Potawatomi
| Potawatomi |
|---|
|
| Total population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| United States (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana) |
| Languages |
| English, Potawatomi |
| Religions |
| Christianity, Native American Religions |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Ojibwe, Ottawa, and other Algonquian peoples |
The Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomie or Pottawatomi) are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name which means "keepers of the fire" and which was applied to them by their Anishinaabe cousins; however, they originally called themselves Neshnabé, a cognate of the word Anishinaabe.
The Potawatomi were part of a long term alliance with the Ojibwe and Ottawa, called the Council of Three Fires. In the Council of Three Fires, Potawatomi were considered the "youngest brother".
Etymology
Potawatomi, meaning "People of the fire" or "People of the place of the fire" is believed to be an old Chippewa (or Ojibwe) term — "potawatomink" — applied to the group for their role in the tribal council. The Potawatomi and Chippewa, along with the Ottawa were an Algonquin group who once constituted a single tribe. The role the Potawatomi played was to retain the original council fire, hence the name.
Some scholars debate this origin, but it is generally accepted as fact by tribal members today.
History
Potawatomi oral history holds that the ancient Potawatomi were once part of a larger group that traveled down the Atlantic shores of North America, eventually making their way west to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron (Canada). While at Georgian Bay, the group, a single tribe, split into what became known as the individual Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes.
Early historic records confirm that the Potawatomi were living in present-day Michigan and had established an autonomous tribe as early as the 1500s. Living in the northern third of lower Michigan, they began leaving their homeland in 1641 for northern Wisconsin, on the western shores of Lake Michigan.
Seventeenth century
In the mid-seventeenth century the Iroquois sought to expand their territory and monopolize the fur trade and the trade between European markets and the tribes of the western Great Lakes region. A series of brutal conflicts erupted between the Iroquois Confederation, (largely Mohawk), and the largely Algonquian-speaking tribes of the Great Lakes region.
Known as the French and Iroquois Wars, or "Beaver Wars", they were of extreme brutality and are considered one of the bloodiest series of conflicts in the history of North America. The resultant enlargement of Iroquois territory realigned the tribal geography of North America, destroying several large tribal confederacies—including the Hurons, Neutrals, Eries, and Susquehannocks—and pushing other eastern tribes west of the Mississippi River.
Both Algonquian and Iroquoian societies were greatly disturbed by these wars. Though the Potawatomi did not participate in the battles, they were forced northward into Wisconsin (near the present-day city of Green Bay) in order to avoid the conflict. The tribe adapted well, growing corn, gathering wild rice, and harvesting fish and waterfowl from the western waters of Lake Michigan.
First recorded contact between Europeans and the Potawatomi was in 1634 by a French trader named Jean Nicolet at what is now called Red Bank, on the Door Peninsula, along the western shore of Lake Michigan, just east of Green Bay.
In 1687 the French and Algonquin began driving the Iroquois back to New York. As they retreated the Potawatomi began moving south along Lake Michigan, reaching its southern tip by 1695.
One band settled near the Jesuit mission on the St. Joseph River in southwest Michigan. Soon the French built Fort Ponchartrain at Detroit (1701) and groups of Potawatomi settled nearby. By 1716 most Potawatomi villages were scattered in the area between Milwaukee to Detroit. During the 1760s they expanded into northern Indiana and central Illinois. [1]
During the Fur Trading Era, the Potawatomi controlled over 5 million acres encompassing the present-day states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and a small portion of Ohio. Not content to simply trap furs for the Europeans, they became middlemen, along with the Ottawa (who were their rivals). They hired other tribespeople to collect and trap the furs which they then sold to the French. They
This was accomplished through long standing leadership and savvy business skills. The Potawatomi were simply not satisfied with trapping furs. Instead, they entered into a rivalry with the Ottawa for a share in the role as middleman for trade into the Green Bay area. Using their entrepreneurial skills, they began to hire other local tribesman to collect and trap the furs that they once procured. In turn, they would sell or trade the furs to the French, thus expanding their tribal control and estate over a vast area.
Original wikipedia import:
Potawatomi warriors were an important part of Tecumseh's Confederacy and took part in Tecumseh's War, the War of 1812 and the Peoria War, although their allegiance switched repeatedly between the English and the Americans.
