Alan Melot
District 1
Bozho, jayek (Hello, everyone),
As I approach the end of my term, I want to express my deep appreciation for the privilege of serving you. Throughout my time as your legislator, I’ve witnessed the strength, resilience and remarkable capabilities of our community.
When we expect greatness from people, they are more likely to rise to meet those expectations. Studies show that when teachers hold high expectations for their students, the students often excel. In a similar way, I’ve held high expectations for our community — not because I hoped it would be motivating, but because I know we have the strength and potential to gift the next seven generations more than was given to us.
Our shared journey in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation has shown me that we are more than capable of overcoming the challenges we face. I’ve seen it in the way we rally together to preserve our traditions and strengthen our cultural identity, and in our efforts to connect with and support each other across generations. It’s evident in the resilience we exhibit as we advocate for sovereignty, language and cultural recovery, and the protection of our people from the encroachments of Eurocentric ways of thinking. I truly believe that our community can continue to grow stronger, embrace new opportunities and lead the way for future generations.
It is not just my belief in our potential that has shaped my actions as your legislator. It’s also been my privilege to reflect your belief in yourselves and in each other. When we treat people as though they are capable and valued, they are more likely to live up to that treatment. I have seen this in the interactions I’ve had with many of you, and in the ways our community has responded to the initiatives and projects we’ve undertaken. Our collective belief in ourselves has driven our progress.
As I step down from this role, I remain confident that our community will continue to thrive. I believe in the next generation of leaders who will pick up where I am leaving off. I believe in our young people who will carry our traditions forward. I believe in our elders, whose wisdom and guidance continue to shape the direction of our Nation. We are strong because we support each other and because we expect the best from one another.
Continue to set high expectations for ourselves and for our community, not as a burden but as a testament to our strength and potential. The upcoming elections will set the tone for the next several years, and I encourage each of you to look for positive ways to be involved in both the elections and with your Nation. Demonstrate love towards each other in all you say and do. Be a good ancestor.
Finally, Request for Ballot forms will be sent out after Mar. 1st, so be sure you request ballots for our upcoming elections as soon as you get your form. Make sure you complete your ballots when you receive them and mail them to the provided address. You must have a Tribal ID to vote. Your votes are critical and really matter to those of us who put in the effort to run for office. Make sure your voice is heard!
Thank you again for allowing me to serve you, for your faith in our collective journey, and for the belief you hold in one another.
Alan Melot | Legislator, District 1 | alan.melot@potawatomi.org | 608 S. Sergeant | Joplin, MO 64801 | 417-312-3307
Eva Marie Carney
District 2
Bozho, nikanek (Hello, friends),
Bedo gde-dokmes mine mno bmadzeyen
The greeting above — translated to “Hope you have peace and good health” — was in the transmittal letter I received from our Tribal Rolls Office, sending me my new Tribal ID.
The process for obtaining the ID was impressively efficient, even using standard U.S. mail during the holidays. The process would have been even faster had I used portal.potawatomi.org to request the card. Please check out the portal for your Tribal Rolls-related needs.
December 2024 District 2 Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee
I loved hosting our meeting at Loveless Café in Nashville. About 40 folks attended. Among the meeting highlights were the personal introductions and reminiscences offered by all the families attending; District 2’s Jody Gzhadawsot Mattena’s overview of her efforts to grow and make healthful food tied to our homelands and introduction of her cookbook, Gbaton Neshnábé – Cook Something Neshnábé; CPN citizen Greg Smith’s explanation of his work in fused glass (he won our art contest, in the Fine Art category; 9-year-old Logan, from the Turnbull family, won in the Children’s Art category for sketches he made during the meeting); and my presentation of gifts to our wisest (Dana Kishkokwe Rees), farthest travelled (also Dana Rees, who travelled 173 miles to attend) and youngest (8-yearold Calvin from Murfreesboro). Migwetch (thank you) to all who attended, to Jody and her husband George and son Kent for their set up and clean-up help, and to my husband Alan Cohen for ensuring I could use the PowerPoint I’d prepared, his photography help and more! Please check my website calendar regularly for meeting updates.
