Segnak was a warrior from Illinois and son of a powerful headman among the Milwaukee villages. In 1808, Segnak was personally invited to meet President Thomas Jefferson to discuss peace among Natives and settlers. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, known for his victories at Fort Dearborn and Frenchtown. After the war, Segnak was interested in making …
Shissahecon was a respected headman and warrior among the St. Joseph Potawatomi. He was the son of famed leader Nanaquiba and brother to Topinabee and Chebass. Active in tribal affairs, he signed the 1795 peace Treaty of Greenville and was among many who opposed American encroachment and the sale of Native lands. In 1838, Shissahecon and his family were among …
Born from Irish roots Thomas Slavin was born in Ulster, Ireland, in about 1820. After his first wife died, he later married Nah-nis, or Mary. She was the daughter of Nah-nim-nuk-skuk and O-Ke-wich. She was born in Kansas in 1848. Thomas and Mary had two children: Mary in 1869 and Joseph T. on April 12, 1870. Thomas died on Dec. …
One of the eldest representatives on the Citizen Potawatomi Legislature, Kansas City, Missouri’s Roy Slavin saw the vast changes Native Americans have gone through in the 20 and 21st centuries. He was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Roy and Irene Slavin in 1933. He began representing Citizen Potawatomi Nation District 1 in August 2007 CPN constitutional revision, which created …
Countryman family beginnings Frederic H. Countryman (Contraman) was born about 1795 and appeared on an 1823 Michilimackinac County, Michigan, voter list. He married a Potawatomi woman named En-do-ga and was fluent in Potawatomi. It is possible that a woman named Doga who appears in a George Winter watercolor sketch is actually En-do-ga. She was the niece of a respected Indiana …
Tecumseh was a Chief of the Shawnee tribe who formed a Native American Confederacy to resist white settlement in the early 1800’s. Tecumseh was known for his leadership, compassion, and bravery which gained the respect of Native Americans and Colonists alike. His legacy transformed into a mythological folk hero. Early Life: Tecumseh was born in South-Central Ohio, and grew up …
D. Wayne Trousdale is the elected Secretary-Treasurer for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a position he has held for nearly two decades. The Secretary-Treasurer serves within the Executive Branch of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, which also includes the offices of Chairman and Vice Chairman. He is a native of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, and a graduate of Pauls Valley High School. He …
Born in Montreal, Canada, Jacques Vieau [Vieux] was French-Canadian fur trader. In 1776, he moved to Mackinac Island and became clerk for the North West Fur Company. From his post, he traded at La Pointe and Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1795, North West appointed him as an agent to establish trading posts along the west coast of Lake Michigan. He …
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Louis Vieux was the son of noted trader Jacques Vieau and his Potawatomi wife, Angelique Roy. As a young boy, Louis worked with his father and brother, Jacques Jr., at their trading posts, developing an early skill for commerce that would lead to success later in life. In 1832, Louis married Shanote, the daughter of a …
Wabaunsee was a powerful and influential headman among the Potawatomi, Odawa and Ojibwe villages of Illinois and Indiana. With a reputation that preceded him, Wabaunsee was not only a noted veteran of the Osage War, Battle of Tippecanoe and War of 1812, but an esteemed religious leader within the ancient Midewiwin Medicine Lodge. Openly opposed to American expansion, yet understanding …