Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s community garden, Gtegemen (We Grow It), stands as a testament to the Tribe’s endeavors to revitalize Potawatomi agricultural customs. Garden staff educate the public through work parties and the development of a heritage seed library.
One Tribal member rose above Western European ideologies of women and leadership. Massaw, daughter of Potawatomi Chief Wassato and wife of a French-Canadian fur trader, held standings as a Tribal headman and prominent business owner.
CPN community garden Gtegemen (We Grow It) assistant Kaya DeerInWater educates Tribal members about natural ingredients Potawatomi ancestors ate and used as medicine, and this guide features plants that claim spring as their natural harvesting period.
Potawatomi headmen like Chief Ashkum (More and More) addressed crowds on behalf of the Potawatomi during Manifest Destiny, bringing to light the long-term, negative implications of losing the land and connection to the Great Lakes region.
More than 250 Citizen Potawatomi served during the Vietnam War. To date, it was the largest enlistment of the Citizen Potawatomi for any conflict involving the U.S.
A cabin built by South Bend’s first European settler, Pierre Navarre, sits in northern Indian. As a fur trader and American Fur Company agent, Navarre built relationships with the Potawatomi and married Kis-naw-kwe, the daughter of a Potawatomi headman.
The Veteran Memorial serves to honor and exhibit the sacrifices our Wédasé (warriors) have made by telling the story of what it meant to be a Potawatomi warrior.
The Cultural Heritage Center’s final gallery, Seventh Generation, celebrates the Tribe’s successes as well as educates the public on the Nation’s strength, endurance and perseverance.
CPN hosts its annual Winter Storytelling event at the beginning of March.
Potawatomi began eating wild rice after settling around the Great Lakes between 800 and 1,300 years ago. It was a staple of their diet and society, and harvest and processing it required everyone’s participation.