Our Mission:
“The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center serves to educate tribal members and the public on the historical and contemporary aspects of the tribe through the acquisition, preservation, exhibition, and exploration of the diverse materials pertaining to the culture and traditions of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.“
The CPN’s elected leaders have committed significant tribal resources to the task of creating a facility in a central location where the Nation's cultural resources converge in a positive and constructive manner.
The Cultural Heritage Center (CHC) was dedicated on January 6, 2006 and is located on the former site of the Nation’s government offices and museum at 1899 South Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee, Oklahoma, 74801.
The 36,000 square feet structure houses many of the Potawatomi Nation's archival and artifact treasures. The Nation's Museum, Research Library, Archives, Family Research Center, Veteran's Wall of Honor, Tribal Heritage Project, Long Room Events Center, FireLake Gifts, and Tribal Rolls are all located in the CPN Cultural Heritage Center.
The administrative and staff offices also serve as platforms for ongoing NAGRPA, THPO, PLP, Reunion Festival, Gathering of the Potawatomi Nations, and Fall Pow-wow planning activities.
The CHC's artifact treatment, display, and storage facilities are designed to meet the most rigorous professional standards of the museum industry.
Artifact accession, storage, display, still and video recording and digitization facilities, and a hands-on white glove examination room located within the CHC, provide an excellent venue for the study and additional interpretation of Native American Indian artifacts and culture, with an emphasis on the Great Lakes indigenous societies.
A predominant feature of the CHC is its spacious meeting hall called “The Long Room” after the legendary meeting room in the previous tribal headquarters. The Long Room is designed to seat approximately 600 for dining and as many as 900 in a theatre-style seating configuration. It is the site for the Nation's annual General Council meeting held each June. An additional feature of the Long Room is the technological capability for videoconferencing in real time with the Nation’s eight regional offices located strategically around the United States. Once all regional offices are online, the General Council meeting will be more accessible to all tribal members regardless of where they live.
An important feature of the Long Room is the CPN Veterans' Wall of Honor. The names and accomplishments of our tribal veterans are currently displayed on the north and west walls and continue to expand. Photos, plaques, framed letters, awards, and decorations pay homage to warriors from our nation who stepped forward when called. More than just a nostalgic look into the past, the Wall of Honor also reflects the ongoing sacrifice of our heroes today. As they return from their far-flung assignments, we will welcome them back, salute their accomplishments, and add their names to the Wall of Honor. Our Veteran’s Memorial is intended to honor both the living and those who sacrificed their lives to keep us all free.
To ensure that the Nation and community get full use out of the Long Room, it will be kept perpetually occupied with visiting exhibitions, Veterans’ recognition events, and a variety of local community events such as art exhibits and recognition of local students’ accomplishments. The Cooper Flame Art Expo, an inside arts and crafts show, is held in the Long Room April and December of each year.
The CHC houses the Nation’s museum. The entire museum collection, the archives, and the library is being digitally converted and openly accessible via the Internet. Thus, the CHC will foster interconnectivity with established educational resources worldwide. Principles of cooperation will be established between the CHC and many other museums, universities, libraries, and governmental collections and archives, allowing artifacts not currently in the museum’s collection to be visually accessible. The CPN’s Cultural Heritage Center will, in turn, benefit from its position on an equal footing with other collections and research facilities.
The CPN’s ongoing Tribal Heritage Project (THP) has facilities dedicated to its activities. Begun in earnest in 2003, the THP is committed to capturing for posterity the faces and voices of our elders. Their recollections are precious and, through the process of digitization, will be archived and shared with the generations to come.
PURPOSE:
It is envisioned that creating a central location for the Nation’s cultural possessions and activities will inspire and reaffirm a collective self-awareness and sense of identity among the Citizen Potawatomi people, also to promote in the public mind a fuller understanding of the historic role the Citizen Potawatomi Nation has played, and continues to play, in the cultural, political, and economic history of North America.
Director and Staff Contacts: