Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s community garden, Gtegemen (We Grow It), stands as a testament to the Tribe’s endeavors to revitalize Potawatomi agricultural customs. Garden staff educate the public through work parties and the development of a heritage seed library.
Along with the rise in temperature comes a rise in domestic violence cases for shelter advocates and hotlines.
The FireLake Fireflight Balloon Fest, Oklahoma’s biggest balloon festival of 2019, brings live performers, family-friendly activities, fireworks, and a hunting and fishing expo as well as a display of 25 hot air balloons and more this August.
Toupin family descendant Karen Whitecotton previously served as the director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center. She now runs her own consulting business, Heritage Museum Services LLC, and recently accepted the position of OKPOP director of collections.
As the last heritage fluent Potawatomi speaker for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Don Perrot began helping Citizen Potawatomi Nation members learn the language in the mid-1970s. He was raised in a traditional community in Wisconsin and always wanted to pass on the oral traditions of Potawatomi culture.
Author and Tribal member Kaitlin Curtice uses words as a source of inspiration and grounding. In 2011, she began writing professionally, publishing her first book in 2017. Its success encouraged her to keep writing, and Curtice recently completed the first draft of her second book that plays on a sense of belonging and incorporates her viewpoints as a modern Christian and Native woman.
Citizen Potawatomi voters in three of Oklahoma’s at-large legislative districts chose to return all incumbents to the Tribal Legislature.
The annual powwow is the main event of Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s summertime Family Reunion Festival. Several powwow rules regarding clothing, personal space and dancing exist. Knowing these expectations makes participating more comfortable and fun.
This episode focuses on art created by Tribal members, highlighting both a stop-motion animator and a painter who mixes foundations of Native American art with eclecticism. A staff member of the CPN Eagle Aviary teaches the similarities and differences between bald and golden eagles, which the aviary houses.
Make a full-fledged trip out of visiting the Tribe, and stay a few extra days. Tourist attractions in downtown Oklahoma City, the surrounding suburbs and Pottawatomie County make Oklahoma a top tier destination.