A band of Potawatomies were found near Fort Dearborn, in the current location of Chicago. In the war of 1812 a band of this tribe massacred the settlers here. A Potawatomi chief named Sauganash, or Billy Caldwell as the settlers called him, tried to prevent the massacre. For his aid to the settlers, he was allowed to remain in the Chicago area. There was also Potawatomi land in Crown Point, Indiana.
Removal
Trail of Death
Bands
There are several active bands of Potawatomi:
- Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma
- Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin
- Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (formerly known as the Gun Lake tribe), based in Dorr, Michigan in Allegan County, Michigan
- Hannahville Indian Community, Michigan
- Moose Deer Point First Nation, Ontario, Canada
- Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, based in Calhoun County, Michigan
- Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana
- Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Kansas
- Stoney Point and Kettle Point bands, Ontario, Canada
- Walpole Island band; an unceded island between the United States and Canada
BELOW INFO FROM First Nations. Potawatomi History Retrieved September 18, 2007.
Sub-Nations During the 1700s there were three groups of Potawatomi based on location:
Detroit Potawatomi - southeast Michigan Prairie Potawatomi - northern Illinois St. Joseph Potawatomi - southwest Michigan By 1800 the names and locations of these three divisions had changed to:
Potawatomi of the Woods - southern Michigan and northern Indiana Forest Potawatomi - northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan Potawatomi of the Prairie - northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin
At present, there are seven separate groups of Potawatomi - six in the United States and one in Canada:
Canada - When removal to Kansas and Iowa began in the 1830s, some Potawatomi escaped by moving to Canada. Those from Indiana and lower Michigan slipped into southern Ontario, where they settled among the Ojibwe and Ottawa at Walpole Island, Stoney Point, Kettle Point, Caradoc, and Riviere aux Sables. At the same time, other groups of Potawatomi west of Lake Michigan crossed near Sault Ste. Marie to the Ojibwe and Ottawa communities on Cockburn and Manitoulin Islands. After the "heat was off," some of the northern groups returned to the United States and became the Hannaville Potawatomi. Although Canada listed 290 Potawatomi in Ontario in 1890, the Canadian Potawatomi over the years have intermarried with the Ojibwe and Ottawa blurring tribal identity. At present, more than 2,000 Native Americans in Canada can claim Potawatomi descent.
Citizen Potawatomi - Federally recognized, the Citizen Potawatomi are the largest Potawatomi group. Most are descended from the Potawatomi of the Woods (southern Michigan and northern Indiana) including the Mission Band from St. Joseph in southwest Michigan. Acculturated and mostly Christian, it was easier for them to accept allotment and citizenship in 1861 than the more traditional Prairie Potawatomi. This led to a separation (not on the best of terms) in 1870 when the Citizens moved to Oklahoma. Allotment took most of their land in 1889, and they have kept only 4,371 acres, less than two acres of which is tribally owned! Most Citizen Potawatomi have remained in Oklahoma - the Indian Bureau listing 1,768 of them in 1908 - but during the dust bowl of the 1930s, many left for California. Headquartered in Shawnee, they are organized under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act with a current enrollment of more than 18,000.
Forest County Potawatomi - Probably the most traditional group, the Forest County Potawatomi of northern Wisconsin have retained much of their original language, religion, and culture. They are descended from three Potawatomi bands from Lake Geneva in southern Wisconsin who avoided removal by moving north to the Black River and Wisconsin Rapids. In 1867 they were joined by Potawatomi who had left Kansas. In 1913 the government accepted their residence in Wisconsin and purchased 12,000 acres for them. Since the original intention was to distribute this in individual allotments, the parcels were scattered, but resistance to individual ownership delayed this until they had re-organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. All land, except for 200 acres, is tribally owned. Federally recognized with an enrollment close to 800, they live in three separate communities with the tribal headquarters in Crandon, Wisconsin.
Hannaville Potawatomi - The Hannaville Potawatomi at Wilson in upper Michigan share a similar history with their Forest County counterparts. Originally from Illinois and Wisconsin, they refused to leave after 1834 and moved to northern Wisconsin. For a time, some lived with the Menominee while others stayed with the Ojibwe and Ottawa in Canada. Some returned to the United States in 1853 but were landless. Peter Marksnian, an Ojibwe missionary, found some land for them in 1883, and Hannaville was named after his wife. Congress in 1913 acknowledged the Hannaville Potawatomi and purchased 3,400 acres of scattered parcels - 39 acres were added in 1942. Federally recognized since 1936, membership is almost 900.
