Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) describes the complex set of knowledge, practices and beliefs about the relationship that indigenous peoples have with the living and nonliving world around them (Berkes, 2003). It exists in societies that have a direct dependence on local resources. It is the intergenerational knowledge that develops from a long-term intimacy and attentiveness when people are materially and …
Games of Skill Neta Chikaswen [Games of Skill] are those in which the outcomes are determined by a player’s mental and physical abilities, rather than by chance. Traditional sports of this nature were and still are used by Potawatomi and other Native nations to build communal ties through leisure, celebrate and honor sacred and ceremonial events, cure the sick and …
In early September 1838, General John Tipton called for a council of Potawatomi leaders at Menominee’s village near Twin Lakes in Indiana to discuss the issue of removal. In reality, the General had no intention of talking about removal. He had been assigned the task of removing Indiana’s remaining Potawatomi population by Governor David Wallace who believed the Potawatomi couldn’t …
The contested treaty of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin was contracted between the United States and the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi Indians. With the cession of two large tracts of land in northern Illinois and southwestern Wisconsin, the tribes were to receive sixteen thousand dollars and fifty barrels of salt, annually, forever as well as twelve thousand dollars …
On July 18, 1815, the Potawatomi entered into a treaty with the United States at Portage des Sioux, Missouri. The treaty was a means to affirm previous compacts and ultimately draw peace between the Potawatomi Nation and the United States, resulting from the depredations caused and faced by both sides during the War of 1812.
Peace treaty as a result of the Northwest Indian Wars.
Agreed to and signed at present Detroit, Michigan, the Treaty of Spring Wells was the last in a long line of peace compacts intent on ratifying previous treaties. Formally exonerating the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi for their participation in and alliance with Great Britain during the War of 1812, it also secured the United States’ patronage to the Three Fires …
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 …