The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma hosted the 35th Annual Sovereignty Symposium June 13 and 14 at the Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. As usual, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation played a significant role in the symposium that shines a light on the 39 tribes in Oklahoma and the legal and social issues they face. CPN Director of Planning and Economic Development Dr. Jim Collard moderated two panels on the first day of the event.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education unveiled a new program this spring designed to help CPN students fully embrace their Potawatomi heritage. The first-ever Coming Into the Circle event was designed to encourage high school graduates to claim their Indigenous identity and help them feel they belong to a bigger community.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services staff are always happy to see Tribal members at the Nation’s East or West Clinic, and any Tribal member is eligible to receive care at CPN facilities. However, CPNHS recognizes that time and distance can be a challenge for Tribal members living outside of Oklahoma. Clinical Operations Director Lauren Bristow spoke with the Hownikan about ways that Tribal members across the country can access health care through CPN and the Indian Health Service.
Oklahoma residents utilizing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw a decrease in the amount of money issued each month for groceries. CPN Workforce Development & Social Services’ Michelle Ramirez and FireLake Discount Foods director Richard Driskell share the impact on clients and options available to them.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation has 160 affordable rent units — 46 family units and 114 elder units — but that number is set to increase soon. Construction started this spring on 66 new family units including two-, three- and four-bedroom units, with two different floor plans for each size.
The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi played host to the 2023 Potawatomi Gathering, with events scheduled at the Pine Creek Reservation and at the FireKeepers Casino near Fulton, Michigan, from July 24-29. Among those representing CPN in contests were Lauren Kelly and Craig Anderson.
The Welds were among the families who made the difficult decision to leave Kansas to carve out a new life for themselves and future generations on the plains of Indian Territory in the late 1890s. Despite the hardships, the Weld children would persevere.
The CPNHS Scholarship for Service, or Mshkeke (the Potawatomi word for medicine), covers tuition and fees in return for a minimum of one to three years of employment at a CPNHS site. Scholarships are available for one person going into a licensed practical nurse program and for two people in a dental hygiene program.
Inspired by Tribal member Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass, Illinois resident Vanessa Griffin ran her first marathon at 50 years old, raising money for the CPN Department of Education’s Michael John Kennedy Scholarship fund.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation is making a change throughout its organization to help reduce the number of overdose deaths involving opioids. This year, NARCAN was added to all AED cabinets at Tribal enterprises and offices.