Cecelia "Meeks" Miksekwe Jackson (October 2, 1922 - May 29, 2011) was a

Bodéwademi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among Potawatomi ethnonyms, many variations), are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lake ...

(Neshnabé/Potawatomi) woman from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in the United States who worked to preserve Bodwéwadmimwen, a critically endangered

Algonquian language Algonquian language may refer to: * Algonquian languages, language sub-family indigenous to North America * Algonquin language, an Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language {{disambiguation ...

. She was a native speaker.

Biography

Cecelia Miksekwe Jackson was born to Rosann Lasley Potts and Joseph Bill Potts on October 2, 1922, on the Bodéwademi reservation near Mayetta, Kansas. She was a member of the Nation, in English the

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (, formerly the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians) is a federally recognized tribe of Neshnabé (Potawatomi people), headquartered near Mayetta, Kansas. History The ''Mshkodésik'' ("People of the Small Prairie ...

. Jackson was multilingual, speaking Bodwéwadmimwen,

Anishinaabemowin Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algon ...

(Ojibwe), Daawaamwin (Ottawa), and English. She worked for many years at the Slimaker Dress Factory in

Holton, Kansas Holton is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,401. History The party that chose the site of Holton started at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in May 1856. ...

and later as a cook.

Language revitalization

Cecelia Miksekwe Jackson was the last fluent, native speaker of Bodwéwadmimwen (Potawatomi) belonging to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN). Despite the small number of speakers, the PBPN is "regarded as a language stronghold" because of its efforts to preserve the language. The PBPN founded a language and culture program in 1998, using a federal grant from the ANA. Jackson was instrumental in the language program's work. She helped create a Bodwéwadmimwen-English dictionary, a grammar book, audio and video material, and a storybook in Bodwéwadmimwen. Cindy Ledere, a teacher with the language program, said, "Almost all the work here has come from her." Speaking to a reporter, Jackson implored parents to speak to their children in Bodwéwadmimwen to preserve the language. In 2010, Jackson was honored with a ceremonial dinner, sponsored by the tribal council, for her work to preserve the language. More than 200 people attended.

Personal life

Cecelia Miksekwe Jackson adhered to the Drum Religion or Dream Dance, a

Native American religion Native American religions, Native American faith or American Indian religions are the indigenous spiritual practices of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Ceremonial ways can vary widely and are based on the differing histories and belie ...

founded by

Turkey Tailfeather Woman Tailfeather Woman was a Dakota woman who is said to have given the Drum Dance to the Anishinaabe people. The Drum Dance is a set of spiritual beliefs that center on Tailfeather Woman and her escape from the American military, after which she built ...

, a Dakota woman, in the 19th century. The religion spread to many other Native nations, including the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

, Othaakiiwaki (Sauk), Šaawanwaki (Shawnee), Mamaceqtaw (Menominee), and the Bodéwademi of Kansas. Jackson was a member of the local chapter of the American Legion Auxiliary, made of the partners and family members of veterans in the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

. She had two children and was a great-grandmother at the time of her death. She died at 88 years old on May 29, 2011.

References

External links

Local news segment on Bodwéwadmimwen, with clips of Jackson speakingHistory of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, with clips of Jackson speaking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Cecilia Miksekwe Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation people Native American people from Kansas 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native American people 1922 births 2011 deaths Native American language revitalization