by Windy Goodloe, Secretary, Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association (SISCA)
From Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 22, the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association held our annual Seminole Days celebration in Brackettville, Texas. On Friday morning, a group of about 20 people made the trek to Seminole Canyon, about an hour’s drive from Brackettville. We were guided by Tanya Petruney, who has been our guide for more than a decade. While the hike is labor-intensive, it can also be a deeply moving experience. Being able to walk the path that our ancestors walked is incredibly humbling, and we don’t take this opportunity for granted. Once we reached our destination, known as the “watering hole,” Anthony Rodriguez gave a brief history of the SeminoleNegro Indian Scouts, and Richard Gonzalez, chairman of the Lipan Apache Band of Texas, spoke beautifully about our connection to the land and each other.
On Friday evening, we gathered at the Carver School for our Friday lecture series. Because our scheduled guest speaker Dr. Maria Hammack wasn’t able to attend, I gave a presentation on the Black Seminoles of Texas and Mexico. Afterward, the attendees enjoyed homemade lasagna and salad.
Saturday is always the busiest and most event-filled day of Seminoles Days. The first event was our parade, and this year, the parade was amazing! It was probably the best parade we’ve ever had. The participants included a group of students from San Antonio, an antique car, the Lipan Apache Band of Texas, several golfcarts driven by locals, and several cars driven by Seminole Negro Indian Scouts descendant families from out of town. Our parade marshal was Ms. Geneve Hewitt, one of our elders.
After the parade, we gathered at the Carver School. The next event was our annual program. During the program we sang and announced the parade winners. Our guest speaker was Brother Y.J. Jimenez. After our annual program, our BBQ plate sale began. After our plate sale, we had two events that people could choose to attend. Outside, on the grounds, several people played loteria. It was organized by Hilda Ortiz. Inside of the Carver School, we held our Saturday lectures. The first speaker was one of our favorite speakers — Tom Ashmore with the West Texas Archaeological Society. This was Mr. Ashmore’s third year in a row speaking at our event. He provided us with an update on his work at Camp Meyers Spring. Our second speaker was Robert Aguero, author of the book Shearing Sheep and Angora Goats the Texas Way: Legacy of Pride. His presentation was enlightening and heartwarming. After the presentations, we had an Afro-SeminoleCreole (ASC) lesson. It was taught by Gabriel Sanchez. Following our ASC lesson, we had our annual meeting, where our election results were announced. Then, we enjoyed more lasagna and salad before calling it a night.
On Sunday morning, we gathered at the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery. This gathering is our final event of Seminole Days. It is truly the reason why we have Seminole Days. This is when we honor all our loved ones who have passed away since the last time we gathered. This year, Mrs. Billie Jean Frierson served as our mistress of ceremonies. And we had two beautiful songs sung and lead by Ruben Exum and Ann Elizabeth Gaines Ali. Ruben sang “A Change is Gonna Come” and Ann sang “This May Be the Last Time.” After our ceremony, people lingered. They gathered and talked or walked the cemetery, flowers in hand, to lay on dearly departed’s grave.
This year’s Seminole Days saw so many people coming together. There were people who attend every year, and there were also several people who were attending for the first time. This event was created to bring people together, to ensure that people always feel like they have a home to come to at least once year. We are, of course, already looking forward to next year.
