The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

, upper

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, and western

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...

. They traditionally speak the

Potawatomi language Potawatomi (, also spelled Pottawatomie; in Potawatomi , , or ) is a Central Algonquian languages, Central Algonquian languages, Algonquian language. It was historically spoken by the Potawatomi, Pottawatomi people who lived around the Great Lake ...

, a member of the Algonquian family. They are additionally

First Nations in Canada ''First Nations'' () is a term used to identify Indigenous peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. Traditionally, First Nations in Canada were peoples who lived south of the tree line, and mainly south of the Arctic Circle. There ...

. The Potawatomi call themselves ''Neshnabé'', a

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

of the word ''

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...

''. The Potawatomi are part of a long-term alliance, called the

Council of Three Fires The Council of Three Fires (in , also known as the People of the Three Fires; the Three Fires Confederacy; or the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians) is a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe (or Chippewa), O ...

, with 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 ...

and

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

(Ottawa). In the Council of Three Fires, the Potawatomi are considered the "youngest brother". Their people are referred to in this context as ''Bodéwadmi'', a name that means "keepers of the fire" and refers to the council fire of three peoples. In the 19th century, some bands of Potawatomi were pushed to the west by European/American encroachment. In the 1830s the federal government removed most from their lands east of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory—first in Kansas, Nebraska, and last to Oklahoma. Some bands survived in the Great Lakes region and today are federally recognized as tribes, in addition to the Potawatomi in Oklahoma.

Name

The English "Potawatomi" is derived from the

( syncoped in the

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

as ). The Potawatomi name for themselves (

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

) is (without syncope: ; plural: ), a

of the Ojibwe form. Their name means "those who tend the hearth-fire", which refers to the hearth of the

. The word comes from "to tend the hearth-fire", which is (without syncope: ) in the

; the Ojibwe and Ottawa forms are and , respectively. Alternatively, the Potawatomi call themselves (without syncope: ; plural: ), a cognate of Ojibwe , meaning "original people".

Teachings

The Potawatomi teach their children about the "Seven Grandfather Teachings" of wisdom, respect, love, honesty, humility, bravery, and truth toward each other and all creation. Each principle teaches the equality and importance of their fellow tribesmen and respect for all of nature's creations. The story that underlies these teaches the importance of patience and listening. It follows the Water Spider's journey to retrieve fire so that the other animals can survive the cold. As the other animals step forth one after another to proclaim that they shall be the ones to retrieve the fire, the Water Spider sits and waits while listening to her fellows. As they finish and wrestle with their fears, she steps forward and announces that she will be the one to bring fire back. As they laugh and doubt her, she weaves a bowl out of her web, using it to sail across the water to retrieve the fire. She brings back a hot coal out of which the animals make fire, and they celebrate her honor and bravery.

History

Pottawatomi Fashion at the Field Museum in Chicago

The Potawatomi are first mentioned in French records, which suggest that in the early 17th century, they lived in what is now southwestern

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. During the

Beaver Wars The Beaver Wars (), also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars (), were a series of conflicts fought intermittently during the 17th century in North America throughout the Saint Lawrence River valley in Canada and the Great L ...

they fled to the area around Green Bay to escape attacks by both the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

and the

Neutral Confederacy The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ) was a tribal confederation of Iroquoian peoples. Its heartland was in the floodplain of the Grand River in what is now Ontario, Canada. At its height, its wider territory extend ...

, who were seeking expanded hunting grounds. It is estimated that the Potawatomi numbered around 3,000 in 1658. As an important part of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

's Confederacy, Potawatomi warriors took part in

Tecumseh's War Tecumseh's War or Tecumseh's Rebellion was a conflict between the United States and Tecumseh's confederacy, led by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh in the Indiana Territory. Although the war is often considered to have climaxed with William Henry Ha ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Their alliances switched repeatedly between

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the United States as power relations shifted between the nations, and they calculated effects on their trade and land interests. At the time of the War of 1812, a band of Potawatomi inhabited the area near

Fort Dearborn Fort Dearborn was a United States fort, first built in 1803 beside the Chicago River, in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by U.S. troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secre ...

