Whether Tribal members are just learning about their heritage or have grown up close to CPN culture, Family Reunion Festival offers a chance for them to forge stronger ties through classes and presentations scheduled throughout the weekend. From tours of the CPN Eagle Aviary to workshops to learn techniques for making regalia, there are many ways to explore Potawatomi culture.
Learn more about Potawatomi culture and history
For those who want to appreciate and learn more about Potawatomi culture, there are several different options.
Tours to the CPN Eagle Aviary are available each day. Tours begin at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday and at 8 a.m. Sunday and are available each hour, with the last tour beginning at 11 a.m. Those wanting to participate must register online at portal.potawatomi.org. A bus will transport those who have signed up from the CHC to the Aviary.
An Aviary Q&A session will also take place from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday and 1 to 2:15 p.m. Saturday in the CHC classroom.
For those who want to learn more about the Potawatomi language, there will be a Widmëwshnak é Yawyen (Tell Us a Little About Yourself) workshop at 11 a.m. Friday in the CHC classroom. Interdepartmental Language Lead Robert Collins will host that class, where participants learn about personal introductions in Bodéwadmimwen. Collins will also host Shishibé (Potawatomi bingo) at 11 a.m. Saturday in the classroom.
Several presentations are also scheduled.
Jane Fleischfresser will talk about how to harvest, prepare and store traditional dandelion tea in a Weed to Tea presentation at 1 p.m. Friday in the CHC classroom. She will also go over preparing and using herbal ointments in a Healing Salves workshop at noon Saturday in the classroom.
Lauren Kelly will present Living Potawatomi Art at 9 a.m. Friday, and she will talk about trends and must-watch artists in the world of Potawatomi art today. She will also host a From Canvas to Career workshop at 4 p.m. Friday.
Kabl Wilkerson will present The Strange Life of Wa’puka, detailing a look into one of the CPN ancestors, at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Brad Peltier and sons, Bryce and Chase, will host a lacrosse/stickball demonstration from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The CHC museum and gift shop will also be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and then from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday.
Recording family history
Anyone interested in learning about or preserving their family history can attend workshops at the CHC.
There will be an archives demonstration at 10 a.m. Friday and again at 10:15 a.m. Saturday in the CHC classroom. Collections Manager/Registrar Peter Kavourgias will explain to those attending how to navigate the CHC’s research platforms.
Tribal members can also schedule family and veteran interviews, where they can document their own history through video interviews. Interviews can be scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. Pre-registration is available through portal.potawatomi.org. See more about Heritage Interviews on page 23.
Learn to make traditional items
Throughout the weekend, there will be classes about how to make several items. All skill levels are welcome. Seating is limited, with registration available online. Most classes are free, but shawl fringing is $40.
Friday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, classes in the Long Room will include medicine bag making, loom beading, canoe making, turtle rattles, pucker toe moccasin earrings, shawl applique and a shawl fringing class.
From 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, the Long Room will have classes on basket weaving, beaded claw clips, beading earrings, loom beading, turtle rattles, applique and shawl fringing.
On Saturday, there will only be a morning session for classes, with the CHC closing in the afternoon for General Council. Classes from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Long Room will include corn husk doll, medicine bag, loom beading, salve making, pucker toe moccasin earrings, applique and shawl fringing.
There will also be classes geared toward the younger generation.
For children, there will be a loom beading class, a turtle keychain (pony bead) class and a pony bead keychain class, all from 9 a.m. to noon Friday in the Long Room of the CHC. In the afternoon, children can participate in a corn husk doll class, a basket weaving class and a pony bead keychain class, all from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday in the Long Room.
Saturday classes for children include pony bead keychain, basket weaving and turtle keychain making from 9 a.m. to noon in the Long Room.
For more information, view the schedule of events handed out at registration, visit the CHC website or call the CHC at 405-878-5830. Registration for CHC classes, activities and heritage interviews opens at noon on Thursday, June 25.