December has come in like a bear, a baby bear. With the cold weather arriving here, its indoor season at the PLACE. The Get Native Program started and we are beginning the 10-week Next Generation Program. This is a youth leadership program will build leadership skills applicable to school, family and community. In December the youth will learn the foundations for a balanced life. Read More »

The staff of the tribal newspaper of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, the Hownikan, recently picked up four awards at the annual Native American Journalism Association conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The newspaper’s impressive visuals, specifically those photos captured by staff photographer Bo Apitz, resulted in two first place finishes. Apitz took home the top awards for both the best print news photograph and best featured print photograph Read More »

Gift giving is a longstanding tradition in Native American culture. Communities view it as a means of sharing and survival, a practice that still holds importance to this day. For Bourassa family- descendant Laura Hewuse, a simple gift from a family friend sparked a passion and led her to become an artist. Hewuse was gifted a loom about 12 years ago and decided to Read More »

If you’ve attended one of the many professional bowling events taking place in Shawnee, Oklahoma in the past few years, it’s largely because of the work of FireLake Bowling Center Director Chris Skillings. A longtime member of the Professional Bowlers Association, he has worked tirelessly in recent years to bring professional events like the PBA Summer Swing and the PBA FireLake Tournament of Champions to his hometown Read More »

Tribal members and employees decorated a Citizen Potawatomi Christmas tree for the second annual Red Earth Treefest in downtown Oklahoma City. Treefest is an event to celebrate the diverse Native American tribes in Oklahoma during the Christmas season. “Last year we presented our first Red Earth Treefest to the city and state – and the public loved it,” said Teri Stanek, president of the non-profit Red Read More »

Longtime Citizen Potawatomi Nation Self-Governance Director Rhonda Butcher was recognized by The Journal Record newspaper as one of Oklahoma’s most influential female professionals. Butcher, nicknamed the ‘Rainmaker’ by Tribal Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett for her astuteness in securing federal funding opportunities for tribal programs, has served in her position since 1997, and helped CPN transition into a self-governance tribe. “The important part of self-governance was always about providing services Read More »

Sharon Catlege, better known as the Crane Woman, is a Potawatomi artist whose work is featured at the Citizen Potawatomi Gift Shop. She is a descendant of Delilah Bourassa, daughter of Joseph Bourassa. Catlege sat down with the Hownikan and talked about her art.  What kind of art do you create?  “I enjoy working with different mediums and experimenting with different materials. I started Read More »

This month I wanted to give you a first person point of view from one of our program participants, Anna Rhodd Brimm. She is a member of the Rhodd family and has Citizen Potawatomi, Ponca and Sac & Fox tribal affiliations. Currently a student at Konawa High School, she hopes to graduate and attend to Read More »

Maud Public School students are able to participate in a newly-formed school band because of a generous donation from Citizen Potawatomi Nation. “We were extremely excited to return the music program to our school in 2015-16,” Maud Public Schools Superintendent Jerry McCormick said. “The music program has provided more extracurricular opportunities for our students as Read More »

Bozho, I have been informed of a service for veterans that could be of great benefit to many. Have you had an appeal to a Veteran’s Administration benefit denied by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals? If so, you probably have the right to appeal that decision. An attorney, Legislative Director Carol Wild Scott, Esq., has offered her assistance without charge. The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program is Read More »