One of the most prominent and competitive games among Potawatomi men is mamkeznéwen [moccasin]. Forming two teams, each are comprised of a finder/hider, scorekeeper, drummers and singers. Using theatrics, each team is tasked with hiding a small token under one of four moccasins in an attempt to disguise its location and confuse opponents. With the token concealed, drummers and singers …
Massaw was an influential and distinguished woman among the Wabash Potawatomi. Her presence and words carried weight in councils, a right customarily reserved for men. She descended from a line of leadership, as her father Wassato was also a respected ogema (leader). Massaw resided in the village of headman Giwani, her cabin reserved for the mediation of both tribal and …
McCartney was a trader and business partner of Alexis Coquillard. Through his dealings with local Potawatomi, he married Mary Ann Benache, daughter of headman Benache or Segnak.
Our bmadzewen [existence] is built on a sacred principle of four. Our medicines, lifecycles, directional powers, and the creation and destruction of worlds are connected through this belief, symbolized by our medicine wheel. Color: White [each color represents the four races of man Creator placed on earth] Direction: Wech-ksenyak [North] Season: Bbon [Winter] Life Cycle: Elder Medicine: Wishkpemishkos [Sweetgrass] Element: …
Metea was a highly celebrated warrior and leader among the Indiana and Illinois Potawatomi. His village, known as Meskwawasebyéton, was located near Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a warrior, Metea was instrumental in numerous campaigns against the encroaching Americans. He was an active leader during the War of 1812 and a valued ally to Shawnee leader Tecumseh. His reputation as a …
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.
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. …