Statement by Mr. Bobby C. Billie dated 9/5/16.

9/5/16       Statement by  Bobby C. Billie, Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples, the Original Nation.

The Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples, the Original Nation has great concern what they are going to do to us, and the Natural Areas, Natural Systems, and Wildlife with this so-called Sabal Trail Pipeline,

We have a prophesy telling us what is going to happen in the future.  Today is the Future what the Elders were talking about.

Since the discovery of oil and gas, they have been drilling and pumping gas and oil, or drilling for water or digging up rock and minerals from pits, or digging for gold, diamonds, or other so-called precious stones.  These actions are changing the Layer of the Earth or Layer of the different Energies of the Earth, and changes also occur after they get it out, and they are in the Air, which means, burning of oil and gas in power plants, burning of gas in vehicles, and airplanes, and in different industries - creating a so-called economy that is destroying the Future of the younger unborn human peoples’ needs.

If you are a parent, grandma, mother, aunt, brother or sister, uncle, father or grandpa, you should not let these things happen - just because you need money.

Lot of those so-called rich people need their big corporations.  How much money do they have to have in order to become human beings because what the Creator (God) has said: Do not kill, do not lie, do not steal, but that is what most rich people and big corporations are doing.

Aboriginal Indigenous Peoples understand that the Creator’s (God’s) Creation is more important than the dollars. If, we do not disturb the Natural Creations, the Natural Life, which is who we are, and do what he has said to us: Love and Take Care of All Things, and Respect me, you will live longer in my Creation which is Earth.

Sometimes Aboriginal Indigenous Peoples say the Mother Earth, which means, to us, like taking care of your Mother.  When you are younger, when you are first born, you are helpless and your mother will take care of you, feed you, wash you, and will always give, all that she can give, to help you grow to be healthy.

This Mother Earth, we call her, if we do not abuse her, she will give us the food, the Water, and will give us the healthy children, and healthy young unborn ones yet to come.  But, the Mother Earth has been abused so long, and the Mother Earth needs our help especially from the so-called rich people, who have always been abusing the Mother Earth, they need to put their money back into the Healing process of the Mother Earth.  Because more and more disturbances are taking place, even now, lot of us are struggling, but also, a lot of people do not feel it because most of the people just stay in their own little world inside the buildings, but if you go out and look, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist or expert to see the World of Life is in trouble – Floods, heavy winds, fires, mudslides, earthquakes, all kinds of new threats to survival on Mother Earth.

​There are many things to be said, but you need to take a look and see, that the Sabal Trail Pipeline is another problem, another human creation that must be stopped.  The mothers and the fathers must wake up and say NO.

Contact:  Ancientrees@hotmail.com      904-654-0200

by Robin Haines Merrill,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement;
Curator, Upper Room Art Gallery.

ABOUT THE DESIGN CONCEPT:

From the Everglades to the ocean, water connects us all.  Underneath our feet, in the fragile aquifer of South Florida, water runs through limestone and supplies our daily needs.  In Fort Lauderdale, we are surrounded by canals, rivers, swamps, Intercoastal waterways and the ocean.  These painted intersection designs are an imaginary glimpse of what it might look like if we cut out the asphalt of the intersection.  It’s a traffic calming measure, but also a request to respect the water that surrounds us, seen and unseen.

The crosswalks reflect the vintage architecture of the local area, a retro review of styles and colors from the past that make us truly unique.

I’d like to invite you to participate in a community art event in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, May 15, 2016.
 
The City of Fort Lauderdale is part of a growing movement in cities across America that engages communities in public safety projects using artistic methods. This project was made possible in part through an "Art of Community" grant from the Community Foundation of Broward.
 
On Sunday, May 15th, the public will be painting in the Crosswalk sections of the design.  The center water design will be completed at a later date. Our hope is that this public artwork will help make the community safer and more mindful of traffic safety for all.
 
You can learn more about the PAINTED INTERSECTIONS PROJECTS by visiting the City’s website here:
 
http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/2936/2312?backlist=%2F
 
http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/departments/transportation-and-mobility/transportation-division/building-community-today/painted-intersections-project

by Geovanny Perez & Houston R. Cypress,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement

Hello everyone.  I'd like to thank THE RIVERS COALITION, THE RIVER WARRIORS, AND C4CW for inviting me to speak today; I truly feel honored to do so.  I'm also excited to be able to connect with all of you, even if under such dire circumstances.

As for the matter that brings us here, I have found it necessary to participate in the effort to restore the Everglades because it's where my home (including my clan and Tribe) and heart resides.  In my lifetime I've seen many destructive changes to our lands, such as the disintegration of tree islands, the disappearance of game animals, the increase of pollution in water, and the erosion of the Everglades.  Because our culture is tied to the land (our ceremonies, our medicines, and many other spiritual practices), we are witnessing the gradual disappearance of our culture.   We are losing our roots.

But we know there is hope; we can certainly steer this thing in the right direction, but it will take incredible coordination and resolve to manifest our dreams.

