Sustaining Tribal Legacies
Joseph Johns
What are your hobbies?
Fishing (Fresh & Salt water), Music Production, Video Production
Do you collect anything?
Sports memorabilia, comic books, television show memorabilia, stickers
What are you passionate about?
Preserving tribal history and culture, strengthening tribal sovereignty, fostering an enriching environment and community for the next generations
What is your most prized possession?
Family watch handed down to me.
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
Graduating from Dartmouth College
What is on your bucket list?
Fishing trip to the Amazon or Alaska
What is your favorite recent memory?
Visiting the place where me and my fiancé first met
What is your best childhood memory?
Winning a State Championship for football
What is your favorite holiday?
Indigenous Peoples Day
Who knows you best?
Either my mother or my fiancé
What family member are you closest to?
My mom
What skill would you most like to learn?
I would like to learn how to play the piano
Where is the coolest place you traveled?
Yosemite National Park
What does your average weekend look like?
Spending time with my fiancé and our three dogs; traveling to the coast to visit the different surrounding cities. We occasionally foster dogs so taking care of them as well.
Tell me about your longest running friendship with someone?
My longest running friendships has to be with my football teammates from high school and some from middle school. We still keep in touch and visit each other’s families.
What is your earliest memory?
My earliest memory is growing up at my late Grandma Happy Jones’ house. Playing in the yard with the dogs and running around with no shoes and a blanket for a cape. While not pleasant I do remember always stepping on sand spurs with bare feet and asking my grandma to take them out.
What makes you unique?
While I am a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, I am also a descendant of the Navajo Nation. While I may lack a Seminole clan, my maternal grandmother and my clan is Dziłtł’ahnii/Mountain Cove.
Who is your hero?
My heroes would be my Great-Grandma Happy Jones, my grandfather Joe L. John, and my Great-Aunt Louise Gopher. I cannot choose just one hero because these people have influenced my life path and instilled positive values in my life, and helped pave the way for my generation and future generations.
Who is the smartest person you ever met?
Professor Cornell West or Professor Thomas H. Cormen
What is one thing that instantly makes your day better?
Seeing the smiles of my family
If you lived 500 years ago, what do you think your profession would be?
Fisherman
If you lived 500 years in the future, what do you think your profession would be?
A field involving tribal advocacy or historic preservation
If you could travel to the past and change one event, would you? Which one? Why?
While there are plenty of terrible moments in history than can be altered, my fear is doing so would create a paradoxical event that could have an even greater negative effect than the desired intention.
What is the best advice you haves ever received?
The biggest room is room for improvement.
What is the worst advice you have ever received?
“Shake it off, and get back out there”; words given to me by a little league coach after I received a hard hit to the head.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
I feel most grateful for my family; the knowledge shared and time spent together is precious to me.
Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?
I have dreamed of visiting different countries. I have not done it because I have travel anxiety when I fly.
What is your definition of success?
My definition of success is achieving the goals an individual sets for themselves. It is not measured by monetary gain or elevation of social status, but instead measured in personal growth.
What is your favorite animal?
Goshawk
Do you have any pets?
Currently, I have 3 dogs and 1 foster dog
Do you have brothers or sisters?
I have 2 younger siblings
How old are you?
27 years old
When is your birthday?
January 30th, 1995
What is the farthest you have traveled from home?
The furthest I have traveled from home is to the West Coast of the United States (California)
What is your favorite summer activity?
Fishing
What is your favorite winter activity?
Fishing, got to love Florida winters.
What is your favorite food?
Native Breakfast sandwich (fry bread, fried egg, spam)
Who is your favorite superhero?
Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
What is your favorite way to spend an afternoon?
Sitting on my porch listening to nature
What is your favorite kind of cuisine?
Southern Comfort BBQ or Cuban food
If you won the lottery, what would you do first?
Call a financial advisor.
Describe yourself in three words.
Loyal, Kind, Determined
What kind of elderly person do you hope to be?
I plan to be the kind of elderly person that is open to sharing all my knowledge, acting as a living book for folks to ask questions. I imagine me being the elder that takes forever to get to the point of the story and takes forever to say good-bye.
What makes you happiest?
Seeing my friends and family happy
What is your favorite random fact?
Squirrels can fall at terminal velocity and survive from most heights
What would your warning label say?
Adult Supervision Required
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