SONNY BILLIE - SEMINOLE

SONNY WAS BORN IN 1889 AS A MEDICINE MAN DESCENDED FROM JOSIE AND INGRAHAM BILLIE. THESE FOLKS WERE THE TWO MOST FAMOUS TRADITIONAL SEMINOLE MEDICINE MEN OF THE 20TH CENTURY. SONNY WAS 6'2" AND HIS HEALING POWER S HAVE BEEN SHROUDED IN SECRECY. THEY LAUNCHED THE THE SONNY BILLIE FOUNDATION FOR NATIVE CULTURAL STUDIES IN THE EVERGLADES IN MAY, 1993. SONNY'S GOAL IS TO HAVE A NURSERY AS A CONTINUING SOURCE OF HERBS IN THIS NOW POLLUTED AREA.


THE NATIVES SPEAK TWO LANGUAGES. SEMINOLE MEANS RUN ALWAYS. THERE ARE ABOUT 2000 SEMINOLES LIVING ON 5 RESERVATIONS IN FLORIDA. SONNY WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MEDICINE. HE KNEW THINGS EARLY IN HIS LIFE, BUT HE JUST WANTED TO BE A NORMAL PERSON. HE MARRIED AND HAD A BABY. ONCE THE BABY WAS 1 and 1/2 YEARS OLD, HIS WIFE PASSED AWAY FROM HEART DISEASE THAT HE NEVER KNEW SHE HAD. HE SPOKE TO HIS MOM AND AT THAT TIME HE DECIDED HE WOULD STUDY HERBAL MEDICINE..


JOSIE BILLY, HIS DAD, WAS A FAMOUS MEDICINE MAN. HIS HERBAL TEA WAS STUDIED BY UPJOHN. FOR YEARS HIS TEA HAD BEEN CURING PEOPLE FROM "BRAIN SICKNESS." HE SAID THE SPIRIT OF THE MEDICINE COMES FROM INSIDE THE MAN WHO HAS THE POWER.


JIMMIE, ONE OF HIS UNCLES, WAS ALSO A FAMOUS HERB DOCTOR. HE TAUGHT US ABOUT HIS MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE. HIS MOM SAID HE'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH A NUMBER OF TRAININGS TO BECOME A MEDICAL MAN. NOTHING IS IN WRITING. YOU MUST MEMORIZE THE TEACHINGS. THE HEALERS DIDN'T WANT THE WHITE FOLKS TO KNOW EVERYTHING SO THEY MADE IT NON READABLE. HE WAS TAUGHT TO MEMORIZE THE MEDICINE ON HIS ONE SIDE OF THE BRAIN AND THEN USE THE OTHER SIDE OF HIS BRAIN FOR HIS FAMILY. THEY ANNOUNCED IN PUBLIC THAT HE WOULD BE A DOCTOR. ANYONE IS ABLE TO USE YOUR SERVICES. AFTER THEY ANNOUNCED IT A LOT OF FOLKS CAME TO HIM. AS HE GOT OLDER THE MORE HE GOT TO STUDY. HE REALIZED THAT THE ANGLOS ALSO STUDY MEDICINE THE SAME WAY. HE DECIDED TO CREATE A HEALING PLACE TO GROW HIS OWN MEDICINES.


HIS SECOND DAUGHTER HAD ASTHMA AROUND 6 YEARS AGO. HE WENT TO DIFFERENT INDIAN DOCTORS TO FIND OUT HOW TO HELP HER. HE FINALLY IMPROVED SOME ASTHSMA MEDICINES BY BREAKING IT DOWN TO HEART, LUNG, LIVER, KIDNEY, AND OTHER SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE BODY. HE LEARNED WHAT HERB WOULD FIT A CERTAIN ORGAN OF THE BODY. THEN HE TRIED TO FORMULATE A MEDICINE TO HEAL HIS DAUGHTER'S ASTHMA.


ON SOME DAYS THE LUNG'S DON'T FUNCTIONFOR SOMEONE WITH ASTHMA (I.E. RAINY DAYS). HE STUDIED HARD AND HE THOUGHT HE GOT IT. HE REMARRIED AND SPOKE WITH HIS WIFE. HE TOLD HER WHAT HE WAS WORKING ON AND THAT HE WANTED TO TREAT HIS DAUGHTER. SINCE SHE WAS ALSO HER DAUGHTER HE THOUGHT I CAN'T TAKE COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY. HIS DAUGHTER DECIDED SHE DID NOT WANT THE MEDICINE AT THIS TIME. HIS GIRL HAD LISTENED AND SHE UNDERSTOOD WHAT SHE HAD WANTED HER TO DO.


LATER AFTER SHE GOT MARRIED, SHE STARTED HAVING MANY ASTHMA ATTACKS. APPARENTLY HIS WIFE HAD FOUGHT HIM TO NOT GIVE HER THE MEDICINE EARLY ON AND SHE HAD HEARD THAT CONVERSATION. AT HER OLDER AGE SHE SAID SHE WANTED TO TAKE IT. HE SAID TO WAIT A COUPLE OF DAYS. HE WANTED TO PICK UP THE HERB AND REFORMULATE IT. HE ASKED IF SHE SPOKE TO HIS WIFE. NO, SHE SAID IT WAS BETWEEN YOU AND ME AND THE MEDICINE. SHE TOOK IT AND HAD A REALLY TOUGH TIME BREATHING FOR ABOUT 12 HOURS. BUT AFTER THAT SHE HAD NO MORE ATTACKS! HE THEN IMPROVED THE MEDICINE AND HIS NEXT PROJECT WAS TO WORK ON THE SUGAR PROBLEM WITH DIABETICS. HIS WIFE HAD A SUGAR PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME. HE TESTED HIS MEDICINE ON HER WITH HER CONSENT.


TODAY HE SEES BOTH INDIAN AND ANGLO DOCTORS WORKING TOGETHER. HE DOESN'T WANT TO CONFUSE ANGLO DOCTORS. HE JUST COOPERATES WITH THEM. HE SINGS A PRAYER SONG ABOUT EDUCATION AND BEFRIENDING ALL NATIONALITTIES. THEY SAY IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN HELP OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE. SOME PEOPLE WILL BE JEOLOUS OF YOU. THE SEMINOLE LANGUAGE HAS NO WORDS TO SAY I'M SORRY. HE REMEMBERS THE ANGLOS HAVING MANY WORDS FOR SAYING I'M SORRY.

HE REMEMBERS THE PRIESTS TELLING THEM THAT THEY COULD NO LONGER USE THEIR MEDICINE. THAT'S WHAT KILLED SO MANY OF US. THERE'S ONLY SIX OF US WHO KNOW HOW TO PREPARE THIS MEDICINE AND THAT IS WHY HE CONTINUES WITH HIS WORK.




SANDY JOHN