, where

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

developed. Led by the chiefs Blackbird and Nuscotomeg (Mad Sturgeon), a force of about 500 warriors attacked the United States evacuation column leaving Fort Dearborn. They killed most of the civilians and 54 of Captain

Nathan Heald Nathan Heald ( New Ipswich, New Hampshire September 24, 1775 – O'Fallon, Missouri April 27, 1832) was an officer in the U.S. Army, during the War of 1812. He was in command of Fort Dearborn in Chicago during the Battle of Fort Dearborn. Heald ...

's force, and wounded many others. George Ronan, the first graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

to be killed in combat, died in this ambush. The incident is referred to as the

Battle of Fort Dearborn The Battle of Fort Dearborn (sometimes called the Fort Dearborn Massacre) was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois (at that ...

. A Potawatomi chief named Mucktypoke (, Black Partridge), counseled his fellow warriors against the attack. Later he saved some of the civilian captives who were being ransomed by the Potawatomi.Edmunds, R. David (1988). ''The Potawatomis: Keepers of the Fire''. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press (Civilization of the American Indian Series);

French period (1615–1763)

The French period of contact began with early explorers who reached the Potawatomi in western Michigan. They also found the tribe located along the

Door Peninsula The Door Peninsula is a peninsula in eastern Wisconsin, separating the southern part of the Green Bay from Lake Michigan. The peninsula includes northern Kewaunee County, northeastern Brown County, and the mainland portion of Door Count ...

of Wisconsin. By the end of the French period, the Potawatomi had begun a move to the

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

area, leaving the large communities in Wisconsin. * Madouche during the

Fox Wars The Fox Wars were two conflicts between the French and the Meskwaki (historically Fox) people who lived in the Great Lakes region (particularly near Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit) from 1712 to 1733.In their book ''The Fox Wars'', Edmunds and Pe ...

* Millouisillyny * Onanghisse (''Wnaneg-gizs'' "Shimmering Light") at Green Bay * Otchik at

British period (1763–1783)

The British period of contact began when France ceded its lands after its defeat by Britain in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

(the North American front of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

Pontiac's Rebellion Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a confederation of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans who were dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region follow ...

was an attempt by Native Americans to push the British and other European settlers out of their territory. The Potawatomi captured every British frontier garrison but the one at Detroit. The Potawatomi nation continued to grow and expanded westward from Detroit, most notably in the development of the St. Joseph villages adjacent to the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

in southwestern Michigan. The Wisconsin communities continued and moved south along the Lake Michigan shoreline. * Nanaquiba (Water Moccasin) at

* Ninivois at Detroit * Peshibon at St. Joseph * Washee (from , "the Swan") at St. Joseph during

United States treaty period (1783–1830)

The United States treaty period of Potawatomi history began with the Treaty of Paris, which ended the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and established the United States' interest in the lower Great Lakes. It lasted until the treaties for Indian removal were signed. The US recognized the Potawatomi as a single tribe. They often had a few tribal leaders whom all villages accepted. The Potawatomi had a decentralized society, with several main divisions based on geographic locations:

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

area,

Huron River The Huron River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed November 7, 2011 river in southeast Michigan, southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfie ...

, the St. Joseph River, the

Kankakee River The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in the Corn Belt, Central Corn Belt Plains of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time, the river drained one of the largest we ...

, Tippecanoe and

Wabash River The Wabash River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

s, the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

and Lake Peoria, and the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers. The chiefs listed below are grouped by geographic area.

Milwaukee Potawatomi

* Manamol * Siggenauk (: "Le Tourneau" or "Blackbird")

Chicago Potawatomi

Billy Caldwell Billy Caldwell (March 17, 1782 – September 28, 1841), known also as ''Sauganash'', a variant spelling of ''Zhagnash'' meaning British in the Potawatomi language, was a part- Scots-Irish and part-Mohawk or Shawnee fur trader who was commissi ...

