bit and played in many bands. Through his musical connections, he learned about maroon societies and began studying and researching these communities.
“La sangre llama. The blood calls,” Lonnie said. And he answered that call.
Becoming a father had a significant impact on him. This spurred him to continue his research. He studied more extensively and intensely, and he also spoke about the importance of oral history.
Lonnie addressed the idea of “divide and conquer.” He discussed how, at various times throughout history and especially during times of war, there were instances where people of Native and African descent did things that were gray. They were also often pitted against each other. History, Lonnie stated, is not always black and white. We must look at history objectively, he reminded us.
He ended his presentation by calling on those of us in the audience to join in. We went on to ask questions and engage in conversation for the remainder of our time. What Lonnie provided for the attendees was a space for healing. He is an elder who is happily guiding us toward a better understanding of ourselves. To watch the presentation, please visit our YouTube channel, which is SISCA Brackettville.
