The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Cultural Heritage Center provides resources to keep the Tribe’s history safe and accessible for generations to come. One key way the Nation does this is through the CHC’s archives and video interviews. To highlight some of the archive’s holdings, the Hownikan is featuring photographs and family history of every founding Citizen Potawatomi family. If interested in assisting preservation efforts by providing copies of Citizen Potawatomi family photographs, documents and more, and to schedule family interviews, please contact the CHC at 405-878-5830.
Roots in France
Members of the Bourassa family, from early roots among French fur traders to current service to their Nation, have distinguished themselves with their work ethic and leadership qualities.
Like many French who came to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bourassa family played a role in the development of both the fur trade and French-Native American relations.

Francois Bourassa II established his successful fur trade business in Montreal, Canada. One of his sons carried on the family business. Those Bourassa descendants would eventually live in Fort Michilimackinac in northern Michigan. This fort was located near several Nishnabé villages, helping Bourassa fur traders gain a foothold in the United States.
In 1786, Daniel Bourassa married Marguerite Bertrand, the daughter of Joseph Laurent and Marie Therese Bertrand. Before they wed, Daniel had a daughter named Madeline with an unknown Native American woman. Madeline married Joseph Bertrand, Sr., and a park in Berrien County, Michigan, bears her name.
Daniel and Marguerite’s son, Daniel II, was born at Michilimackinac in 1780. He married a Chippewa/Ottawa woman named Theotis Pisange (Aranwaiske). She was the niece of Chief Shabbona, and they settled near the Yellow River in Indiana. Together, they had 12 children: Joseph Napoleon, Mark, Jude, Lazarus, Stephen, Gabriel, Eloy, Alexander, Daniel III, Jaques, Elizabeth, and one child that passed away.
Daniel II, Theotis and seven of their children lived outside of Potawatomi Chief Menominee’s village in northern Indiana in the late 1830s. As a result, they were forcibly removed on the Trail of Death in 1838. Records indicate Daniel II was an honest and respected man within the community. He became the first to sign the Muster Roll, which was a type of census taken before the 660-mile forced march west began.
Their son Joseph Napoleon removed a year prior to the Trail of Death. Jude went to court attesting that he had rights to remain in Indiana in 1837 but was unsuccessful. Jude left the Great Lakes region on Aug. 17, 1840.
In their youth, Joseph and Jude received educations from the Baptist Theological Institute in Hamilton, New York, as well as the Choctaw Academy in Kentucky. Joseph became known as “Bourassa the Interpreter” for his translation and negotiation skills. He also served as an educator and doctor, compiling traditional Potawatomi medicinal recipes and a Potawatomi dictionary. Both brothers were signatories on the Treaty of 1846.
Before removal west, Jude married Marie Catherine Charet in 1833. They had numerous children: Theodore Santana, Adelaide, Louise, Mary Eleanore, Helena, Eulalia, Isabella, Stephen, Eugene, Basil, Theodosia, Daniel, Jude, Jacob and Helena.

Jude eventually established a grist mill on the Potawatomi Reservation near the mouth of Mill Creek, a Kansas River tributary. His daughter Isabella entertained visitors on one of the only pianos in the territory. Sadly, Joseph and Jude’s parents and many siblings passed away within the first few years after the Trail of Death. In the mid to late 1850s, Jude walked on due to smallpox.
Joseph and his first wife Memetikosiwike married in 1838. After her death, he married MahNees. His third wife, Mary L. Nadeau, died in 1872, and he then married Elizabeth Curlyhead. He had eight children between the four marriages: Joseph, adopted daughter Mary McDowell, Josephine R., Joseph B., May T. L., James E., Mary Lucille and Joseph Napoleon Jr.
Treaty and citizenship
Potawatomi leaders, including Joseph, signed the Treaty of 1861 that granted members allotments and the opportunity to become U.S. citizens. Like many agreements made with the federal government, this treaty had negative consequences for the Potawatomi people. Instead of upholding the grace period on taxation, Potawatomi lost most of their allotments due to failure to pay taxes.
Joseph wrote in 1866 about the white encroachment: “It seems to me the course taken in settling our affairs, being so slow, is in breaking the law.”
After the Treaty of 1867, most of Jude and Joseph’s children began moving to present-day Oklahoma, while some remained in Kansas. Many took allotments on the southern portion of the reservation. Joseph remained in Kansas and passed away in 1877.
Today, Bourassa descendants carry on the family tradition of service to their Potawatomi people. Descendant Jon Boursaw served his country for 24 years in the United States Air Force before retiring. He continues the tradition of service as Legislator for District 4, which includes Kansas. He is just one of the countless Bourassa descendants across the world who maintain the family’s traditions and the spirit of the Potawatomi people.
If interested in assisting preservation efforts by providing copies of Citizen Potawatomi family photographs, documents and more, and to schedule family interviews, please contact the CHC at 405-878-5830. Schedule interviews online at portal.potawatomi.org. Learn more about the Family Reunion Festival at cpn.news/festival, and find research resources online at potawatomiheritage.com.