By Sarah Robinson
Special to the Florida State Times
In a world of painted faces, war chants and "the Seminole chop," Jalen Byford is the real thing. He keeps his waist-length, dark brown hair twisted up in a bun on the back of his head, preferring not to elicit questions about growing up on the reservation -- he didn't; riding a horse -- he doesn't; or painting his face -- not even close.
One of four Native American students at FSU (three are Seminoles), Byford is philosophical about the FSU symbol.
"I don't have a problem with the university using Seminoles as a mascot because it's portrayed positively," Byford said. "And the identity of FSU helps with recognition and tourism for the tribe in Florida.
"But some of the fans go too far; the extremes can get offensive. Some fans haven't been exposed to real Seminole culture."
Although he never lived on a reservation, Byford came from an area rich with Native American culture. He grew up in Oklahoma, where the Trail of Tears ended for five tribes (Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole).
"The Seminoles settled in mid-Oklahoma around the towns of Seminole, Wewoka and Shawnee," he said. "My grandmother still lives in Shawnee and is active in tribal affairs."
Byford went to public schools with a mix of Native and non-Native Americans. He was brought up as a Lutheran.
His father is a social worker with the Indian Health Service in Albuquerque, N.M., and his stepmother works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. His mother, an artist, was from Germany, and he had a great-grandmother who was Cherokee.
In the late 1800s, Byford's family was granted some land by the federal government. The family was listed as the "Harjo" family, a word that means "no name" in the Seminole language. The family wasn't taking the chance of giving a real name to federal officials.
Byford, 18, the oldest of four children, grew up with a foot in both worlds. He remembers eating fry bread, hominy and other Native American food, which he describes as simple and inexpensive.
Four or five times a year his family would go to pow wows of the Seminole tribe, where traditional dancers would dance "for hours."
He has been in a sweat lodge, but never long enough to reach the transcendent state sometimes reported by others.
Byford is attending FSU on one of two FSU scholarships reserved for Native Americans, which is what lured him away from plans to attend the University of New Mexico.
He has met with a group of Native American students who are starting an organization on campus for social support and to educate others about Native American culture.
"I would like for people in general to keep an open mind about Native Americans," Byford said. "Movies and TV show what Indians once were in the past. The culture is still there, but it's different now."
Lance Lane, a Native American student who has been at FSU three years, has helped organize the group.
"I had a couple of friends here who left because there was no support for them," Lane said. "If you're such a small minority, you just sort of get lonely."
Byford says he was homesick at first, but it has largely worn off now.
He is adjusting to life on campus like the other freshmen. So far, he said, the biggest challenges are scheduling his time and budgeting his money.
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The `Seminole' nickname was chosen by students in 1947, when Florida State College for Women became Florida State University.
The brand new football team played its first game (against Stetson) without benefit of a symbol. Soon after, a contest to select a nickname was conducted on campus, and numerous submissions poured in -- some more unfortunate than others. Rejects included the FSU "Fleas," "Tallywhackers," "Gold Diggers" and "Pinheads."
According to FSU history Professor James P. Jones*, the name "Seminoles" was selected from a final list of six names that also included the "Golden Falcons,." "Statesmen," "Senators," "Crackers" and "Indians." Ballots were cast November 8, and "Seminoles" won by a plurality with one-quarter of the student body voting.
By another account -- Bill McGrotha's Seminoles! The First Forty Years -- the five other finalists were the "Crackers," "Fighting Warriors," "Rebels," "Statesmen" and "Tarpons."
McGrotha quoted Jim Crabtree, a student at the time from Pensacola, as saying, "A bunch of us got together and decided it would be a whole lot better to have an Indian name than a fish." -- Sarah Robinson
* In F.S.U. One Time!, a book Jones wrote that was published by Sentry Press in 1973