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The Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomie and Pottawatomi, among many variations) are a Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 people of the upper Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language
Potawatomi language

Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian languages Algonquian languages and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Kansas in the United States, and in southern Ontario in Canada, by fewer than 50 Potawatomi people, all elderly....
, a member of the Algonquian family
Algonquian languages

The Algonquian languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic languages language family ....
. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied to them by their Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe

Anishinaabe or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek is a self-description often used by the Ottawa , Ojibwa, and Algonquin peoples, who all speak closely-related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages....
 cousins. They originally called themselves Neshnabé, a cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
 of the word Anishinaabe.

The Potawatomi were part of a long term alliance with the Ojibwe and Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)

The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native Americans in the United States and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwa nation....
, called the Council of Three Fires
Council of Three Fires

The Council of Three Fires, also known as the People of the Three Fires, the Three Fires Confederacy, the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians, or Niswi-mishkodewin in the Anishinaabe language, is a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe , Ottawa , and Potawatomi Indigenous peoples...
.






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The Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomie and Pottawatomi, among many variations) are a Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 people of the upper Mississippi River
Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
 region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language
Potawatomi language

Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian languages Algonquian languages and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Kansas in the United States, and in southern Ontario in Canada, by fewer than 50 Potawatomi people, all elderly....
, a member of the Algonquian family
Algonquian languages

The Algonquian languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic languages language family ....
. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied to them by their Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe

Anishinaabe or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek is a self-description often used by the Ottawa , Ojibwa, and Algonquin peoples, who all speak closely-related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages....
 cousins. They originally called themselves Neshnabé, a cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
 of the word Anishinaabe.

The Potawatomi were part of a long term alliance with the Ojibwe and Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)

The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native Americans in the United States and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwa nation....
, called the Council of Three Fires
Council of Three Fires

The Council of Three Fires, also known as the People of the Three Fires, the Three Fires Confederacy, the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians, or Niswi-mishkodewin in the Anishinaabe language, is a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe , Ottawa , and Potawatomi Indigenous peoples...
. In the Council of Three Fires, Potawatomi were considered the "youngest brother."

History

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

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. During the Beaver Wars
Beaver Wars

The Beaver Wars, also called the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars, commonly refer to a brutal series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern North America....
, they fled to the area around Green Bay to escape attacks by the Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
 and Neutral Nation
Neutral Nation

The Neutrals, also known as the Attawandaron, were an Iroquoian nation of Aboriginal peoples in Canada who lived near the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie....
.

Potawatomi warriors were an important part of Tecumseh
Tecumseh

Tecumseh , also Tecumtha or Tekamthi, was a famous Native Americans in the United States leader of the Shawnee. He spent much of his life attempting to rally various native American tribes in a mutual defense of their lands, which eventually led to his death in the War of 1812....
's Confederacy and took part in Tecumseh's War
Tecumseh's War

Tecumseh's War or Tecumseh's Rebellion are terms sometimes used to describe a conflict in the Old Northwest between the United States and an American Indians in the United States confederacy led by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh....
, the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
 and the Peoria War
Peoria War

The Peoria War was an armed conflict between the U. S. Army and the Native Americans in the United States tribes of the Potawatomi and the Kickapoo that took place in the Peoria County, Illinois area, near the current location of the city of Peoria, Illinois, from September 19 to October 21, 1813....
, although their allegiance switched repeatedly between the British and the Americans.

At the time of the War of 1812, a band of Potawatomi were present near Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn

Fort Dearborn, named in honor of Henry Dearborn, was a United States fort built on the Chicago River in 1803 by troops under Captain John Whistler....
, in the current location of Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
. This tribe was agitated by chiefs Blackbird and Nuscotomeg (Mad Sturgeon), and a force of about 500 attacked the evacuation column leaving Fort Dearborn; a majority of the civilians and 54 of Captain Nathan Heald's force were killed, along with many wounded. This attack is referred to as the Fort Dearborn massacre
Fort Dearborn massacre

The Fort Dearborn massacre occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn, Illinois Territory during the War of 1812. The massacre followed the evacuation of the fort as ordered by the U.S....
. A Potawatomi chief named Mucktypoke
Black Partridge (chief)

Black Partridge or Black Pheasant was a 19th century Peoria Lake Pottawatomie chieftain. Although a participant in the Northwest Indian War and the Peoria War, he was considered very friendly to early American settlers and was a longtime advocate of peaceful relations with the United States....
 (Makdébki, Black Partridge), counseled against the attack and later saved some of the civilians that were being ransomed by the Potawatomi. There was also Potawatomi land in Crown Point, Indiana
Crown Point, Indiana

Crown Point is a city in Lake County, Indiana, Indiana, United States. The population was estimated 22,697 in July 2005. The city is the county seat of Lake County, Indiana and was incorporated in 1868....
.

According to an article in the , the Prairie Band Potawatomi Indians purchased of land near Shabbona, Illinois
Shabbona, Illinois

Shabbona is a village in DeKalb County, Illinois, Illinois, United States. The population was 929 at the 2000 census.The village takes its name from the Potawatomi chief and peacemaker Shabbona....
, in rural DeKalb County
DeKalb County, Illinois

DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 2000, the population was 88,969. As of 2007, the population is estimated at 103,729....
.