, also known as Sauganash (''Zhagnash'': "Englishman") (1780–1841)

Des Plaines and Fox River Potawatomi

* Aptakisic (, "Half Day") * Mukatapenaise, a.k.a.

Black Partridge The black partridge (''Melanoperdix niger''), also known as the black wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long) partridge with a thick Beak, bill, grey legs and dark brown Iris (anatomy), iris. It is the only member of the monotypic gen ...

( "Blackbird") * Waubonsie (Wabenizhi, 'He Causes Paleness,' related to 'waben' meaning dawn.) * Waweachsetoh along with La Gesse, Gomo or Masemo (Resting Fish)

Illinois River Potawatomi

* Mucktypoke (: "Black Partridge") * Senachewine ( 1831) (Petacho or "Difficult Current") was the brother of Gomo who was chief among the Lake Peoria Potawatomi

Kankakee River (Iroquois and Yellow Rivers) Potawatomi

* Main Poc, also known as Webebeset ("Crafty One") * MicsawbeeMcPherson, Alan (1993). ''Indian Names in Indiana''. 19th century * Notawkah (Rattlesnake) on the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

* Nuscotomeg (, "Mad Sturgeon") on the

and

s * Mesasa (, "Turkey Foot")

St. Joseph and Elkhart Potawatomi

* Chebass (: "Little Duck") on the St. Joseph River *

Five Medals Five Medals (; also recorded as Wonongaseah or Wannangsea, from the Potawatomi ''Wa-nyano-zhoneya'', "Five-coin" or "Five-medal") was a leader of the Elkhart River Potawatomi. He led his people in defense of their homelands and was a proponent o ...

(: "Five-coin") on the Elkhart River * Onaska on the Elkhart River * Topinbee (He who sits Quietly) ( 1826)

Tippecanoe and Wabash River Potawatomi

* Aubenaubee (1761–1837/8) on the Tippecanoe River * Askum (More and More) on the Eel River * George Cicott (1800?–1833) * Keesass on the

* Kewanna (1790?–1840s?) (Prairie Chicken) Eel River * Kinkash (see Askum) * Magaago * Monoquet (1790s–1830s) on the Tippecanoe River * Tiosa on the Tippecanoe River *

Winamac Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a liaison between New ...

(, "Catfish")—allied with the British during the War of 1812 *

(, "Catfish")—allied with the Americans during the War of 1812

Fort Wayne Potawatomi

Metea Chief Metea or Me-te-a () (floruit, fl. 1812–1827) (Potawatomi language, Potawatomi: ''Mdewé'' "Sulks") was one of the principal chiefs of the Potawatomi during the early 19th century. He frequently acted as spokesman at treaty councils. ...

(1760?–1827) (, "Sulks") * Wabnaneme on the Pigeon River

American removal period (1830–1840)

The removal period of Potawatomi history began with the treaties of the late 1820s, when the United States created reservations.

and Alexander Robinson negotiated for the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa and Potowatomi in the Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien (1829), by which they ceded most of their lands in Wisconsin and Michigan. Some Potawatomi became religious followers of the "Kickapoo Prophet",

Kennekuk Keannekeuk (c. 1790–1852), also known as the "Kickapoo Prophet", was a Kickapoo medicine man and spiritual leader of the Vermilion band of the Kickapoo nation. He lived in East Central Illinois much of his life along the Vermilion River. One s ...

. Over the years, the US reduced the size of the reservations under pressure for land by incoming European Americans. The final step followed the Treaty of Chicago, negotiated in 1833 for the tribes by Caldwell and Robinson. In return for land cessions, the US promised new lands, annuities and supplies to enable the peoples to develop new homes. The Illinois Potawatomi were removed to

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and the Indiana Potawatomi to

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 ...

, both west of the Mississippi River. Often annuities and supplies were reduced, or late in arrival, and the Potawatomi suffered after their relocations. Those in Kansas were later removed to

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

(now

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

). The removal of the Indiana Potawatomi was documented by a Catholic priest,

Benjamin Petit Benjamin Marie Petit (April 8, 1811 – February 10, 1839) was a Roman Catholic Church, Catholic missionary to the Potawatomi at Twin Lakes, Indiana, Twin Lakes, Indiana, where he served from November 1837 to September 1838. A native of Ren ...

