In September 2022, CPN’s Self-Governance Director Kasie Nichols accepted a position on the ACF Tribal Advisory Committee as an alternate representative for the Oklahoma City Area to help advise and make decisions on improving the agency and its service to tribes. For her, progressive change for the Tribe and other Native nations begins with a seat at the table.
The University of Oklahoma’s Ruggles Native American Music Series recently invited Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s women’s drumming group, De’Wegen Kwek (Our Women’s Drum), to share traditional and contemporary Potawatomi singing and drumming. De’Wegen Kwek was the first group comprised entirely of women to be featured in the Ruggles series.
During this episode, we’ll hear the story of an Indigenous food expert and the many layers of their most recent project and spend time with NFL Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphreys.
As the global landscape of manufacturing shifts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Iron Horse Industrial Park sits at the cutting edge of the new world economy. The 700-acre rail-anchored Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) industrial park is on Native American trust land located at the crossroads of United States freight and rail transport. As 2022 ends, Iron Horse staff are pleased to report active international shipment, a manufacturing tenant preparing to begin hiring and production in the new year and major developments in their transport infrastructure.
The December 2022 Language Department update highlights ongoing efforts at shipping children’s books in Bodéwadmimwen to Tribal members, updating online offerings and increasing audio file resources.
A desire to serve citizens and improve his community inspired Patrol Officer Marcus Burris to seek a career in law enforcement. After joining the CPN Police Department in 2020, he continues to find fulfillment in community engagement and values the partnerships CPNPD has with other law enforcement in the area.
Selena Sims, FireLake Foods produce manager, is changing how we view produce. She thinks of produce “like art” by displaying each item in such a creative way that makes customers want to try something new.
To highlight some of the CPN Cultural Heritage Center’s archival holdings, the Hownikan is featuring photographs and family history of every founding Citizen Potawatomi family. Records show a long legacy of public service in the Johnson family history.
Many people view owning a strong, fruitful business as the epitome of success. December is National Write a Business Plan Month, and Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation staff look forward to helping Native Americans begin the journey of becoming business owners through resources and assessments – including tips on how to write a strong business plan.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation received a $60,000 Tribal Heritage Grant to pursue research and restoration at the historic and sacred site of Uniontown Cemetery near Rossville, Kansas. The funds will be used to repair crumbling stone walls and gravestones at the cemetery and to conduct ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys of the area to confirm the location of a mass burial site where several Potawatomi ancestors are believed to have been buried following a cholera outbreak at Uniontown in 1849.