Jody gifted me the gorgeous Cherokee Candy Stripe Squash shown in the photo. If you’d like a gift of some of the seeds, let me know — I’d love to share some with you.
Mgeshwash (Bald Eagle): Declared Our National Bird
The mgeshwash (pronunciation at cpn.news/mgeshwash) is now officially our national bird. It’s been on our Great Seal since 1782 but not recognized as our national bird until late December 2024. You can read the bill, which includes Congressional findings that “bald eagles are integral to the spiritual lives and sacred belief systems of most Indigenous peoples and Tribal communities,” and “bald eagles are prevalent in belief, practice, stories, ceremonies, dance, traditions, songs, regalia, flags, insignias, arts, craft, and other forms of spiritual reverence,” at cpn.news/S4610.
Investigative Reporting on Deaths in U.S. Government-Run Indian Boarding Schools
The headline for a special section of The Washington Post issued in late December (cpn.news/boardingschools) reads “More than 3,100 students died at schools built to crush Native American cultures.” The subheading reads “The Washington Post has found more than three times as many deaths as the U.S. government documented in its investigation of Indian boarding schools.” Each of the 1,373 students whose identity has been conclusively determined is named in the report.
Among the facts reported are that “the leading killer was infectious disease, claiming 3 out of 4 students who died,” “[t]uberculosis, pneumonia and the flu were the primary causes of death,” and “more than 800 of [the more than 3,100] students are buried in cemeteries at or near the schools they attended, underscoring how, in many cases, children’s bodies were never sent home to their families or tribes.” This reporting comes after President Joe Biden’s formal apology to Native Americans in October cpn.news/bidenapology) for “one of the most horrific chapters in American history.” The Post reporting is a very tough read but provides vital information. And it is far from the end of the story, as many historians believe the death toll is far greater. Please read the report if you can.
Migwetch (Thank you),
Eva Marie Carney | Ojindiskwe (Bluebird Woman) | ecarney@potawatomi.org | evamariecarney@gmail.com | evamariecarney.com | PO Box 5595 | Arlington, VA 22205 | Toll Free: 888-849-1484 (voicemail)
Bob Whistler
District 3
Bozho nikanek (Hello friends),
Health – Native American
As many of you know, Native Americans have very high probability of being overweight, which helps foster high blood pressure. We are also one of the ethnic groups that suffers from both type I and type II diabetes. Many of our people as a result of the diabetes suffer various diseases as well as loss of arms, feet or hands. One area that is not highlighted enough is the loss or partial loss of full vision. Elders age 72 and over, and females tend to have more of this than males. Furthermore, this loss may happen very quickly before they realize the jeopardy they are in. So let me give you a scene on this.
You are going along and you have seen your doctor and your A1C is in a fair range and you are working on it. In your day-to-day activities you have traveled or are exposed to large groups at events, meetings, etc. Unbeknownst to you, someone may have COVID-19 or some other disease and you become infected, resulting in your immune system becoming weakened.
One morning you wake up and you have double vision. If you wear glasses you may decide to contact your eye doctor to see what is causing the problem. Generally, they have the equipment that checksif your vision is 20/20, or some other ratio and may prescribe a corrective prescription for glasses. They may say double vision may be temporary and to get back to them if it continues.
Now several days go by and suddenly you lose vision in one or both eyes. There is a special type of eye test needed to see what has taken place. There is now the possibility that your optic nerve may have become infected. This may have happened because the blood in either or both of your temporal arteries are carrying germs to the optical nerve which swells and eliminates the ability to see.
The reason I bring this up is that the warning is very brief and you cannot take days to see if the double vision will go away if you suffer from diabetes. Once the vision is lost, the probability of it being reinstated is extremely low.