, who accompanied the Indians on the

Potawatomi Trail of Death The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced Indian Removal, removal by militia in 1838 of about 859 members of the Potawatomi nation from Indiana to reservation lands in what is now eastern Kansas. The march began at Twin Lakes, Indiana (Myers ...

in 1838. Petit died while returning to Indiana in 1839. His diary was published in 1941, over 100 years after his death, by the Indiana Historical Society. Many Potawatomi found ways to remain, primarily those in Michigan. Others fled to their

neighbors or to Canada to avoid removal to the west. * ''Iowa'',

* ''Maumksuck'' (, "Big Foot") at

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

* '' Mecosta'' (, "Having a Bear's Foot") *

Chief Menominee Menominee (c. 1791 – April 15, 1841) was a Potawatomi chief and religious leader whose village on reservation lands at Twin Lakes, southwest of Plymouth in present-day Marshall County, Indiana, became the gathering place for the Potawatomi w ...

(1791?–1841) Twin Lakes of Marshall County * ''Pamtipee'' of Nottawasippi * ''Mackahtamoah'' (, "Black Wolf") of Nottawasippi * ''Pashpoho'' of

near

Rochester, Indiana Rochester is a city in, and the county seat of, Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,270 at the 2020 census. History Rochester was laid out in 1835. The founder Alexander Chamberlain named it for his former hometown of ...

* ''Pepinawah'' * Leopold Pokagon (–1841) * Simon Pokagon (–1899) * '' Sauganash'' (Billy Caldwell) removed his band ultimately to what would become

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

in 1838, where they lived at what was known as Caldwell's Camp. Father

Pierre-Jean De Smet Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ ( ; 30 January 1801 – 23 May 1873), also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Flemish Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for his widespread missionary work in the mid-19t ...

established a mission there that was active in 1837–1839. * ''Shupshewahno'' (19th century – 1841) or (Vision of a Lion) at Shipshewana Lake. * ''Topinbee'' (The Younger) on the St. Joseph River * ''Wabanim'' (, "White Dog") on the Iroquois River * (Snapping Turtle) on the Iroquois River * ''Wanatah'' * ''Weesionas'' (see Ashkum) * ''Wewesh''

Bands

There are several active bands of Potawatomi.

United States

Federally recognized This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes are legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States.

Potawatomi tribes in the United States: *

Forest County Potawatomi Community The Forest County Potawatomi Community () is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people with approximately 1,400 members as of 2010. The community is based on the Forest County Potawatomi Indian Reservation, which consists of numerous n ...

, Wisconsin; *

Hannahville Indian Community The Hannahville Indian Community is a federally recognized Potawatomi tribe residing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, approximately west of Escanaba on a reservation. The reservation, at , lies mostly in Harris Township in eastern Menominee ...

, Michigan; * Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (also known as the Gun Lake tribe), based in Dorr in

Allegan County, Michigan Allegan County ( ) is a Counties of the United States, county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 120,502. The county seat is Allegan, Michigan, Allegan. The name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoo ...

; *

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (NHBP) is a federally-recognized tribe of Potawatomi in the United States. The tribe achieved federal recognition on December 19, 1995, and currently has approximately 1500 members. The Pine Creek Indi ...

, based in

Calhoun County, Michigan Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 134,310. The county seat is Marshall. The county was established on October 19, 1829, and named after John C. Calhoun, who was at the time ...

; * Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana; and *

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

, Kansas (and since 2024 Illinois). *

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Citizen Potawatomi Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people located in Oklahoma. The Potawatomi are traditionally an Algonquian languages, Algonquian-speaking Eastern Woodlands tribes, Eastern Woodlands tribe. They have 29,155 e ...

Canada – First Nations with Potawatomi people

Caldwell First Nation The Caldwell First Nation (, ''meaning: "people of the Lake"'') is a First Nations band government whose land base is located in Leamington, Ontario, Canada. They are an Anishinaabe group, part of the Three Fires Confederacy, comprising the bands ...

