Notes on Modern Seminole Traditions of Osceola

Romantic interest among whites in the figure of Osceola began even before his death, and has continued ever since. His abilities as a warrior, his dramatic flair, and the well publicized circumstances of his capture and of his death in captivity soon thereafter, account for this interest. Many who know nothing else about the Seminole know Osceola’s name and some of the white folklore about him. He is almost certain to crop up in casual questioning of the Seminole today by tourists and others. On one occasion, I was present when a customer asked a leading Seminole enterpreneur in his Tamiami Trail store, “Are you people Osceolas or Seminoles?’’ ! It is thus not surprising that Seminole traditions of the man have been influenced by the white folklore concerning him. Credence as independent historical evidence is due only to those parts of Seminole tradition which are not also part of the common white folklore about Osceola, nor are likely to have been influenced by this folklore and the resultant increased importance of Osceola’s position in Seminole historical tradition

Osceola’s Coats?

A surprising number of Osceola’s personal possessions have survived to the present, a circumstance no doubt attributable to his fame during life and to the fact that he died in captivity. Goggin (1955; see Bibliography following) has located and carefully described four items of Osceola’s clothing and jewelry, and has compared them with their pictorial representation in Osceola portraits. The four pieces are not only the oldest documented Seminole examples of their types, but are among the oldest dated Seminole ethnographic specimens of any kind. Hence they are important for the study of the history of Seminole material culture, as well as having historical interest due to their association with Osceola

Software architecture standard for simulation virtual machine, version 2.0

The Simulation Virtual Machine (SBM) is an Ada architecture which eases the effort involved in the real-time software maintenance and sustaining engineering. The Software Architecture Standard defines the infrastructure which all the simulation models are built from. SVM was developed for and used in the Space Station Verification and Training Facility

Tree species demographics and dynamics in the native forest at Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resource Management, central Ethiopia

The extent and ecological integrity of native forests in Ethiopia have been greatly diminished during the past century. Native forests continue to be threatened by conversion to agricultural fields or plantations of non-native tree species, by excessive harvesting and wood collection, and by climate change. Due to a paucity of research, we know little about the ecology of most native forest species, about the overall dynamics of native forest communities, or about the capacity of individual native tree species to respond to current and future threats. A group of students and faculty at Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resource Management in central Ethiopia examined the demography of two common tree species in a 8-ha tract of native forest located on the College campus. Numbers and diameters of Podocarpus falcatus and Croton macrostachus were tallied in six 200-600 m2 plots. The size class distribution of Podocarpus resembled an inverse J form, with a preponderance of smaller stems but some large individuals up to 226 cm dbh--indicative of a relatively stable population capable of regenerating beneath the established forest canopy. In contrast, most Croton were 20-50 cm dbh, with only a few larger or smaller individuals--reflecting a discrete pulse of regeneration, probably following a local disturbance that created gaps in the forest canopy. These results suggest that the shade-intolerant Croton is more resilient to clearing or harvesting than is the shade-tolerant Podocarpus. However, key questions remain, notably the date and nature of the disturbance that produced this documented pulse of Croton regeneration, the optimal and maximum size of opening can be colonized by Croton, and whether Podocarpus regeneration is restricted to intact canopy settings (as suggested by these findings) or if this species can regenerate in openings as well.National Science Foundation

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Notes and Documents, Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 33, Number 4, Winter 1955-56. It includes documents about official seals of American Indian nations, notes on Doaksville, Choctaw Nation, a correction for an illustration of Billy Bowlegs in a book, the story of Pushmataha, a correction for The Chronicles, historians of the Ottawa, and the nomination of Ollie Magdalene Butler as the Pioneer Woman of Oklahoma of 1955

The Left–Right Polarity Puzzle: Determining Embryonic Handedness

Whenever symmetry is broken in nature to yield only one of two equally probable outcomes, there is an intriguing problem to be solved