Language update: February 2023

This month’s language update introduces a new beginner learning course and highlights the Winter Story Telling event on February 21, 2023.

Lareau family history

Through their early years in Potawatomi ancestral homelands in the north, a forced migration to Kansas and many challenges creating a new legacy in southern Pottawatomie County, the Lareau family drew upon their strength and resolve to persevere.

Nightly brushing, limiting sugar key to children’s dental health

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and at Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services, the staff in the dentistry department work hard to give parents and kids the knowledge they need to ensure children’s teeth come in strong. Good dental health as an adult starts during adolescence, and knowledge and ritual are vital to long-term health.

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.

Hownikan Podcast: Land acknowledgment art and Jump Start Day

On today’s episode, we’re talking with an artist whose work proclaims the history of Potawatomi homeland along the Chicago River and visit CPN House of Hope’s first Jump Start Day, designed to bring domestic violence and abuse services and information to the community in a positive and educational way.

Q&A with Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey

Creed Humphrey is a Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member and center for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. At only 23 years old, the Peltier family descendant played his second season of professional football in 2022-23, ending with his first Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 12, 2023. He spoke with the Hownikan about his experience as a professional football player.

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.

USPHS contributes to nation’s well-being

Shelley Hoogstraten-Miller, retired Captain of the United States Public Health Service, writes of the history of the USPHS and the importance of recognizing it for its critical role as one of the eight United States uniformed services.