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 group of five musicians from Dream Warriors Management stopped at Citizen Potawatomi Nation this September. During their national “Heal It” tour, they performed for thousands of Indigenous youth at schools across the U.S. “I just love making music already, and it is definitely a motivational and inspirational tool. And it’s a tool for building Read More »
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center reopened its doors more than 10 months ago, revealing a museum that is hardly recognizable to the one destroyed by an uncapped City of Shawnee water line in 2014. After years of construction, rehabilitation and painstakingly detailed work by Tribal employees and heritage center staff, the museum resumed Read More »
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center regularly honors and recognizes Tribal servicemen and women. It recently revealed this year’s honored veteran case, highlighting CPN tribal member and First Lieutenant Richard “Dick” Johnson’s commitment to tradition, duty and history. “The Tribe has a large veterans’ base, which stems from a strong warrior tradition for Potawatomi Read More »
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center’s treaty gallery features several documents that defined Tribal relationships with the government, including peace, reservation and removal treaties. The Potawatomi signed 44 treaties with the federal government, more than any other tribe. “The treaties help illustrate that Potawatomi groups were autonomous in the Great Lakes region, but that Read More »
Tribal members and families can experience the recently renovated Cultural Heritage Center during Family Reunion Festival 2018. In January, the CHC wrapped up nearly four years of renovations and revealed 11 new exhibits. Each section takes visitors through Potawatomi historical eras starting with pre-European contact through the 21st century. “If you are a Tribal member Read More »
Before French explorer Jean Nicolet introduced colonialism to the Potawatomi in the 17th century, its society interlaced a respect for nature, an emphasis on community and a thankfulness for the gifts and knowledge bestowed upon the people by the Creator into daily life. CHC’s third exhibit highlights the balance once held between the Potawatomi, the Read More »
The Cultural Heritage Center’s vast basketry collection inspired the creation of a limited line of commemorative dinnerware pieces available for purchase through the CHC’s gift shop. “Rather than highlighting one individual, we wanted to highlight the styles and techniques that are really quintessential to Potawatomi people,” said CHC Director Kelli Mosteller. “They represent not just Read More »
For thousands of years, generations of Potawatomi preserved history and culture through spoken language and the art of oral traditions. Stories and interactive video in the second exhibit at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center highlight narratives that record Potawatomi beliefs, culture, history and early way of life. “This is our Origins Gallery, because Read More »
‘Our history is real’ – Cultural Heritage Center reopening cultivates community, family and identity
Studies prove that people with strong connections to heritage and history are more confident, more resilient and feel more grounded, said Dr. Glenna Stumblingbear-Riddle, a licensed health service psychologist. “It really does serve as a buffer against problems, which can be mental health problems, just life stressors, because life is stressful for everybody,” said Stumblingbear-Riddle, Read More »