Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s tribal complex falls inside Congressman Steve Russell’s district. The Oklahoma Fifth District representative needed a large venue for his recent town hall, as large numbers were expected to hear from the congressman and give their views on the issues emanating from the nation’s capital.  More than 300 attendees filed into the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center for the event, which though animated Read More »

Since first taking the road in 1988, the Potawatomi Trail of Death Caravan has tried to give attendees a small sense of the extensive landscape covered by the Indian Potawatomi on the Trail of Death in 1838. Crossing four states on a forced march lead by American soldiers, the Potawatomi of the time traversed the still largely wild lands of Indian, Illinois, and Missouri before their Read More »

On February 22 the CPN Language Department hosted our fifth annual Winter Storytelling Event at the CPN Cultural Heritage Center. We had over 50 people in attendance. But what was truly unique is for the first time ever we streamed the storytelling event live on Facebook. Traditionally we believe that in the winter time the spirits and the earth is asleep and these Read More »

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, and in order to make a difference in our community, House of Hope Family Violence Program has made the pledge and joined the “Start by Believing” campaign, and we hope you will join as well. This global public awareness campaign is dedicated to transforming the way individuals respond to sexual assault, with the desire to see the cycle of silence Read More »

What started out as an after-school club for students has grown into a movement impacting a local high school and the environment as well.  Bethel High School’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Club, or STEM club, started out with a $500 contribution from Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The students and advisers for the club have since turned that into more than $20,000 in grants and scholarships Read More »

As part of Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s preventative wellness efforts for tribal members and employees are annual fitness competitions held at FireLake Wellness Center. Typically coinciding with events like the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament or other high profile events, employees take on a fitness challenge at FireLake Wellness Center under the supervision of the personal trainers and staff there. On treadmills, ellipticals or walking the second story track, employees compete Read More »

Native American people have been ‘organic’ gardening from the start. In the past, there were no greenhouses or feed stores to pick up extra plants, so it was important to learn how to effectively produce crops for their families. Traditions and seeds are still being handed down from older generations and managed with great care. Recently, there has been an increase in Natives across the Read More »

Joshua Nelson remembers visiting his uncle’s home as a kid and seeing American Indians on TV. Sometimes they were the real deal — actual Native American actors. Other times they were white faces hiding behind red paint. Either way, they would catch a bullet courtesy of John Wayne more often than not. Still, the OU interim director of film and media studies wonders what it Read More »

Last spring, the CPN Department of Education partnered with the CPN Public Information Department and FireLake Designs to develop a Citizen Potawatomi graduation stole for the first class of graduates receiving the Tribal Development Scholarship at St. Gregory’s University. After a picture of the SGU graduates wearing the stoles was featured in the Hownikan, we received several requests to purchase a stole to wear at a graduation Read More »

In a state where prison overcrowding has become an economic, criminal justice and political issue, the pendulum has swung in recent years as Oklahoma policy makers seek to halt overcrowding at state prisons. In December 2016, Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Joe M. Allbaugh put it bluntly saying “We are beyond the tipping point. The staff and the public are at risk every day when we Read More »