In 2011, the State of Oklahoma sued the Citizen Potawatomi Nation asserting the CPN had no right to sell alcohol on Sundays at tribal enterprises. Referencing a 2004 gaming compact signed by the CPN, the state of Oklahoma argued that, because the CPN violated conditions of the compact, it could revoke CPN licenses to sell alcohol through the Alcoholic Beverage …
The Acton Potawatomi family connection begins with Chief Ashkum (More and More) — Christian name James Acton Sr. — and his two marriages to first wife Madeline Oscum and second, Angeline Bellaire, Azhnick. He had six children with Madeline: Mary Ann, Susan, Harrison, Cassie, John J. and Joseph Acton; and four children with Angeline: Helen, Zoa, and twins, Mary Louise …
Allotment was a process by which reservation lands held in common by a tribal community were split up and allotted to individual tribal members. The purpose of allotment, as with the 1861 treaty signed by the Potawatomi and the Dawes Act of 1887, was to undermine the legitimacy of tribal governments and open Native land to white settlement. This was …
As American expansionism pushed land-hungry Americans west, the rapid admission of former Native lands, either through outright violence or forced coercion, reignited debates about the institution of slavery as practiced by Southern-American states. In the early 19th-century, conflict erupted as slave-owning states advocated for an equal number of slave states to be admitted for every free state, leading to instances …
With war declared between the American Colonies and Britain, Potawatomi support divided geographically and economically. Aside from those exacting retribution, villages located in the vicinity of key U.S. and English military forts, such as the Detroit and St. Joseph Potawatomi, were often enticed or pressured into allying with neighboring garrisons. Additionally, communities or individuals reliant on Anglo goods for survival …
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. They had three children: John Charles, Mary Ann and Peter. John Anderson’s family settled in downtown Peoria, Illinois, where he partnered with William Tobey to establish a plow manufacturing facility. The duo perfected plows specific …
Life for Potawatomi people has always been grounded in natural cycles. This was especially so when Potawatomi communities relied upon the seasons for their yearly hunt and harvest. Activities were guided, in part, by the month (lunar cycle) of the year. These months are referred to as Gizek [Moons]. Niben [Summer] was understood as a time of plenty. It was …
36.5 in L X 1.75 in W Currently on loan from the Kansas State Historical Society and on exhibition at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center is Abram Burnett’s cane. The wooden cane is painted black, with an iron bottom tip and a non-ferromagnetic metal handle. The metal handle is attached to a dirk [small dagger], concealed in the …
Ashkem was considered a traditional headman and distinguished speaker among the Indiana Potawatomi. He was the principle orator and leading voice of the Wabash Potawatomi, always lecturing on the rights of his people. Ashkem was one of many who resisted the United States’ encroachment into the Great Lakes as well as the Christian conversion of the Potawatomi. Due to his …