Point Pelee Point Pelee National Park (; ) is a national park in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word is French for 'bald'. Point Pelee consists of a peninsula of land, mainly of marsh and woodland habitat ...

and

Pelee Island Pelee may refer to: *Pelee, Ontario, an island in Lake Erie, Canada *Point Pelee National Park, a park in Ontario, Canada *Mount Pelée, a volcano in Martinique *Peleus In Greek mythology, Peleus (; Ancient Greek: Πηλεύς ''Pēleus'') was ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation () is an Anishinaabek First Nation from the Bruce Peninsula region in Ontario, Canada. Along with the Saugeen First Nation, they form the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First N ...

Bruce Peninsula The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, wi ...

, Ontario; *

Saugeen First Nation Saugeen First Nation () is an Ojibway First Nation band located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The band states that their legal name is the "Chippewas of Saugeen". Organized in the mid-1970s, Saugeen First Nati ...

, Ontario (

); * Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point, Ontario; * Moose Deer Point First Nation, Ontario * Walpole Island First Nation on an unceded island between the United States and Canada *

Wasauksing First Nation Wasauksing First Nation (formerly named as Parry Island First Nation, , ''meaning: "Place that shines brightly in the reflection of the sacred light"'') is an Ojibwe, Ojibway, Odawa people, Odawa and Pottawatomi First Nations in Canada, First Nat ...

, Parry Island, Ontario *

Beausoleil First Nation Beausoleil First Nation () is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. The main settlement of the Beausoleil First Nation is on Christian Island, Ontario, Canada in southern Georgian Bay. As of 2018, the t ...

, Christian Island, Georgian Bay, Ontario

Population

Clans

La Chauvignerie (1736) and Morgan (1877) mention among the Potawatomi

doodem The Anishinaabe, like most Algonquian languages, Algonquian-speaking groups in North America, base their system of kinship on clans or totems. The Ojibwe language, Ojibwe word for clan () was borrowed into English as totem. The clans, based ma ...

s (clans) being: * ''Bené'' (Turkey) * ''Gagagshi'' (Crow) * ''Gnew'' (Golden Eagle) * ''Jejakwe (Thunderer, i.e. Crane) * ''Mag'' (Loon) * ''Mekchi'' (Frog) * ''Mek'' (Beaver) * ''Mewi'a'' (Wolf) * ''Mgezewa'' (Bald Eagle) * ''Mkedésh-gékékwa'' (Black Hawk) * ''Mko'' (Bear) * ''Mshéwé'' (Elk) * ''Mshike (Turtle) * ''Nme (Sturgeon) * ''Nmébena'' (Carp) * ''Shage'shi'' (Crab) * ''Wabozo'' (Rabbit) * ''Wakeshi'' (Fox)

Ethnobotany

They regard ''

Epigaea repens ''Epigaea repens'', the mayflower, trailing arbutus, or ground laurel, is a low, spreading shrub in the family Ericaceae. It is found from Newfoundland to Florida, west to Kentucky and the Northwest Territories. Description The plant is a slow-g ...

'' as their tribal flower and consider it to have come directly from their divinity. ''

Allium tricoccum ''Allium tricoccum'' (commonly known as ramps, ramson, wild leek, wood leek, or wild garlic) is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae. It is a North American species of wild onion or garlic found in eastern ...

'' is consumed in traditional Potawatomi cuisine. They mix an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

of the root of ''

Uvularia grandiflora ''Uvularia grandiflora'', the large-flowered bellwort or merrybells, is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae, native to eastern and central North America. Description Growing to tall by broad, it is a rhizomatous herbace ...

'' with lard and use it as salve to massage sore muscles and tendons. They use ''

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (formerly ''Aster novae-angliae'') is a species of flowering plant in the aster Family (botany), family (Asteraceae) Native plant, native to central and eastern North America. Common name, Commonly known as , , or , it is a Perennial plant, ...

