Potawatomi pilot chosen for 2020 Rose Bowl flyover

Stealth bomber pilot and flight instructor Zack Ziegler flew 1,000 feet over the crowds at the Rose Bowl Parade and football game on Jan. 1, 2020. Only a few pilots are chosen for the honor each year.

Red Willow is a flightless yet fearless family member

According to Potawatomi heritage, eagles are a sacred and important animal. They are prayer warriors who carry prayers up to the Creator. But what happens when an eagle can no longer fly? Mskwabimesh (Red Willow) is a five-year-old amputee residing at Citizen Potawatomi Nations’ Eagle Aviary in Shawnee, Oklahoma. As an eaglet, the bird likely Read More »

Online courses help Georgia-based family learn ancestral language

Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Language Department has a small but dedicated staff of teachers who over the years have sought out new and technologically friendly ways of bringing the Potawatomi language to members. The fact remains that with headquarters in Oklahoma, many Citizen Potawatomi found themselves struggling to learn the language of their ancestors. However, through Read More »

Peltier Mobile Auto Detail hits the road, cleans up

Exciting things are happening  across Indian Country, from new business ventures to government contracts, U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for community projects and other opportunities  for Native American entrepreneurs.  One venture recently opened in Shawnee, Oklahoma is Peltier Mobile Auto Detail Service. We caught up with owner Tracy Peltier earlier this month for an interview Read More »

Deer cultivates her Indigenous roots with a fashion line

By day, she works at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Cultural Heritage Center as production assistant, but by night, she makes a name for herself in the fashion world. Native American apparel designer Leslie Deer has been building her fashion line for 20 years, applying traditional Muscogee designs in her contemporary womenswear collections. “My mother was Read More »

Blair looks back at three decades with Citizen Potawatomi Nation

When longtime Tribal Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett discusses his tenure at the tribe, first as tribal administrator and then as tribal chairman, he often mentions the decrepit state of the Nation’s finances when he began working at the tribe in the 1980s. Appointed as tribal administrator in 1983, he came to work to find a Read More »