The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education selected Sarah Dunigan as the second recipient of the Michael John Kennedy Scholarship. She attends the University of Oklahoma in Norman and takes pride in three generations of relatives who served in the military throughout the 20th century.
In October 2022, the Oklahoma Public Safety Conference named Citizen Potawatomi Nation Police Department dispatcher Joan Nevin the state’s 2022 Telecommunicator of the Year at its annual event.
The roots of the Lafromboise family extend to present-day Chicago, Illinois, a history preserved through family stories and documentation that are now held at the CPN Cultural Heritage Center.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Jody Gzhadawsot (Helps Children) Mattena grew up learning to hunt, garden and gather as well as prepare and preserve foods from her grandfather and her mother. Now, she fulfills her dreams of cooking and educating through her BossLady Anish platforms and work with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Food Sovereignty Department as a lifeways consultant. Most recently, her work practicing and educating about Indigenous foodways brought her to the headquarters of one of the largest and most recognizable global food companies — Kellogg’s.
The January 2023 veterans report highlights a new mobile app that brings VA health care and benefits to veterans’ fingertips, as well as a return to regularly scheduled CPN Veterans Organization meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
In September 2022, Adalynn Grace Climer’s adoption was finalized after her time as a foster child through FireLodge Children & Family Services. Now, she’s reaching new milestones and the Climers are creating new traditions.
Bourbonnais-Tescier descendant Czarina Thompson began as a family history specialist at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center in 2005. Though the role has changed over the years as new technology and information becomes available, her attention to detail, extensive knowledge and love for helping Tribal members connect with their ancestors remain constant.
This episode explores language, specifically Bodéwadmimwen in a historical context. We hear from a CPN musician and filmmaker who created a music video showcasing the past, present and future of Potawatomi. We also discuss the legacy of a first language speakers who recently walked on.
As a child in upstate New York, Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Barbara Wall, Ph.D., spent her time in and around the water. Wall now works as an assistant professor in the Indigenous Environmental Studies and Sciences Program at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Her research focuses on water, specifically the Great Lakes region, which is Potawatomi homeland.
In the January 2023 Language Update, Language Department Director Justin Neely pays tribute to James Thunder, Sr., who walked on in December 2022.