The annual Family Reunion Festival is part of a 50-year history of celebrations held at CPN grounds — but the Festival of today looks much different than when it began as the Potawatomi Intertribal Powwow in 1972. This article tells how Family Reunion Festival came to be.
During the 2022 Citizen Potawatomi Nation Family Reunion Festival, the Tribe’s Cultural Heritage Center hopes to collect many family heritage interviews during the celebration. This year, all families may use the Festival Interview link on the Potawatomi portal to schedule an interview time.
Nishnabé referred to June as the Dé’men Gises (Strawberry Moon). Potawatomi hold strawberries in high regard, and Bodéwadmimwen (Potawatomi language) expresses it. Dé’men translates to “heart berry.” Strawberries also contribute to heart health, studies show.
Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation Director Cindy Logsdon began 2022 with a new three-year appointment as a member of the Community Development Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
For the 33rd consecutive year, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Accounting Department received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2020.
This episode focuses on Behavioral Health Awareness Month and the societal stigma of having behavioral health issues. We also meet the only Citizen Potawatomi Nation member serving in the Oklahoma legislature and hear about a study on tribal economic impact in Oklahoma.
With her attention always on the needs of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and its members, Margaret Zientek has already hit the ground running as the new Workforce and Social Services department director. She spoke with the Hownikan about her work with Workforce programs and advocacy at the federal level to improve them, as well as her involvement with the Potawatomi Leadership Program.
The May 2022 language update highlights the Department’s preparations for Family Reunion Festival, work on children’s books, and a variety of class offerings at local schools and online.
As Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s new professional basketball team, the Potawatomi Fire, plays its debut season with The Basketball League, three dance teams packed with local talent perform by their sides. Tribal member and Toupin family descendant Piper Whitecotton is a member of the Heat, the Fire’s high school aged hip-hop dance team.
Employees from Citizen Potawatomi Nation enterprises heard from an Indigenous motivational speaker and comedian about managing stress in their lives. Oklahoma native Mitch Factor (Seminole/Menominee) spoke to CPN employees about the importance of self-care, maintaining a positive outlook and clear communication.