This is where our spirituality comes in.

Personally, I don't believe spirituality to be superstition or hollow, self-promoting, self-serving, self-comforting cliches.

Instead, it is about wisdom, insight, strength, patience, trust, and compassion, and in the face of great uncertainty and potential doom, this is exactly what we need.  There are many great sages that have explored the struggles of the human condition in such a mysterious universe, peering deeply into our very being and place in the universe.  There is much to learn for the sake of our global as well as local ecosystems.

With Love the Everglades Movement, LOVE is central to our cause because we do not want to be ruled by fear or anger.  In fact, we know we cannot afford to be mindlessly distracted given what's at stake and the amount of time we have to make things right.  We know that anger and fear, especially in a crisis situation, may galvanize some, but it can also blind us, divide us, perpetuate the delusion that we are factions bent on defeating one another, and thus undermine these important efforts. 

In getting to know some of you, I've heard from you about other groups involved in this issue, and those comments have been disparaging.  We are supposed to be the SOLUTION to this problem, otherwise our divisions are poison in the water.  We do not have the luxury to bicker, but we can overcome this, in fact, we MUST overcome this.  As someone with an outside perspective, this entrenched rift is off-putting, but it is also all too familiar, so I sympathize with you even as I am critical (our Tribe has been witness to entrenched bickering slowing the Everglades restoration effort to a glacial pace).

So how are we to overcome this bickering? -- this factionalism?  Love & Respect is a good place to start.  We have youngsters here among us and we must set a good example for them.  Let's show them how to have a civil and civilized dialogue with one another.

Let's also continue to have forums for discussion, so we can increase understanding of our concerns and priorities and proposals for action.

Let's also ask for help from our friends, people such as you.

And let's not be afraid to disagree.  Let's welcome disagreements and critiques as opportunities to learn where our proposals can be strengthened and improved.

Let me offer an example of constructive critique within a context of civilized discussion.  Plan 6 and the Southern Flow way -- a very important proposal with definite room for improvement.  The Holey lands are an area designated as O.F.W. -- Outstanding Federal Waters.  From what I've read on Plan 6, there is not enough discussion or information about this important area:  the Holey Lands, an area with very stringent regulations.  Plan 6 would bring MORE WATER at a REDUCED QUALITY than is currently allowed and protected for.  So the question that Plan 6 must answer to move forward with broader support is:  How do you propose to degrade Outstanding Federal Waters with water from Lake Okeechobee?

I also have a request for my friends:  I need your help to address the L-28 Interceptor Canal.  The failure of CEPP to move forward was very disappointing to all of us.  But CEPP didn't do enough because it failed to address the L-28 Interceptor Canal.  CEPP was concerned with bringing New Water into the system, but the L-28 Interceptor Canal is currently bringing 40% of the waters coming into the area, and it's bringing water in with a disgustingly high concentration of Phosphorus.  By the time the waters pass through the Water Conservation Area 3A, the waters have been naturally filtered out and nearly meet the desired goal of 10 PPB of Phosphorus.  So what this means is that Miccosukee territory becomes a De Facto Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) and that is not right.  So I'm asking for your help to raise awareness and push for action regarding the on-going problem of the L-28 Interceptor Canal.

As for the factionalism within our environmental movements, well those of us from Love The Everglades Movement pledge to work from a place of Love & Respect with each and everyone of you.  WE WILL NOT TAKE SIDES.  We will continue to express our Love and Respect for these waters.

We continue to pray for the purity of the waters flowing from the Kissimmee River Valley, through Lake Okeechobee, over the River of Grass, and out beyond Florida Bay.

We continue to pray that compassion flourishes in the hearts and minds of the decision-makers and stakeholders involved with Everglades Restoration.

We continue to pray for the growth of the community concerned with Everglades Matters -- because the Everglades matters.

And we will continue to stand with you in prayer for the integrity and vitality of the Circle of Life.

These are the challenges we are called to meet -- with hope, grace, and diplomacy.

By Jean Sarmiento,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement.

It was much nicer than I had envisioned, even more meaningful to me than I thought it would be.
        Last year in April we borrowed a few gallons of Water from a sacred island in the Everglades the area is known as "Water Conservation Area 3A" Homeland of the Miccosukee people.  One of big issues we face as Floridians is the unnatural water levels in the Glades and its detrimental effects on the land, where we now see too much Water in the North and not enough Water in the South reaching Florida Bay.
        Our intent is to pray with these waters, caring for them, they have been to many prayer circles, many sweat lodges, many ceremonies, have touched the hands of many different beautiful men, woman and children who each has bestowed their love and gratitude unto these Waters, these very same Waters each and everyone of us depend on everyday to survive.  These very same Waters that will determine our continuation here on Earth.
        So we set out to Florida Bay with love, gratitude, appreciation in our hearts and gently released the Waters in a symbolic gesture of "Water reaching the bay" to connect with the land and offer our love our forgiveness, to hear our pleas and assist us in dissolving the boundaries that hinder humanity's progress, maybe, just maybe, we won't have to learn this lesson the Hard way.
        Let's give this Water the Respect it deserves!  I don't care if you think you're cute or you're a Diva or a tough guy gangster, el guapo, Rick Ross or you work for the government, if you're an Army Corps guy, if you have Money or if you're black, blue, pink.  It doesn't matter:  Appreciate this Water while you have it in such abundance because I guarantee you -- not maybe, or If -- I Guarantee you'll be crying for this water if it wasn't around.
        Thank you to all the men and women and children, past and present, who labor to bring light unto this world. 

by Quese IMC and Cempoalli 20,
from their album OSAHWUH.

