Each year, the students in the Potawatomi Leadership Program spend much of their six-week internship completing projects to benefit the tribe. “It is an intentionally open-ended project,” said CPN Department of Education Director Tesia Zientek. “They are to come up with a project that impacts the tribe in some way. That’s all we tell them because we want them to be creative and use their Read More »

With the summer behinds us, we have jumped straight into fall sessions here at the FireLodge Tribal Youth Program. These include the: Get Native Program – The tribal youth learned the histories of some of our neighboring native nations including the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe and the Sac and Fox Nation. After the classes were finished there was a Native Quiz Bowl with the winners receiving Read More »

In 1838, the Potawatomi Indians in the state of Indiana were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands by order of the U.S. government. The 859 Potawatomi who started the journey traveled across Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and finally Kansas before finally arriving at their intended destination. The loss of life, 41 in total, resulted in the removal becoming Read More »

Four young women competed in the annual Miss Potawatomi Pageant during the 2016 Gathering of Potawatomi Nations in July. These ladies had to be 13-19 years of age and demonstrate their knowledge of the Potawatomi culture in order to compete. Enedina Banks, who works in CPN’s language department, organized the pageant at the Gathering, which reminded her of holding a similar title. “When Read More »

Starting in mid-August, CPN Health Services patients in need of same-day care for minor medical issues have the option of visiting the tribe’s two new immediate care clinics. Located at both tribal clinics from 1-5 p.m. each weekday, the new immediate care programs aim to cut down on wait times for primary care physicians.  “These immediate care clinics are strictly for walk-ins and will Read More »

In the coming year, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will enforce new rules on predatory lenders, also known as payday lenders, who offer short-term loans with expensive fees.  Critics of the rules claim that the crackdown will have a dire impact on those who use payday loan services. Typically the 12 million Americans who take out at least one payday loan a year Read More »

Tips for the college process Have a list of wants and needs: I had a wish list a mile long of things that would be cool to have at school, from college towns to club sports to small campuses. To make this list I talked to family, friends, current college students, counselors and teachers to determine what I am going to need Read More »

Those who have been convicted of felony offenses often face challenges in moving on with their lives after they have served their time. Many ex-felons face systemic obstacles to housing, transportation and employment after their convictions, resulting in a recidivism rate that stretches criminal justice budgets at the state and local levels. Burdened by a ballooning prisoner population and budget shortfalls resulting in widespread understaffing of Read More »

Despite searing July temperatures on the first official day of the 2016 Gathering of Potawatomi Nations, more than 2,000 tribal members and their invited guests from the nine Potawatomi tribes traveled to Shawnee, Oklahoma to celebrate the annual event. For the eight tribes outside of Oklahoma, a “short” drive for members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi proved to be the easiest journey to Citizen Potawatomi Nation headquarters. Read More »

All photos from the 2016 Gathering of Potawatomi Nations are available online at cpn.news/gpn16photos