Like many French who came to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bourassa family played a role in the development of both the fur trade and French-Native American relations.
The Anderson family’s Potawatomi roots began in 18th century Peoria, Illinois, when a Potawatomi woman named Mary C. Tremblay married a blacksmith named John Anderson.
Every year at the CPN Family Reunion Festival, the Nation honors a group of families that moved to Oklahoma and eventually formed the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The 2019 Honored Families are Johnson, Lafromboise, LaReau, LeClaire, Melott, Rhodd, Tescier, Weld and Young.
Every year at the CPN Family Reunion Festival, the Nation honors a group of families that moved to Oklahoma and eventually formed the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The 2019 Honored Families are Johnson, Lafromboise, LaReau, LeClaire, Melott, Rhodd, Tescier, Weld and Young.
This episode includes stories from a Potawatomi elder devoted to music and someone who uses a special connection with the earth to carry on traditions. An employee at the CPN Cultural Heritage Center also discusses how to better research family lineage.