The Frapp’s association with the Tribe began with the marriage of John B. Frapp and Josette Wilmette. Josette was the daughter of Archange Chevallier and Antoine Wilmette (Ouilmette), who were early residents of present-day Chicago. The community of Wilmette, Illinois, north of Chicago still bears the family’s name. In the 1830s, many of the Wilmette family emigrated to Council Bluffs, …
Potawatomi made first contact with Europeans indirectly through warfare. By the 1600s, the Anglo-Dutch allied Iroquois Confederacy had depleted all the valuable pelts east of the St. Lawrence River and began raiding Algonquin tribes in Michigan. The invaders were looking to control the untapped resources of the western Great Lakes. Outmatched by superior weaponry, the Potawatomi and other tribes of …
Laframboise foundation Theresa Laframboise Hardin Watkins Beaubien — Chee Chee — and her family removed to Council Bluffs, Iowa, before making the journey to the Potawatomi reservation in Kansas. Theresa was the daughter of Chief Joseph Laframboise and Therese Peltier. Joseph held a standing as one of the Chicago Chiefs, along with Chief Wabunsee, Chief Thomas “Billy” Caldwell or Sauganash, …
Jim Thorpe was a world class athlete and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi, Sac and Fox, and Kickapoo nations. He was the son of Hiram P. Thorpe, who was Irish and Sac & Fox, and Charlotte Vieux, who was a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and Kickapoo. He was born on his family’s ranch near present-day Prague, Oklahoma. …
One particular member of the Lewis family played an integral part in the establishment of what is present-day Wanette, Oklahoma. His children, with a member of the Bergeron family, would further establish the family’s roots in what would later become Pottawatomie County. Wesley Lewis was born April 22, 1838, near Asthabula, Ohio, to Sylvester and Anna (Smith) Lewis. When he …
Massaw was an influential and distinguished woman among the Wabash Potawatomi. Her presence and words carried weight in councils, a right customarily reserved for men. She descended from a line of leadership, as her father Wassato was also a respected ogema (leader). Massaw resided in the village of headman Giwani, her cabin reserved for the mediation of both tribal and …
23in W x 45in L The dress was made by Citizen Potawatomi tribal member Julia Navarre and worn by Eva L. Navarre, Viola A. Navarre and granddaughter Gladys B. Small. It is made of a light brown cotton material and yarn [white, orange, red and green]. A handwritten note that was donated with the dress reads, “dress worn by Eva …
50in L x 21in W x 21in D The wedding dress was worn by tribal member Mary Anderson when she married Antoine Bourbonnais around 1855. The dress is made of leather and decorated with beadwork and tapestry. The mjegode’ [wedding dress] is part of the permanent collection and on exhibition at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center.
13in L x 8.5in W x 1.5in H The 234-page medical journal was researched and recorded by Joseph Napoleon Bourassa, who studied medicine at the Choctaw Academy and had close relationships with traditional medicine men before and after removal. Listed are health conditions and their medicinal therapies. Each treatment is recorded as a recipe, noting wild plants harvested and processed. …
63.5in L x 2.5in H x 1.25in W The long bow was crafted by tribal member Thomas Melot in the 1930s from wood known as Bois d’arc or commonly Osage orange. The mtegwab [bow] is over five feet in length and has a central grip. The bow is part of the permanent collection and on exhibition at the Citizen Potawatomi …