The event known as “Bleeding Kansas” was a period of guerilla warfare, in what was then known as the Kansas Territory, which started in 1854 and lasted until 1859. The violence was sporadic, mostly small-scale and unorganized, but led to mass terror erupting within the Kansas Territory. The conflict arose after passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the question of …
August 16, 2007, the BIA’s unnecessary oversight of our Tribal government was rejected by voters and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation overwhelmingly ratified a new constitution. It expanded the legislative body to include representatives from throughout the United States; clearly defined the separation of governmental powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government; and removed, wherever possible, the United …
The Dawes Act of 1887, also known as the Dawes Severalty Act or General Allotment Act, was a bill passed by congress to split up communal lands held by tribal nations. The purpose of the bill, as stated by its sponsor Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, was to radically assimilate Native people into white society by introducing individual land-ownership …
The 1493 Doctrine of Discovery guided the colonization of the Americas and became part of U.S. law, history, and Euro-American dominant culture. This doctrine is a set of papals from the late 1400’s put out by the Pope. They are the legal basis for the theft of lands in the non-European world by colonizing European powers and legal justification for …
European colonization was a massive structural event, whereby the imperial powers of Europe including Spain, France, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Belgium, and later (in the 1880’s) Germany and Italy, violently invaded the lands of North, South, and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, China, the Philippines, the Caribbean, most of South East Asia, India, the Middle and Near East, …
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Family Reunion Festival is an annual celebration of native culture for the Citizen Potawatomi people. The Festival takes place during the last Saturday of June for tribal members and their guests. Tribal elections are held during the Festival and voting occurs on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the tribal courtroom (in the Citizen …
Led by prominent warriors Mackisabe, the elder Winemac and Madouche, the Potawatomi, along with allied France and other Great Lakes nations, enlisted to quell disruptive Meskwaki [Fox] attacks on the lucrative western fur trade and neighboring tribes. Angered that their Siouan enemies acquired weapons and supplies via the trade network, the Meskwaki [Fox] raided, killed and pillaged villages, merchants, and …
As the British colonies expanded and outgrew their western borders, expeditions to secure and safeguard land and resources developed into regional battles between the colonies of New France and Great Britain. The mid-18th century was a violent period for Potawatomi and other Woodland tribes. As British colonies spilled into eastern lands, western expeditions to secure territory and resources for Great …
Potawatomi made first contact with Europeans indirectly through warfare. By the 1600s, the Anglo-Dutch allied Iroquois Confederacy had depleted all the valuable pelts east of the St. Lawrence River and began raiding Algonquin tribes in Michigan. The invaders were looking to control the untapped resources of the western Great Lakes. Outmatched by superior weaponry, the Potawatomi and other tribes of …
The Gathering of Potawatomi Nations is hosted each summer by one of the nine tribes of Potawatomi, providing an opportunity for members of all tribes to come together and celebrate their Potawatomi heritage. It includes a language conference, cultural workshops, youth events, crafting classes, sporting events, and language classes. Gathering begins with the lighting of the fire that burns for …