'' as a fumigating reviver. ''

Vaccinium myrtilloides ''Vaccinium myrtilloides'' is a North American species of blueberry with common names including common blueberry, velvetleaf huckleberry, velvetleaf blueberry, Canadian blueberry, and sourtop blueberry. Description ''Vaccinium myrtilloides'' is a ...

'' is part of their traditional cuisine, and is eaten fresh, dried, and canned. They also use the root bark of the plant for an unspecified ailment.

Location

The Potawatomi first lived in Lower Michigan, then moved to northern Wisconsin and eventually settled into northern Indiana and central Illinois. In the early 19th century, major portions of Potawatomi lands were seized by the US government. Following the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, by which the tribe ceded its lands in Illinois, most of the Potawatomi people were removed to Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River. Many perished en route to new lands in the west on their journey through

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, Kansas, and Indian Territory, following what became known as the " Trail of Death".

Language

Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomie; in Potawatomi ''Bodéwadmimwen'' or ''Bodéwadmi Zheshmowen'' or ''Neshnabémwen'') is a Central

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 ...

and is spoken around the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

in Michigan and Wisconsin. It is also spoken by Potawatomi in

, Oklahoma, and in southern

. As of 2001, there were fewer than 1,300 people who speak Potawatomi as a first language, most of them elderly. The people are working to revitalize the language, as evidenced by recent efforts such as the online

Dictionary A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged Alphabetical order, alphabetically (or by Semitic root, consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical-and-stroke sorting, radical an ...

created by the

or the various resources available through the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. The Potawatomi language is most similar to the

Odawa language Ottawa or Odawa is a dialect of the Ojibwe language spoken by the Odawa people in southern Ontario in Canada, and northern Michigan in the United States. Descendants of migrant Ottawa speakers live in Kansas and Oklahoma. The first recorded mee ...

; it also has borrowed a considerable amount of vocabulary from Sauk. Like the Odawa language, or the Ottawa dialect of the

Anishinaabe language 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 ...

, the Potawatomi language exhibits a great amount of vowel syncope. Many places in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

have names derived from the Potawatomi language, including

Waukegan Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its popu ...

Muskegon Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

, Oconomowoc, Pottawattamie County,

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, and Skokie.

Potawatomi people

* Ron Baker: played for the New York Knicks and the Washington Wizards. * Tank Standing Buffalo, artist and animator * Charles J. Chaput (born 1944 – son of a Potawatomi woman): Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia from 2011 to 2020. * Kelly Church (Potawatomi/Odawa/Ojibwe): basket maker, painter, and educator. *

Robin Wall Kimmerer Robin Wall Kimmerer (born September 13, 1953) is a Potawatomi botanist, author, and the director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). ...

: botanist and writer – author of '' Braiding Sweetgrass''. * Simon Pokagon: the "Hereditary and Last Chief" of the Pokagon Band. * Leopold Pokagon: head of the Potawatomi in the Saint Joseph River Valley. *

Jeri Redcorn Jereldine "Jeri" Redcorn (born November 23, 1939) is an Oklahoman artist who single-handedly revived traditional Caddo pottery.

: the Oklahoman artist who revived traditional Caddo pottery. * Angela R. Riley: chief justice of Citizen Potawatomi Nation (2010–present). * Topinabee: head of the Potawatomi of the Saint Joseph River Valley.

References

Cited sources

External links

*
Hannahville Indian Community; Wilson, MI

Citizen Potawatomi Nation
official website

Forest County Potawatomi

Kettle & Stony Point First Nation

Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi
(Gun Lake)
Moose Deer Point First Nation

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

Potawatomi Author Larry Mitchell

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

Treaty Between the Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot, and Potawatomi Indians

Potawatomi Migration from Wisconsin and Michigan to Canada
{{Authority control Algonquian ethnonyms Algonquian peoples Anishinaabe groups First Nations in Ontario Great Lakes tribes Native American tribes in Illinois Native American tribes in Indiana Native American tribes in Kansas Native American tribes in Michigan Native American tribes in Nebraska Native American tribes in Oklahoma Native American tribes in Wisconsin