During this episode, we visit the CPN professional basketball team’s first home game, discuss Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a victim’s advocate and talk with an apparel designer and CPN employee about Native fashion.
FireLake Arena hosts first Potawatomi Fire home game
Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s new professional basketball team, the Potawatomi Fire, played its first home game on Saturday, March 19, 2022. An affiliate of The Basketball League, the Fire call FireLake Arena its home court. Approximately 1,400 fans showed up for the game against the Little Rock Lightning from Arkansas. The teams took the court for tipoff at 7:30 p.m.
“The first impression when we were driving up, and I saw all the cars around the arena, and I just thought that was so cool to see. And I knew we’d have a good crowd tonight. And this is going to be so much fun. I mean, I just love it,” said Shawnee Mayor Ed Bolt.
Find out more about the Potawatomi Fire and buy tickets online at potawatomifire.com. Visit FireLake Arena on the web at firelakearena.com.
CPN’s House of Hope recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labels sexual assault a quote “serious public health problem” in the U.S. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, an American is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds. CPN’s House of Hope is a victims’ resource and advocacy center for anyone in the surrounding community. Prevention and education specialist Kayla Woody sat down with Tribal Communications Coordinator Rachel Vishanoff to discuss sexual assault statistics, prevention, advocacy, policy and more.
“I feel like once our Native women can see that their crimes are taken seriously and they’re being prosecuted, then more and more will start standing up and coming forward. And we can start making a dent in this issue and really trying to prevent it from happening,” Woody said.
The House of Hope crisis line is available 24/7 at 405-878-4673. If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-787-3244. Find House of Hope online at cpnhouseofhope.com or on social media.
Native fashion makes headlines, brings Indigenous beauty to forefront
In a time of fast fashion when customers often wear runway-inspired items a few times and discard them, many Indigenous designers and producers focus on creating unique pieces that stand the test of trends. Designer Leslie Deer prefers to make timeless pieces. Her brand, L.A. Deer Apparel, uses classic silhouettes with the potential to outlast the life of the wearer.
“It’s another expression of artwork or another expression of our culture. It’s a way to be seen and for people to take an interest or learn more or understand parts of our culture. And I think that it’s great all the support that Indigenous artists are receiving at this time,” she said.
Find L.A. Deer Apparel online at ladeerapparel.com and on Instagram @la.deer.
Learning Language
It’s time for Learning Language, when the CPN Language Department joins us to teach vocabulary, songs, stories and more. In this segment, department director Justin Neely shares a couple of new songs written by the men’s drum group he leads.
For more information and opportunities with language, including self-paced classes, visit cpn.news/language. You can find an online dictionary at potawatomidictonary.com as well as videos on YouTube. There are also Potawatomi courses on the language-learning app Memrise.
Hownikan Podcast is produced and distributed by Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Public Information Department. Subscribe to Hownikan Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud and wherever you find your favorite shows. Find digital editions of the Tribal newspaper here.