So, especially for diabetics, call your doctor, and if it is the weekend or no appointment can be made for several days, you need to go to the hospital emergency room if you find that you are suffering from two or more of the following:
- A worsening of your condition
- Fever over 101 F
- Nausea or vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Severe headache
- Unusual pain
- Weight gain of over 2 to 3 pounds in two days
- Change in behavior
- Trouble swallowing
- Numbness or tingling
- Hallucinations
- Pain in your jaw when you chew
- Pain when you comb your hair
- Hard, swollen or tender temples
- Headache in sinus area directly above your eye or eyes
While I am not a doctor, I just wanted to alert you to this potential vision illness and what symptoms doctors have advised to be wary of. The condition I am referencing they called giant cell arteritis (GCA) or temporal arteritis and the actual cause is still unknown. If discovered when you initially have double vision, the doctor will put you on steroids to try healing the optic nerve.
In closing, I might add that we elders tend to be the most prone for this ailment and I urge you to manage your health well.
I do want to thank you for the opportunity to represent District 3 and hope this article is helpful.
Nagech (Later),
Bob Whistler | Bmashi (He Soars) | rwhistler@potawatomi.org | cpn3legislator@yahoo.com | 1516 Wimberly Ct. | Bedford, TX 76021 | 817-229-6271 | cpndistrict3.com
Jon Boursaw
District 4
CPN Signage on Burnett’s Mound in Topeka Vandalized
I learned on Dec. 24 that someone thought it was a good idea to spray black paint across the three-panel exhibit the Tribe has at the entrance to the park on Burnett’s Mound in Topeka, Kansas. These signs were opened for public viewing in April 2021. I received an email later that same afternoon from one of the local TV stations with pictures of the sprayed panels. A short time later I received a call from Melissa Brunner, Director of News for the local CBS station and wife of CPN member Doug Brown, requesting a comment from me regarding the vandalism. Here is what I said: “Obviously I am very disappointed in the vandalism to the signage. I feel this clearly shows that those responsible for the damage have no respect for the history of Shawnee County and contributions made by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in the founding and growth of the County.” I also received a request from CPN member Tim Hrenchir, Managing Editor of the Topeka Daily-Journal, to use this statement in the local newspaper.
As Christmas was the following day, I wasn’t able to get to the site until early Thursday morning. When I arrived, I found that the paint had been removed and there was no apparent damage done to the exhibit. Thinking that the removal of the paint had been handled by the Shawnee County Parks Department, I called the parks director’s office and left a message expressing my appreciation for their quick response, only to discover on the news that evening that the paint removal was done by two local citizens, a father and son. They do this type of work as a community service throughout the local area. I have spoken with the father and learned that they prefer not to have any public recognition for their work in cleaning the exhibit. I do have a couple gifts to give each of them informally in the near future.
Upcoming CPN Elders’ Potlucks
Dates for the Elder Potlucks held in Rossville at noon are:
March 14 | Corned beef and cabbage | RSVP by the 11th
Bring your favorite side dish or dessert. Please RSVP to Tracy at 785-584-6171.
Native American Education in Kansas Public Schools
I continue to be involved in the effort to bring Indigenous Education to the curriculum in the Kansas public schools grades 1-12. Most recently in late January I attended a day-long conference at the University of Kansas. This Kansas Indigenous Education summit gave teachers in Kansas the opportunity to learn about Indigenous studies and Native American Nations, past and present, in Kansas. I have also been invited to give a presentation on the removal of the Potawatomi from Indiana to Kansas in 1838 at a junior high school in Overland Park, Kansas, later in February. What I originally thought was one presentation turned out to be four, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Interesting article in the latest the Kansas History Journal
In the latest edition of the Kansas History Journal, published by the Kansas Historical Society, is a very interesting article about how the school was established at the Sugar Creek reservation in 1841 by the Catholic nuns and the difficulties that had to be overcome. The article continues with the establishment of the St Marys Academy after the Potawatomi were relocated to the reservation on the Kansas River in 1847.
Megwetch (Thank you),
Jon Boursaw | Wetase Mkoh (Brave Bear) | jon.boursaw@potawatomi.org | 785-608-1982 | 2007 SW Gage Blvd. | Topeka, KS 66604 | Office Hours: Tuesday 9-11 a.m. | Thursdays 3-5 p.m. | Other times as requested
Gene Lambert
District 5
Dbandewen gishget – Valentines’s Day (love one another day) (duh ban duh win geesh git)
In the month of February we all think of Valentine’s Day, in which we acknowledge those we love. This isn’t just about a husband/wife, boyfriend/ girlfriend relationship but for those in our circle we care deeply about.
