Bozho
(Hello),

Three District 4 meetings

• 10 a.m. April 21 at the CPN Community Center in Rossville, Kansas. As part of our effort to bring more culture and traditions to Citizen Potawatomi Nation members, we have invited Justin Neely, director of the CPN Language Department near Shawnee, Oklahoma, to speak about the family clans that were prevalent within the Tribe decades ago. I will conduct a naming ceremony before this meeting, so if you or members of your family would like to be named, contact me as soon as possible.

• 1 p.m. April 22 in the Mid-America All-Indian Center, 650 N. Seneca St. in Wichita. We will start the meeting with lunch at 1 p.m. Further details for this meeting will be in the April Hownikan.

• 10 a.m. May 5 at Ararat Shrine Temple, 5100 Ararat Drive, Kansas City, Missouri. It is a joint meeting with District 1, cohosted by myself and District 1 Representative Roy Slavin. This meeting is mainly for District 4 members in the greater Kansas City area and the eastern portion of Kansas but is open to any CPN member. Directions as well as meeting and parking information will be in the April Hownikan.

Potawatomi Leadership Program

Applications are being accepted for the 2018 Potawatomi Leadership Program. The submission deadline is 5 p.m. CST April 2. The six-week program brings eight to ten promising college-age Tribal members from around the world to Oklahoma to learn about the government, culture and economic development of Citizen Potawatomi Nation. To learn more about and apply for the Tribe’s leadership program, visit plp.potawatomi.org, or contact me for assistance.

March elders potluck

The March elder potluck begins noon March 9 in the CPN Community Center in Rossville, Kansas. I’ve heard that Tracy and Pam plan to prepare corned beef and cabbage in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day for the main course. Senior Support Network staff has asked that you RSVP if you plan on attending. Their number is 785-584-6171. Please bring a side dish or dessert.

Burnett’s Mound in Topeka

There has finally been movement on the idea to place signage near the top of Burnett’s Mound in Topeka, Kansas, to tell the story of Abram Burnett and the Potawatomi presence in the area that later became Shawnee County. The signage would contain information about Burnett, area maps, routes of the Oregon and California Trails, and photos of significant points of historical interest pertaining to the Potawatomi.

We hope to tell the history of how our ancestors came to be in this area, what they contributed and the successful progress achieved by the Nation in the decades that followed. I recently met with two representatives of the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation Department in my Kansas office. I gave them a brief overview of our history in the area and showed them the maps, photographs and narratives that I have on my display boards. They expressed sincere interest in pursuing
the project.

We still have several hurdles to clear before we can install the signs. I will work with the folks in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to finalize what we propose to exhibit, obtain costs of creating the signs from FireLake Designs and then present the proposal to the CPN Administration for approval and funding.

Once that is obtained, then a presentation will be made to the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners for their final approval. I will keep you updated in future articles in the Hownikan.

Migwetch
(Thank you),

Jon Boursaw,
Wetase Mkoh (Brave Bear)
Representative, District 4
785-861-7272 office
785-608-1982 cell
2007 SW Gage Blvd.
Topeka, KS 66604
jon.boursaw@potawatomi.org
Office hours:
9-11 a.m. Tuesdays
3-5 p.m. Thursdays
Other times: please call