Potawatomi Tribe

Potawatomi Tribe

The Potawatomi are Native Americans that originated in the state of Michigan. Some have since relocated to areas in Kansas and Oklahoma. The Potawatomi are closely related to the Ojibwe and Ottawa tribes. They were originally known as the Neshnabek which means "The People." There are approximately only 28,000 Potawatomi remaining today.

Fast Facts

Language: Potawatomi
Place of origin: Upper Mississippi river region
Current population in Canada and the U.S. is 28,000
Potawatomi means "keepers of the fire"
Originally hunters
Religion: Christianity
Signed more than 40 treaties with the U.S. from 1789-1867

Tribal History

Hundreds of years ago, the Potawatomi people controlled a vast area of land in the Great Lakes area where they hunted, fished, planted and gathered crops. They were closely related to the Ojibwe and Ottawa tribes with similar languages and customs. The three tribes eventually formed an alliance in which the Potawatomi were deemed the "Keepers of the Sacred Fire." In the 1800's, the majority of the Potawatomi were forced to move as a result of the Treaty of Chicago in 1833. Many perished and died on their journey to the west to find new lands. Their tumultuous journey later became known as "The Trail of Death." Most of the Potawatomi people came to settle in Oklahoma. They have since migrated to areas in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Colorado.

Categories

History | U.S. History | Native American History

| View Note History

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: Citizen Potawatomi Nation (Oklahoma)
Official Site: Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (Kansas)
Official Site: The Union of Ontario Indians: Confederacy Of The Three Fires
Wikipedia: Potawatomi
Urbana School District 116: The Potawatomi Trail of Death: Primary Sources
Manataka American Indian Council: Potawatomi History
YouTube: Shabbona (1775-1859) (Time: 7:47)

Potawatomi Tribe History

Official Site: Forest County Potawatomi History
Official Site: Hannahville Indian Community
Wikipedia: Council of Three Fires
Walpole Island: Bkejwanong Walpole Island First Nation
Potawatomi Web: Treaties between the Potawatomi and the United States of America,1789-1867
Indian Country Today: Trail of Broken Treaties: A 30th Anniversary Memory (November 1, 2002)
History of the Lake: Potawatomi Native Americans Fish and Hunt at Bald Eagle Lake
Kansas Historical Society: A Moment in Time
Purdue University Libraries: The George Winter Collection

Potawatomi Tribe Society

Potawatomi Religious Beliefs

Manataka American Indian Council: Potawatomi Culture and Religion
Illinois State Museum: Meaning of Midewin
University of Virginia Library: Indian Superstitions and Legends
Ghost Research Society: Robinson Woods Indian Burial Grounds
National Park Service: Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains...Milwaukee, WI

Potawatomi Traditional Dress

YouTube: Potawatomi Gathering 2007 Forest County (Time: 1:27)
Urbana School District 116: Potawatomi Clothing

Potawatomi Culture and Crafts

Milwaukee Public Museum: Potawatomi Culture | Potawatomi Oral Tradition | Lacrosse
NativeTech: SaSaKah's Potawatomie Fry-bread
YouTube: Intertribal Native American Church Peyote Prayer songs (Time: 7:06)

Potawatomi Gambling Enterprises and Commentary

Mahalo's Guide to Native American Gambling Enterprises
DeKalb County Illinois: A New Slogan for Shabbona: Fish 'n Chips.
News From Indian Country: Potawatomi Gambling
National Indian Gaming Commission: List and Location of Tribal Gaming Operations

Potawatomi Tribe Leaders and Key Figures

Kansas AHGP: Wahbahnse, Warrior Chief Of The Pottawatomie Nation (1760's? - 1845?)
Illinois Trails History and Genealogy: Shabbona (1775 - 1859)
Historical Text Archive: Chief Menominee (1790? - 1841)
Chandonai Genealogy: Chief Ash-Kum ( ? - 1846)
Wisconsin Historical Society: Simon Onanguisse Kahquados (1851 - 1930)

Potawatomi Tribe News and Blogs

Official Site: Forest County Potawatomi: Potawatomi Traveling Times
Google News: Potawatomi
NativeRadio.com: Native Radio Your Portal to the Beauty and Mystery of Native American Music
Language is My World: The Seven Rats (January 26, 2008)
The Native Blog: Song-Poems & Native News From Potawatomi Author Larry Mitchell
The MidWeek: Opposition to Shabbona Bingo Organizes (January 9, 2008)
The News-Gazette.com: Fans Send Chief Illiniwek Out in Style (February 22, 2007)

Potawatomi Tribe Photographs and Videos

Google Image Search: Potawatomi
Yahoo! Image Search: Potawatomi Tribe
YouTube & Google Video Search: Potawatomi Tribe
Yahoo! Video Search: Potawatomi
YouTube: We The People (Time: 4:49)

Potawatomi Timeline

796 AD: Formation of The Council of Three Fires
1764: Niagara Treaty with Britain
1789: Treaties between the United States of America and the Potawatomi 1789 - 1867
1812: The Fort Dearborn Massacre Chicago, Illinois
1829: Treaty at Prairie du Chien Michigan Territory
1830: Indian Removal Act legalizes forced movement of Indians west of the Mississippi
1832: Indian Creek Massacre near Ottawa, Illinois
1833: The Treaty of Chicago gives the Potawatomi three years to move west to Iowa and Missouri
1838: Trail of Death begins September 4 south of Plymouth, IN Map
1934: Indian Reorganization Act is passed and “It Didn’t Pan Out as We Thought...”
1970: Self-determination 1970-1980 (13 KB)
1978: American Indian Religious Freedom Act
1990: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
2007: Neighbors seek return of the warehoused Fort Dearborn Massacre monument

Related Pages on Mahalo

Indian Removal Act | American Indian Movement | Native American Gambling Enterprises | Ghost Dance Movement | Apache Tribe | Navajo Tribe | Hopi Tribe | Lakota Nation | Trail of Tears

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