Huron Potawatomi (Nottawaseppi) - Originally a part of the Detroit Tribes in southeastern Michigan, the Huron Potawatomi did not entirely escape removal. Gathered by soldiers and sent to Kansas in 1840, the bands of Mogwago and Pamptopee escaped and returned to Michigan. The government relented in 1845 when President Polk signed a bill giving 40 acres of public lands in southeast Michigan to the Huron Potawatomi. Another 80 acres was added to this in 1848, with a Methodist mission established the following year. Most Huron Potawatomi became citizens and took their lands in severalty during 1888, and federal tribal status was officially terminated during 1902. However, the Nottawaseppi continued their tribal organization and traditions, and with an enrollment of approximately 600, they were successful in regaining their federal recognition late in 1995.
Pokagon Potawatomi - Roman Catholic and acculturated because of the St. Joseph mission, the Pokagon were protected from removal by treaty and were allowed to stay in southwest Michigan. Their name derives from Chief Simon Pokagon, a famous Native American lecturer during the 1850s. Refused tribal status under the Indian Reorganization Act (1934), their long struggle to gain federal recognition finally succeeded in 1994. With tribal offices located in Dowagiac, Michigan, the Pokagon are in the process of reacquiring a land base. Currently, most of their 2,600 members are scattered among the general populations of southern Michigan and northern Indiana.
Prairie Potawatomi - Formed from the Forest and Prairie Potawatomi bands west of Lake Michigan, they were removed to southwest Iowa in 1834. They were accompanied by Ottawa and Ojibwe from the same area who merged with them. Placed on a Kansas reservation in 1846 with the Potawatomi of the Woods and Mission Band, the Prairie Potawatomi preferred to hold their land in common and remained in Kansas when the Citizens left for Oklahoma in 1870. They were eventually forced to accept allotment which reduced their land from 77,400 acres to the current 20,325 - 560 tribally owned. Population in 1908 was only 676, but since then, it has grown to almost 4,000 with the tribal headquarters in Mayetta, Kansas. The Prairie Potawatomi are usually traditional, and many practice either the Drum Religion or belong to the Native American Church.
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 1800s, major portions of Potawatomi lands were annexed by the U.S. government. Following the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, most of the Potawatomi people were forcibly removed from the tribe's lands. Many perished en route to new lands in the west, following what became known as "The Trail of Death".
Language
Main article: Potawatomi language
Potawatomi is an Algonquian language spoken by fewer than 100 people in Ontario and the north-central United States. The current speakers are all older people and there is fear that the language may die out in the near future. Many places in the Midwest have names derived from the Potawatomi language, including Allegan, Waukegan, Muskegon, Skokie and, most famously, Chicago. In the language, the suffix -gan means "land", and whatever prefix is attached would be a defining characteristic. Chicago, for example, has been written down by several people outside of the Potawatomi people, and the name itself has probably been distorted over time, but the original meaning was land of smelly onions, and was prounounced She-Ka-Gan.
Culture
Notes
- ↑ First Nations. Potawatomi History Retrieved September 18, 2007.
Sources and Further Reading
- Clifton, James A., and Frank W. Porter. 1987. The Potawatomi. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 1555467253 and ISBN 9781555467258
- Edmunds, R. David. 1978. The Potawatomis, keepers of the fire. The Civilization of the American Indian series, v. 145. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0806114789 and ISBN 9780806114781
- Landes, Ruth. 1970. The Prairie Potawatomi; tradition and ritual in the twentieth century. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299052907 and ISBN 9780299052904
- Mayrl, Damon. 2003. The Potawatomi of Wisconsin. The library of Native Americans. New York: PowerKids Press. ISBN 0823964280 and ISBN 9780823964284
- Sanna, Ellyn. 2004. Potawatomi. North American Indians today. Philadelphia, Pa: Mason Crest Publishers. ISBN 1590846753 and ISBN 9781590846759
External links
- History. Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
- December 18, 1998. Potawatomi History. First Nations. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
- Baerreis, Dr. David A. The Potawatomi in Historical Perspective. Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
- Treaties with the Potawatomi. Kansas Heritage. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
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