The provisions for Citizen Potawatomi’s move to the Indian Territory were stipulated in a treaty signed on February 27, 1867. Signatories and the officials from the Office of Indian Affairs agreed that a delegation of Citizen Potawatomi travel to the Indian Territory and select a tract of land, not exceeding 30 miles square. The treaty stipulated that they would buy …
A plant used to refer to the environmental conditions of a certain place. An example of an indicator plant would be Menomen or wild rice (Zizania spp.). Menomen is one of the most well-known indicator plants for the Neshnabek. Menomen is arguably the most significant cultural plant and it requires very clean, clear water that flows gently and does not …
Culture, warfare and assimilation all play significant parts in the history of Native Americans and infectious disease, spanning from the 1600s to present day. Scarce medical records among Native Americans prior to Europeans’ arrival make it difficult to know the severity of communicable illnesses before contact. Indigenous peoples’ settlement patterns that included dispersed communities and significant travel time between locations …
Iowah was a young and influential headman among the Wabash Potawatomi. He was the nephew of headman and principal orator Naswawkay. Along with his brother M’joquis, he led a younger faction of Potawatomi who allied themselves with U.S. Indian agents. Together, the allies conspired and unlawfully sold reserve lands belonging to leaders who refused to cede their reservations to the …
The Iroquois Confederacy or the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), was made up of five tribes, Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and the Seneca originating from New York. In 1722, the Tuscarora tribe, who originated from North Carolina, joined the Confederacy. The nations of the confederacy saw themselves as the important parts that hold up the one united longhouse. They were …
Jim Thorpe was a world class athlete and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi, Sac and Fox, and Kickapoo nations. He was the son of Hiram P. Thorpe, who was Irish and Sac & Fox, and Charlotte Vieux, who was a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and Kickapoo. He was born on his family’s ranch near present-day Prague, Oklahoma. …
Mark Johnson is a native of Sanger, California, and descendant of the Vieux and Johnson families. His Potawatomi name is Wisk Mtek, meaning, “Strong as a Tree.” He has served as the legislator for District 7 since August 2010. Louis Vieux was his great-great-grandfather, and Jacob Johnson his great-grandfather, who was married to Sophia (Vieux) Johnson. Both men at various …
Solomon Juneau was a French-Canadian fur trader, land speculator and politician. Arriving at Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan, in 1816, Juneau worked as a clerk in the fur trade. Two years later, he became an agent for the American Fur Company and was stationed in Wisconsin. Juneau would soon find success through his employment by local trader Jacques Vieau, later marrying Josette, …
Kawkawkay was a headman among the Indiana Potawatomi. For reasons unknown, his position as a leader and role within tribal councils had been dismissed by 1837. When asked if he was a chief his reply was, “I once was, but now I am a dog.” Records suggest that Kawkawkay was neutral on the terms of removal west and his name …
Giwani was a headman and warrior of the Wabash Potawatomi. He was one of many Potawatomi who resisted William Henry Harrison’s encroachment on Native lands at the Battle of Tippecanoe and War of 1812. Present-day Lake Bruce, Indiana was the site of his village and important removal negotiations during the 1830s. Giwani’s name can be found among the treaties drafted …