Festival offers games, competitions for all

The 2024 Family Reunion Festival is a great time for catching up with old friends or meeting new ones, and one way to do that is entering the many contests happening over the weekend. From traditional hand games to art contests, archery and more, see a list of events here.

Festival health screenings will be available

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services will be offering primary care and other services on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 during the 2024 Family Reunion Festival.

2024 Honored Families

The 2024 Honored Families are Darling, Hardin, Higbee, Levier, Lewis, Nadeau, Negahnquet, Pambogo and Smith.

Extend your stay after Festival

Extend your stay after Family Reunion Festival with some of Shawnee and the Oklahoma City metro area’s numerous attractions.

Upcoming event gives boarding school survivors a place to be heard

Tribal members who attended Federal Indian board schools will have a space to tell their stories as The Road to Healing stops in New Mexico on Oct. 29. The Road to Healing is part of The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative at the U.S. Department of the Interior, launched in June 2021, which hopes to highlight the history of Federal Indian boarding schools and the impact they had on Indigenous people.

Aviary tours, book signing and classes available at Festival

As the Family Reunion Festival returns, so do classes offered by the Cultural Heritage Center. Whether wanting to learn how to bead or get information about preserving family history, there’s something for everyone at the CHC classes.

Competitions open to all as Festival returns

As the 2023 annual Family Reunion Festival returns to the Citizen Potawatomi headquarters, so do competitions like traditional handgames, art contests and more.

Nation shares holiday spirit with community

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation supported local efforts to bring holiday cheer to Tribal members and others in the community. From toy drives to distributing food baskets, employees eagerly worked to share their giving spirit with others.

Potawatomi elder, language teacher walks on

James “Jim” Thunder, Sr., a Potawatomi elder who was one of the few remaining native-speakers and helped lay the groundwork for current efforts to teach Bodéwadmimwen, has walked on. Thunder’s legacy covers not only the years he spent teaching the language but also the documentation he created and shared with Potawatomi everywhere, no matter where they lived. He laid the foundation for future generations to learn Potawatomi.

Opal Lee, National Grandmother of Juneteenth, visits Pottawatomie County

Following a career of activism leading to the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Opal Lee’s next project is a National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, TX. Keen to tell the story of emancipation from every perspective, Lee visited Tribal headquarters in August to discuss the unique history of slavery and emancipation in Indian Territory.