"The Raven" is a single from the album "OSAHWUH" -- by Quese IMC & Cempoalli 20 -- and the album was released in April of 2013 at the Gathering of Nations Powwow.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/osahwuh (Link)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/osahwuh/id647390566 (Link)

The song and the album unites the creative fires of these 2 musical artists -- an evocative and inspirational blend of Indigenous Hip Hop and Turtle Island Reggae.

THE RAVEN music video was born out of an encounter between QUESE IMC, Cempoalli 20 and Houston Cypress deep in the Florida Everglades -- the historic homeland and refuge of the Micccosukee and Seminole people.

The musical artists were visiting the Miccosukee community sharing a message with the youth which emphasized the importance of cultural integrity and maintaining traditions, a healthy and drug-free lifestyle, and how the artistic process can contribute to their personal growth.

"The music video," says Quese IMC, "is about the importance of Earth and how we connect to the Earth and how Earth makes us want to move, jump, dance." He goes on to explain, "people are polluting the Everglades and it is sacred to us."

The locations featured in the video include the following:

- Water Conservation Area 3A -- otherwise known as the Central Everglades, or the River of Grass;
- Otter Clan village on the Miccosukee Reservation;
- Graffiti walls in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami, Florida;
- 7th Circuit Studios, home of the Moksha Family Arts Collective, in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, Florida.

THE RAVEN emerges from the fire, bringing with it a message that unifies different communities, and restores balance to the land and our lives through the power of spirit-infused artistic expressions.

Houston Cypress: "It was important for us to show the grassy waters of the Florida Everglades, and to film in the Otter Clan Village of the Miccosukee Reservation because the poor water quality and the high water levels have a direct and negative impact on the Miccosukee & Seminole way of life. Flooding causes the trees that hold the islands together to drown, and without the root system to hold the islands together, the tree islands literally dissolve. So much life depends on the vitality of the Tree Islands: the plants, the animals, even the Miccosukee society of clans. So, because of this dissolution of the tree islands, you can say that we are losing our roots."

Houston Cypress, Executive Producer of the music video, explains about his production company, "Otter Vision, Inc., explores themes of Culture, History and Environment in all the various projects and formats that I get involved in, whether it's audio-visual forms for film, television, or video. Events, festivals, experimental projects, activism, or spirituality -- it's all concerned with creating 'Portals Between Worlds' and 'Contributing to the Global Discussion' -- these are my creative and spiritual manifestos."

Assisting in the production process, Felipe Marrou with VTM Productions brings decades of experience, with projects distributed on major networks, and for a variety of corporate clients.

Dudley Alexis of Epyllion Films, LLC, oversaw the post-production process. He collaborated with animator Jean Sarmiento to manifest the characters "Buffalo Boy" and "The Raven," based on creative discussions with QUESE IMC and Cempoalli 20.

by Jean Sarmiento,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement

Wednesday, February 26, 2014
7:00 pm -- 9:00 pm

----------
What once was, will be again!
Ehyah Asher Ehyah
That which I was, I AM no longer; That which I AM, I AM becoming!
----------

In the heart of South Miami -- amidst the hustle & bustle of commerce, entertainment & education -- is a verdant oasis at the gardens surrounding the Doc Thomas House on Sunset Drive & 55th Avenue.

Doc Thomas House
Home of the Tropical Audobon Society
5530 Sunset Drive
Miami, FL 33143

PARKING AVAILABLE ON-SITE

As a Full Spectrum Movement, we at "Love The Everglades" are doing the work of Everglades Restoration Activism on the Physical, Mental, Emotional & Spiritual levels.  We honor the Circle of Life by working to maintain the integrity of all life, including the most fundamental element: the sacred water.

Join us as we come together in a Prayer Circle on behalf of Everglades Matters. Our intentions for this ceremony will be:

1) Purity of the water flowing from the Kissimmee River Valley down through to Florida Bay;
2) Compassion flourishing in the hearts of the decision-makers and stakeholders associated with Everglades Restoration;
3) Growth of the community concerned with Everglades Matters;
4) Integrity & Vitality of the Circle of Life.

As a Universalist ceremony, you are welcome to pray according to your own traditions.  Other than the intentions listed above, we are open to the unique expression of your Love & Light.  Tap into Universal energies and contribute to an eternal ceremony which honors the Circle of Life.

----------