Perhaps it could even cover groups in which you have a special affinity, as we do with our Native people.
You hear me say “I love you all” in my articles each month and that isn’t something I just say. You truly warm my heart with your comments, support and willingness to be there even with my shortcomings. OK, I admit there are a few……
Our goals have changed from the “stand alone tower” of the past to understanding the necessity of cooperation in families, neighbors and communities.
Today we realize standing together is more important now than ever.
In these changing times there is one thing that never changes. LOVE!
The love of your Creator is always there and the greatest love of all, perhaps the first unmentioned when we use the word love in February.
The next would be love of self. You have a right to be here. You have a purpose to fulfil. Without you there would never be the world in which you live nor those in it. Loving others can only go as deep as you love yourself.
This brings about some old training that would suggest this is narcissistic. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There is that old saying “If I am not for me, who will be? But if I am only for myself, what good am I.”
I love this saying as I use it often as truth and it is.
Next would be the love of family and friends. I added the friends to that line as the world we live in suggests we have some friends who are more family than family.
Another love would be the love you have for your career. It is ever so important that you love what you do. I am sure I have said it before and I used to tell my students, “If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.” This is true. It is certain there is a still small voice within you that will lead. Only you know for sure but it will change your life on all levels when you are on the right path.
There will always be little bumps in the road as we travel through life.
It is because when we love we overcome. There lies the strength.
Now the next level would be the animal kingdom and your environment, literally the world in which we find ourselves.
CPN legends says our first gift from the Creator after life itself was the dog.
You do not need to spend much time talking to people or look into social media to understand the love people have for their pets. They teach us patience, understanding and the gift of unconditional love.
Most of us have boundaries but that ever-loving cat, dog, or other pet, knows no boundaries. In 15 minutes you are back in their everlasting graces.
We have a great deal to learn about love from them.
So, in 2025 let’s say it, walk it and most of all feel the love sent your way at all levels.
Love you all,
Gene Lambert (Eunice Imogene Lambert) | Butterfly Woman | glambert@potawatomi.org | 672 E Press Road | San Tan Valley, AZ 85140 | Cell: 480-228-6569 | Office: 480-668-0509
Rande Payne
District 6
Bozho Nikanek (Hello friends),
The cost of incompetence, and where has common sense gone? As of this writing, Los Angeles County is literally being consumed by wildfire. My heart breaks for residents displaced and impacted by this horrific event. Loss is well into the billions and rising. Even more loss is certain as containment comes slowly. Santa Ana winds continue to impede progress. Thank God for the firefighters putting it all on the line and standing in the gap!
The monetary loss is astronomical no doubt. But how do you quantify the hardships people are facing right now? You can’t! Thousands of children with no schools to return to. Business owners and their employees are trying to figure out how to survive financially. Families living in hotel rooms paid for on maxed out credit cards. People with every worldly possession gone and nothing left but clothes on their backs. Not to mention the grief many are dealing with having lost loved ones to the fires. Widespread emotional stress the likes of which we have not seen in generations.
District 6 has seen this movie before. It was just a year and a half ago that Hawaii was in the same situation during the Lahaina fire. Thank God none of our Tribal members were harmed in that fire.
We’ve seen more than our share of wildfire in the Golden State. You would think that we would have learned something by now and steps taken to prevent or at least minimize severity
Common sense would indicate that unmanaged vegetation and unmanaged forests are the common denominator in all these extreme fire events. The fuel load, especially in our forests, is tremendous. We all learned early on in life that there are three elements needed to make fire. Fuel, oxygen and a heat source. When you have 50 years’ worth of dead trees laying in the forest, and when you do nothing to remove excess vegetation around inhabited areas, what do you think is going to happen?
I believe there is a critical factor that is being overlooked amidst all the blame and politics. It’s called The Endangered Species Act. It would take me ten monthly columns to go into detail but essentially the spotted owl takes precedence over comprehensive forest management and the Delta Smelt takes precedence over water for farming and for municipalities in Southern California that rely on it. It’s time California examines its priorities!
