Halito!

That means Hello in Choctaw. Which is the native language of our home, of course. Despite the Choctaw fiesta we have around here on a daily basis, I have been really getting into the Native American spirit of things even more lately! Which is what happens to you when you don't give your Dad an actual father's day present, but instead promise him you will be a merit badge counselor at his scout camp on the off-chance that the real merit badge counselor bails out :) Although, I think he values this gift about a zillion times more than some stupid tie tack...

So tomorrow I get to head up to Scout Camp and teach 12 teenage boys the glorious topic that is Indian Lore Merit Badge. And since I am to instruct on a "local" tribe, I am now a Seminole Indian virtuoso. Just let me blow your mind with some of the amazing things I have learned....

BEHOLD!

Fact: The Seminole is not an actual blood lineage tribe, it is a collection of about 6 tribes that lived in the south.
Fact: Choctaw is one of those tribes, which is why Jacob and my kids feel so at home here. And why they can supposedly get free dental care on the Seminole reservation down in Hollywood. If we trusted their medical skills. Which we don't. Bummer.

Here is Cindy with her official Degree of Indian Blood ID card. She is officially 1/256 Choctaw.


Fact: The Seminole speak two languages, Miccosukee and Creek.
Fact: "Yeehaw" in Miccosukee means Wolf. I was sure it meant "hick"...

Fact: The Seminoles loved a good turban.



Fact: I love a good turban! And so does Luke, who wears this pretty much every day as part of honoring his hertiage.


Indeed, we are going to be making these during class. The Seminoles made theirs out of wool or silk that they traded for with the Spanish and the British. Ours will be made out of the finest flannel the Jo-Ann Fabric clearance table had to offer.

Fact: There are 8 existing clans among the Seminole. The Bear, Otter, Dear, Snake, Wind, Toad, Panther and Bird.
Fact: The toad is also commonly referred to as "Big Town"- AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY! AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY! Seriously, I have Googled this fact to death and I still cannot find out the connection. Which leads to another fact: I now get to make up something totally awesome to tell the scouts about why the toad is called Big Town.




Fact: I am going to show them my awesome Choctaw Christmas ornament, depicting the ancient game of Stickball or "Toli" (the predecessor to Lacrosse).


Fact: The scouts will be in shock and awe.
Another fact: But not about my ornament. Rather, how I've managed to get Native American Christmas ornaments sent to my home each year for free. Who says there are no perks to being an Indian? Certainly not me!

So there you have it. A little taste of what's to come for those poor boys tomorrow. As we say in Choctaw, "Nanta chi bvnna? Svpokni Hannali?" or "What do you want, my six grandfathers?" Yeah, I'm kinda fluent.