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 …
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: …
Mnokme was the time when the spirits reawakened and life was restored. The thunder of approaching storms was believed to be the mnedok (spirits) returning home. Ceremonies were performed thanking the spirits for their winter protection and for fertility as new life emerged. The Potawatomi new year began with Nmébnégises (Sucker Fish Moon). As the rivers and lakes thawed the …
Traditionally, the transition from niben [summer] to dgwaget [fall] was known as Nibnegises [Ripening Moon], the time of year when Potawatomi and other Neshnabek migrated to their annual menomen [wild rice] camps for harvest. A primary food staple, wild rice was extensively traded among Algonquin tribes and foreign merchants. Aside from diet, it was used medicinally and spiritually in various …
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 …
15.5in H x 12in W The bronze statue titled, The Future Begins Now, was created by CPN tribal member Clyde B. Slavin in 2004. It depicts an important portion of the Neshnabé/Bodéwadmi Flood story, where the Muskrat places a piece of earth on the Turtle’s back to create a new world. Note from the artist reads: The Future Begins Now, …