It is difficult to find anything good about what’s happening in our state right now. I can only hope that because of this tragedy, that we start demanding answers and solutions from our leaders, and investigative reporting and true journalism from our media. I pray that Tribal members in Los Angeles County are finding safety and the support they need. I don’t know what it would be, but if there is anything I can do personally to help anyone impacted by the wildfires, please reach out to me.
I would like to invite Utah and Nevada Tribal members to the gathering from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, April 26, in Cedar City, Utah, at the Festival Hall and Heritage Center, 10 N. Main Street, Room 1 on the second floor. Cedar City is a beautiful area centrally located for Tribal members in Utah and Nevada. Lunch is provided. Tribal updates and a variety of information will be presented. I hope to see you there! Register at cpn.news/D6meeting.
Wisdom from the Word: “But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.” Job 36:15
Jagenagenan (All our relations), Migwetch! (Thank you) Nagetch (Later)
Rande K. Payne | Mnedo Gabo | rande.payne@potawatomi.org | 31150 Road 180 | Visalia, CA 93292-9585 | 559-999-5411
Mark Johnson
District 7
Bozho nikanek (Hello friends),
As always, it’s never too early to start planning to attend the Family Reunion Festival in Shawnee on June 27 through June 29, 2025. The Honored Families in 2025 are Bourassa, Burnett, Melot, Navarre, Peltier, Wamego, Willmet and Vieux. I look forward to seeing you in Shawnee. If you have never made the trip, you need to do what you can to get there and participate in your Tribe.
Before long, you will receive a letter with instructions on receiving your absentee ballot for this year’s election. Make sure you follow the instructions, and when you get your ballot, make sure you exercise your duty as a Tribal Citizen and vote. Your participation just takes a minute, and it counts.
I, like many of you, dread the sight of a letter from my insurance company showing up in the mailbox. Rates in California have gone through the roof if you can still get them to write you a policy, and it seems like they are looking for any reason to cancel your policy, from your roof being too old to the type of plumbing you have. It is crazy. In California, a new law in January is attempting to make more homeowners policies available. But I am not convinced that while doing that, using disaster risk modeling and allowing the Insurance companies to charge for the cost of re-insurance (something they all do already) that you won’t have to sell your house just to pay for the insurance policy. I guess we will see.
I have written before about being prepared for wildfire, or any disaster for that matter, and would like to stress again the importance of taking steps ahead of time before disaster strikes. It will make recovery from these incidents much easier. I would recommend that you buy a portable fireproof box, if you don’t already have one; it should be large enough to hold files and a few valuables, but not so large that you can’t easily carry it out of your home if you have a fire.
The 6 P’s of Evacuation
- People & pets
- Papers, phone numbers & important documents
- Prescriptions, vitamins & eyeglasses
- Pictures & irreplaceable memorabilia
- Personal computer, hard drive & disks
- “Plastic” (credit cards, ATM cards) & cash
Keeping track of your vital information should be made as simple as possible. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be. Also keep this box in a secure location that can be easily accessed from outside your home by a firefighter with your direction. You can also explore secure outside data storage of electronic copies of all relevant documents, just make sure that your password to access the information doesn’t get destroyed in the disaster. The most important thing for you to do is exit your home if it is burning and do not go back in.
Once again, I would like to say what an honor it is to serve you as your District 7 Legislator. As always give me a call and I will be happy to work with you on any questions you may have or provide you with additional information you may need to access Tribal benefits that are available to you. Please also take the time to give me a call or send me an email with your contact information so that I can keep you informed of the happenings within the Nation and district.
Migwetch (Thank you),
Mark Johnson | Wisk Mtek (Strong as a Tree) | 559-351-0078 | mark.johnson@potawatomi.org
Dave Carney
District 8
Bozho nikan, (Hello friend),
I hope this edition of the Hownikan finds all in District 8 healthy and doing well.
