During this episode, we’ll hear from Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services’ Chief Medical Officer regarding COVID, learn about a CPN veteran included on the Cultural Heritage Center’s Wall of Honor and talk to the producer of the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort’s Emmy-winning music program.


CPN COVID-19 update with CPN’s Chief Medical Officer

CPN Chief Medical Officer Dr. Adam Vascellaro, D.O.

In May, CPN Health Services’ Chief Medical Officer and family physician Dr. Adam Vascellaro joined us on the podcast to discuss the Tribe’s response to the coronavirus. He visited with me on Zoom again to give us an update. Five months later, he said we are still fighting the same battle.

“We entered the Phase I come back, and it went well, but due to the fact that our internal data was not agreeing with the Sate of Oklahoma’s internal data, we stayed in Phase I longer, and we actually pushed back the end date of Phase I later,” Vascellaro said.

Keep up with CPN coronavirus updates by visiting cpn.news/COVID19 or follow CPN on Facebook.


Honoring CPN veteran and Army chaplain Charles LeClair

Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Charles LeClair, the first Native American Southern Baptist chaplain of the U.S. Army.

The CPN Cultural Heritage Center honors servicemen and women by featuring photos on the Veterans’ Wall of Honor, highlighting efforts during wartime in exhibits and an interactive database. In anticipation of Veteran’s Day on November 11, we are recognize one of the veterans on the wall with a short accounting of his service.

“Charles LeClair was the first Native American Southern Baptist chaplain of the U.S. Army. He is a descendant of the Kaw Nation and Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. His military service in both the Army and Air Force took him to Georgia, Alaska, Fort Sill, New York and Vietnam. After retiring from the military, LeClair spent the next 23 years a civil servant.”

If you are a veteran and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and would like your place on the Veterans Wall of Honor at the CPN Cultural Heritage Center, please call 405-878-5830.


Play It Loud wins second Emmy

Play It Loud producer Chad Mathews (center) and the crew of Outsiders Productions celebrate their second Emmy win.

Chad Mathews, the director of marketing at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort, is also the producer of Play It Loud. Outsiders Productions shoots and edits the show, which combines interviews and live performances to highlight Oklahoma musicians of all genres. What started as an attempt to differentiate the Grand from other casinos with performance venues has since turned into a four season, Emmy-winning production and a passion project for Mathews.

“There’s great singer-songwriters, there’s great blues, there’s great country, there’s great bluegrass. We have all of those things happening in this state. We wanted to be sure and cover those genres to help tell the story,” he said.

Look out for season five coming soon. Find all of the Play It Loud episodes at Grand Resort OK dot com back slash play it loud or on YouTube. Just search Play It Loud Oklahoma.


Learning Language

It’s time for Learning Language, when CPN Language Department Director Justin Neely teaches vocabulary, songs, stories and more. For this month’s Learning Language segment, he teaches some vocabulary about Halloween.

Learning Language – October 2020
  • Mno Jibé Gishget – Happy Halloween
  • Washkbek – Candy
  • Bebishagnegwe – Bat
  • Mkede kazho – Black cat
  • Kokoko – Owl
  • Éspike – Spider
  • Méndozet – Witch
  • Katkek – Cauldron
  • Jibé – Ghost/spirit
  • Zegkonyewen – Costumes, scary outfits
  • Wabgon – Pumpkin
  • Éspike Nene – Spider Man
  • Ogema kwes – Princess
  • Shemagneshi – Soldier
  • Shemagneshikwé – Woman soldier
  • Éspikewabuk – Spider web
  • Jibé Gishget – Halloween
  • Mbowadzet – Zombie
  • Mbowadzejek – Zombies
  • Mgeshkajme – Vampire
  • Jibyatek – Gravestone
  • Jibéwgemek – Cemetery
  • Mishen anet washkbek – Give me some candy!

For more information and opportunities with language, including self-paced classes, visit cpn.news/language. You can find an online dictionary at potawatomidictonary.com as well as videos on YouTube. There are also Potawatomi courses on the language-learning app Memrise.


Hownikan Podcast is produced and distributed by Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Public Information Department. Subscribe to Hownikan Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and wherever you find your favorite shows. Find digital editions of the Tribal newspaper here.