More than four decades after the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, its language still applies as Native and Indigenous communities continue to establish sovereignty and land rights.
In this episode, we’ll hear about the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 and its effect on tribes, discuss the connection between cartography and Indigeneity, and learn the history of an artist who documented the Potawatomi Trail of Death in the late 1830s.
In the early 17th century, brothers Jean and Gabriel Bertrand left the Province of Poitou in western France for North America, seeking the opportunity for a new life.
Wanting to make her own regalia to dance at Family Reunion Festival, Tribal member Reva Wolf began sewing 10 years ago after taking an applique class at the Cultural Heritage Center.
The Potawatomi census book of 1862 remains a vital foundational document for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The artifact documents the Nation’s beginning, and members and staff of CPN have spent almost 15 years attempting to gain custody from the St. Marys, Kansas, historical society.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Cultural Heritage Center’s revamped website features six state-of-the-art components that help connect Citizen Potawatomi to their heritage, including an online encyclopedia, family manuscripts, archives and genealogical research platform.
Throughout Potawatomi history, women have contributed to Nishnabé communities in innumerable ways. Some prominent female leaders since the 1800s include Massaw, Watseka, Mary Ann Benache, Joyce Abel, Beverly Hughes and more.
Since time immemorial, Potawatomi have come together to build community through traditional games such as zhoshke’nayabo (snow snake), gwzege’wen (bowl and dice) and mamkeznéwen (moccasin). The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Cultural Heritage Center plans to release these games spring 2021 on a free, online format.
Feb. 8, 2021, marks 134 years since President Grover Cleveland signed The Dawes General Allotment Act. This policy divided tribal land into individual holdings, and it included provisions for opening the leftover plots to non-Native settlement.
The Bergeron Potawatomi family roots begin along the Kankakee River in Bourbonnais Grove, Illinois, with Watchekee, the daughter of Potawatomi/Odawa Chief Shabonna and Monashki.