Billy Bowlegs III, Billy Fewell, aka Cofehapkee (1862–1965), was a

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

elder, who was also of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

descent. He was a tribal historian in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Early life and education

According to an interview with Bowlegs, he was born on the Arbuckle Creek where it meets

Lake Istokpoga Lake Istokpoga is a freshwater lake in Highlands County, Florida. It is fed by two creeks, Arbuckle Creek and Josephine Creek. The oblong-shaped lake is approximately wide by long. It is considered the fifth largest lake in the state of Fl ...

. He was named Billie Fewell at birth, and was also known by his Seminole name, ''Cofehapkee''. He was the son of a Seminole father and a Black Seminole mother. His maternal grandmother, an African-American slave woman named Nagey Nancy, was taken captive by Seminole warriors during the Second Seminole War and adopted into the tribe. He was a member of the Snake Clan. His mother, Old Nancy, was killed in 1889, along with several other members of the Snake Clan, by his uncle, Jim Jumper, in the Jim Jumper massacre. Bowlegs lived on the

Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, located in northeast Glades County near the northwest shore of Lake Okeechobee. It is one of six reservations held in trust by the federal governme ...

after it was established, near

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwa ...

in present-day Glades County.

Career

As an adult, he renamed himself after

Billy Bowlegs Holata Micco (alternate spellings: Halpatter-Micco, Halbutta Micco, and Halpuda Mikko, meaning Alligator Chief; known by whites as Chief Billy Bowlegs or Billy Bolek) (c. 1810 – 1859) was an important leader of the Seminoles in Florida during ...

(''Holata Micco''), a prominent Seminole chief during the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

. A

Black Indian Black Indians are Native American people – defined as Native American due to being affiliated with Native American communities and being culturally Native American – who also have significant African American heritage. Historically, certai ...

, Bowlegs became an elder in the tribe. He learned and taught much about its history. Bowlegs befriended James Mallory and Minnie Moore Willson, who moved to Florida in the early 1880s. They became advocates for the Seminole. The couple described him in their book, ''The Seminole of Florida'', 1896. He wanted to improve their understanding of the tribe's culture. The Willsons helped gain approval in 1913 by the Florida state legislature for a reservation for the Seminole in the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...

. They testified on the Seminole's behalf to the federal government in hearings in 1917. In the mid-1950s, he performed traditional dances at the Florida Folk Festival in Union County, on the Suwannee River. Bowlegs was buried in Ortona Cemetery in Ortona, Florida.

Legacy and honors

A historical marker honors Billie Bowlegs III, also known as ''Chufi Hajo'', near Moore Haven. It is located at the intersection of U.S. 27 and State Road 78. It was erected by the

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

Historical Commission and the Seminole Tribe."Billy Bowlegs III"
Historical Marker Database, accessed 9 Oct 2009 File:Billie Bowlegs III marker.jpg, Historical marker File:Billy Bowlegs III Brighton Reservation, Florida.jpg, Color photo of Billy, circa 1949, photograph by

Joseph Janney Steinmetz Joseph Janney Steinmetz (October 7, 1905 – September 6, 1985) was an American commercial photographer whose images appeared in publications including the ''Saturday Evening Post'', ''Life'', '' Look'', Time'', Holiday'', ''Collier's'', and '' To ...

File:Billy Bowlegs III in 1913.jpg, Sepiatone photo of Bowlegs in 1913

Notes

References

* Foreman, Ronald. ''First citizens and other Florida folks: essays on Florida folklife.'' Tallahassee: Bureau of Florida Folklife Programs, 1984. *note: Both the historical marker and the historical marker database record his name as ''Billie'' not Billy. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowlegs III, Billy 1862 births 1965 deaths Native American leaders Black Seminole people American centenarians Men centenarians People from Glades County, Florida African-American centenarians Seminole Tribe of Florida people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century Native Americans