All photos from the 2016 Family Reunion Festival are available online at cpn.news/cpnfest16pics.
One of the most critical pieces of a rail-anchored industrial park is currently under construction at Iron Horse. The park is adding 7,000 feet of internal rail lines, which will have immediate connections to the Arkansas-Oklahoma and Union Pacific rail networks. With construction on the rail system progressing, tribal economic development director James Collard Ph.D. has been working to recruit businesses to the park, which is strategically located Read More »
With approximately 141 children under their supervision, the staff of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Indian Child Welfare Department must keep up to date records for each individual child they oversee. Keeping track of the extensive amounts of paperwork is vital to the department’s mission of monitoring the children and families in their charge. One tribal employee, Tyler Laudette, brings his own expertise from the military and professional Read More »
The recently-established CPN Department of Education is fully staffed with a director, two college advisors and an internship coordinator. We have had the pleasure of speaking to over 100 tribal members in the few past few months, but for those who we have not yet met, we would love to share a little bit about ourselves. Tesia Zientek is a Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal Read More »
More than two years after a broken City of Shawnee water pipe dumped thousands of gallons of water into the CPN Cultural Heritage Center, the new exhibits are coming together. Many of the visitors who came to Festival and Gathering were able to see the progress while enjoying music, eagle demonstrations, cultural classes and the Citizen Potawatomi Gift Shop. With the help of Read More »
Following the re-elections of representatives Paul Schmidlkofer and Paul Wesselhöft, the 2016-17 CPN Legislature met on June 27, 2016. Resolutions in support of several issues were fully supported, including the tribe’s grant application to the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development at the Department of the Interior, a funding application for Iron Horse Industrial Park to the U.S. Department of Commerce, and applications for Read More »
Those who have attended tribal powwows have probably recognized the importance of dance in the Potawatomi culture. The tradition has been passed down for hundreds of years as part of cultural ceremonies and celebrations. On July 18-22, Kaylee Keith-Morrison, a Whitehead, Anderson and Smith descendant, hosted a cheerleading and dance camp for area tribal Read More »
By August 1, the Potawatomi Leadership Program students will be packing their bags and heading back to their hometowns after a six-week internship that taught them the ins and outs of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The award-winning program brings a group of 10 young tribal members from around the country to Shawnee, Oklahoma to learn about the government, culture, and economic development of CPN. This Read More »
The CPN Eagle Aviary has a new resident: a tawny eagle chick, which is normally found in African countries. After two bald eagles – Kyla and Charlie – were unsuccessful in hatching eggs of their own, aviary staff partnered with another Oklahoma aviary to make them parents. This is the first time on record that bald eagles have raised a tawny eagle chick. Like all Read More »
Tribal leaders met with the City of McLoud to gift $27,000 of tribal sales taxes to the city from the operations at Quail Ridge Sporting Clays. Tribal Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett and Vice-Chairman Linda Capps were on hand to donate the funds. The clay shooting operation sits on CPN tribal trust land and operates under the U.S. HEARTH Act. “We appreciate how much Read More »