Iowah was a young and influential headman among the Wabash Potawatomi. He was the nephew of headman and principal orator Naswawkay. Along with his brother M’joquis, he led a younger faction of Potawatomi who allied themselves with U.S. Indian agents. Together, the allies conspired and unlawfully sold reserve lands belonging to leaders who refused to cede their reservations to the …
The Iroquois Confederacy or the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), was made up of five tribes, Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and the Seneca originating from New York. In 1722, the Tuscarora tribe, who originated from North Carolina, joined the Confederacy. The nations of the confederacy saw themselves as the important parts that hold up the one united longhouse. They were …
Solomon Juneau was a French-Canadian fur trader, land speculator and politician. Arriving at Fort Michilimackinac, Michigan, in 1816, Juneau worked as a clerk in the fur trade. Two years later, he became an agent for the American Fur Company and was stationed in Wisconsin. Juneau would soon find success through his employment by local trader Jacques Vieau, later marrying Josette, …
Kawkawkay was a headman among the Indiana Potawatomi. For reasons unknown, his position as a leader and role within tribal councils had been dismissed by 1837. When asked if he was a chief his reply was, “I once was, but now I am a dog.” Records suggest that Kawkawkay was neutral on the terms of removal west and his name …
Giwani was a headman and warrior of the Wabash Potawatomi. He was one of many Potawatomi who resisted William Henry Harrison’s encroachment on Native lands at the Battle of Tippecanoe and War of 1812. Present-day Lake Bruce, Indiana was the site of his village and important removal negotiations during the 1830s. Giwani’s name can be found among the treaties drafted …
Cedar is used to bless, purify and protect. Potawatomi use cedar and its smoke in our ceremonies to defend from and combat evil spirits.
One of the most prominent and competitive games among Potawatomi men is mamkeznéwen [moccasin]. Forming two teams, each are comprised of a finder/hider, scorekeeper, drummers and singers. Using theatrics, each team is tasked with hiding a small token under one of four moccasins in an attempt to disguise its location and confuse opponents. With the token concealed, drummers and singers …
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 …
McCartney was a trader and business partner of Alexis Coquillard. Through his dealings with local Potawatomi, he married Mary Ann Benache, daughter of headman Benache or Segnak.
Our bmadzewen [existence] is built on a sacred principle of four. Our medicines, lifecycles, directional powers, and the creation and destruction of worlds are connected through this belief, symbolized by our medicine wheel. Color: White [each color represents the four races of man Creator placed on earth] Direction: Wech-ksenyak [North] Season: Bbon [Winter] Life Cycle: Elder Medicine: Wishkpemishkos [Sweetgrass] Element: …