For millennia, Native communities have occupied the southern region of Wisconsin the area that would become Milwaukee. In the early 17th century, Potawatomi refugees fleeing Iroquoian raiding parties in central Michigan, established settlements in the Green Bay and Milwaukee areas. As the settlements grew into large trade centers, French-Canadian explorers and traders were lured to the area known by the …
In early 2019, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the Pottawatomie Board of County Commissioners reached an agreement regarding approximately 20 acres of land known as the Mission Hill property. Pottawatomie County Commissioners conveyed the property to Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Pottawatomie County was given the property under the mandatory legal requirement that it would be used by the county exclusively for …
23in W x 45in L The dress was made by Citizen Potawatomi tribal member Julia Navarre and worn by Eva L. Navarre, Viola A. Navarre and granddaughter Gladys B. Small. It is made of a light brown cotton material and yarn [white, orange, red and green]. A handwritten note that was donated with the dress reads, “dress worn by Eva …
50in L x 21in W x 21in D The wedding dress was worn by tribal member Mary Anderson when she married Antoine Bourbonnais around 1855. The dress is made of leather and decorated with beadwork and tapestry. The mjegode’ [wedding dress] is part of the permanent collection and on exhibition at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center.
Mnokme was the time when the spirits reawakened and life was restored. The thunder of approaching storms was believed to be the mnedok (spirits) returning home. Ceremonies were performed thanking the spirits for their winter protection and for fertility as new life emerged. The Potawatomi new year began with Nmébnégises (Sucker Fish Moon). As the rivers and lakes thawed the …
Traditionally, the transition from niben [summer] to dgwaget [fall] was known as Nibnegises [Ripening Moon], the time of year when Potawatomi and other Neshnabek migrated to their annual menomen [wild rice] camps for harvest. A primary food staple, wild rice was extensively traded among Algonquin tribes and foreign merchants. Aside from diet, it was used medicinally and spiritually in various …
13in L x 8.5in W x 1.5in H The 234-page medical journal was researched and recorded by Joseph Napoleon Bourassa, who studied medicine at the Choctaw Academy and had close relationships with traditional medicine men before and after removal. Listed are health conditions and their medicinal therapies. Each treatment is recorded as a recipe, noting wild plants harvested and processed. …
63.5in L x 2.5in H x 1.25in W The long bow was crafted by tribal member Thomas Melot in the 1930s from wood known as Bois d’arc or commonly Osage orange. The mtegwab [bow] is over five feet in length and has a central grip. The bow is part of the permanent collection and on exhibition at the Citizen Potawatomi …
15.5in H x 12in W The bronze statue titled, The Future Begins Now, was created by CPN tribal member Clyde B. Slavin in 2004. It depicts an important portion of the Neshnabé/Bodéwadmi Flood story, where the Muskrat places a piece of earth on the Turtle’s back to create a new world. Note from the artist reads: The Future Begins Now, …
Born from French roots The story of the Nadeau family begins in 1611 in Genouillae Angoumois, Charente, France when Mascia dit Lavigne Nadeau was born. Mascia and his wife, Jeanne Despins, moved to Quebec, Canada. It is unclear when and why the family emigrated from France to Canada, but they may been among the French seeking more openness and economic …