I am writing this month’s column on Jan. 1 (New Year’s Day). I always enjoy the energy of the new year and watching family and friends make their New Year’s resolutions. Often, I will recycle my resolutions which I did not succeed in accomplishing. 2024’s resolutions were: Reading the Bible in a year, exploring and listening to Led Zeppelin (a band I somehow avoided in my youth) and learning to enjoy country music. I accomplished the first two, and the third will roll over to 2025 with fresh goals.
As the rain and snow lands throughout District 8, this is the time of year to sit down with a good book and pick up some knowledge of our Tribal history, culture and past. Here are some recommended titles: Two Moon Journey, The Potawatomi Trail of Death by Peggy King Anderson. This is historical fiction providing a personal glimpse into the horrible, forced removal of our ancestors. Ms. Anderson is the widow of a Potawatomi and she celebrates his and their five children’s heritage. She resides in District 8 and has spoken at several gatherings.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is a critically acclaimed book that explores reciprocal relationships between humans and the land, with a focus on the role of plants and botany in both Native and European traditions. Dr. Kimmerer recently presented at the CPN Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee.
There are several good books written by George Godfrey, a CPN citizen, academic and fixture on the powwow grounds during the Family Reunion Festival wearing his distinctive regalia that includes a traditional turban. Some of his writings are historical and some are historical fiction. Titles include: Watchekee, Walking in Two Cultures, Once a Grass Widow, Watchekee’s Destiny and A Perilous Journey. Mr. Godfrey lives in Illinois and is involved with the Trail of Death Association and caravan.
All of these books are available at various outlets including the Nation’s gift shop (potawatomigifts.com) and Amazon.
As many are aware, 2025 is the year for elections for the Chairman position and Districts 1, 2, 3 and Incumbents for Districts 1 and 3 have announced that they will not seek to run again. I sincerely hope that good candidates step up and that voter participation improves from prior years.
In 2022, the legislature took significant action to safeguard the integrity of our Tribal
government. Working with my fellow legislators and our Tribal attorneys, we crafted and passed an ordinance to amend the election code, primarily around campaign finance.
The highlights of the changes are that only a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation may make a campaign contribution; contributions cannot be made by a corporation. Campaign contributions are capped at $5,000 per contributor – this includes the candidate themselves. Records of all contributions must be kept and reported to the Nation’s election committee at prescribed intervals.
The idea behind this reform is to preclude corporations from influencing our elections and/or having wealthy candidates attempt to “buy” an elected position or to decide an election question. It is very important to keep the Nation uninfluenced by outside money – keeping CPN Potawatomi.
I am looking forward to seeing Potawatomi family in Oklahoma and at district meetings in 2025.
It is my honor to serve as your Legislator,
Dave Carney | Kagashgi (Raven) | dcarney@potawatomi.org | 360-259-4027
Paul Wesselhöft
District 9
Bozho, nikan (Hello, friend),
The Horse
Horses symbolize power, elegance, warfare and battle. Throughout biblical, ancient and modern history, the horse became a treasured creature for humanity and won a special place in human culture. They were and are the objects of mythology, stories, adventure, songs, ceremonies and art.
The American horse played a prominent role for both the Indian and cowboy culture, whether on bareback, saddled or pulling a wagon. Native Americans used horses for hauling freight, farming, hunting, travel and warfare. A great horse could make an Indian a great warrior. For Native Americans, especially the Plains Indians, the horse became an integral bond in their lives and culture. For them, the horse was like a brother in the spirit.
Christopher Columbus brought Spanish horses to the Virgin Islands in 1493. In 1519, Hernán Cortés brought horses to Mexico and later Spanish settlers brought horses to North America. Near Santa Fe, New Mexico, at a trade center, horses spread north, and eventually throughout the country.
Horse Nation Indian Relay
I watch a 60 Minutes telecast, which documented Native American young men and women speed racing bareback on horses for a three-day event. Most of the riders were of tribes from the Western plains. Each race, the men would have to go through three “exchanges” or relays of new horses and run to the finish line. Women would have two exchanges or relays of new horses. Different tribes compete for fun, history, culture and a $20,000 prize.
Migwetch (Thank you),
Paul Wesselhöft | Naganit (Leader) | reppaul@gmail.com | pwesselhoft@potawatomi.org