Leaders


French Period (1615–1763)

The French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 period of contact began with early explorers who reached the Potawatomi in western Michigan and then found the tribe located along the Door Peninsula
Door Peninsula

The Door Peninsula is a peninsula in eastern Wisconsin, separating the southern part of the Green Bay from Lake Michigan. The peninsula begins in northern Brown County, Wisconsin and Kewaunee County, Wisconsin and proceeds northeast to include all of Door County, Wisconsin....
 of Wisconsin. By the end of the French period, the Potawatomi had begun a move to the Detroit area of Michigan, leaving the large communities in Wisconsin.
  • Madouche during the Fox Wars
    Fox Wars

    The Fox Wars were two wars between the Fox Indians and the France which occurred in modern Michigan and Wisconsin, U.S.A.. The First Fox War broke out with the French when the Fox numbered some 3,500....
  • Millouisillyny
  • Onanghisse (Wnaneg-gizs "Shimmering Light") at Green Bay
    Green Bay

    Green Bay may refer to:In geography:* Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States* Green Bay , a bay of Wisconsin known to locals as the Bay of Green Bay...
  • Otchik at Detroit


English Period (1763–1783)

The British period of contact began with the French removal at the end of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War

The French and Indian War was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Canada as the War of the Conquest. The name refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Indigenous peoples of the Americas forces allied with them....
 and was punctuated by Pontiac’s Rebellion and the capture of every British frontier garrison but 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 in southwestern Michigan. The Wisconsin communities continued and moved south along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
  • Nanaquiba (Water Moccasin) at Detroit
  • Ninivois at Detroit
  • Peshibon at St. Joseph
    St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)

    The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately 210 mi long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan....
  • Washee (the Swan) at St. Joseph during Pontiac's Rebellion
    Pontiac's Rebellion

    Pontiac's Rebellion was a war launched in 1763 by North American First Nations who were dissatisfied with Kingdom of Great Britain policies in the Great Lakes region after the British victory in the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War ....


American Treaty Period (1783–1830)

The American Treaty period of Potawatomi history began with the Treaty of Paris (1783)
Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and United States, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775....
, which ended the American Revolutionary War and established the United States' interest in the lower Great Lakes. It lasted until the treaties for removal were signed. The Potawatomi were recognized as a single tribe and there were often a few tribal leaders that all villages accepted. Still, the Potawatomi had a dispersed organization and belonged to several main divisions based on where they were located: Milwaukee or Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
 area, Detroit or Huron River
Huron River

The Huron River may refer to:*Huron River in the southeast of the U.S. state of Michigan*The Huron River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, sometimes called the Big and Little Huron Rivers...
, the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)

The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately 210 mi long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan....
, the Kankakee River
Kankakee River

The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately 90 mi long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States....
, Tippecanoe
Tippecanoe River

The Tippecanoe River is a gentle, 225 mile long river in northern Indiana that flows from Lake Tippecanoe in Kosciusko County, Indiana to the Wabash River near Battle Ground, Indiana, about twelve miles northeast of Lafayette, Indiana....
 and Wabash River
Wabash River

The Wabash River is a long river in the eastern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery, Ohio across northern Indiana to Illinois where it forms the southern Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary....
s, the Illinois River
Illinois River

The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of ....
 and Lake Peoria, and the Des Plaines
Des Plaines River

The Des Plaines River flows southward for 150 miles through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States US Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon, Illinois to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
 and Fox River
Fox River

The Fox River is the name of several places and rivers:...
s. The Chiefs listed below are grouped by their geographic area.

Milwaukee Potawatomi
  • Manamol
  • Siggenauk (Siginak: "Le Tourneau" or "Blackbird")


Chicago Potawatomi
  • Burnett (1790?–1871) or Abraham Burnett
  • Billy Caldwell, also known as Sauganash
    Sauganash

    Sauganash , a.k.a. Chief Sauganash or Billy Caldwell, was a Potawatomi leader, born of a Mohawk nation mother, near Fort Niagara. His father was William Caldwell , an Irish immigrant and British soldier....
     (Zhaaganaash: "Englishman") (1780–1841)


Des Plaines and Fox River Potawatomi
  • Mukatapenaise (Mkedébnés "Blackbird")
  • Waubansee (He Causes Paleness))
  • Waweachsetohalong with La Gesse, Gomo or Masemo (Resting Fish)


Illinois River Potawatomi
  • Mucktypoke (Makdébki: "Black Partridge")
  • Senachewine (d. 1831) (Petacho or Znajjewan "Difficult Current") was the brother of Gomo who was chief among the Lake Peoria Potawatomi
  • Shabbona
    Shabbona

    Shabbona , also known as Shabonee and Shaubena, was an Ottawa tribe member who became a chief within the Potawatomi tribe in Illinois during the 19th century....
     (1775–unk) (Zhabné "Hardy")


Kankakee River (Iroquois and Yellow Rivers) Potawatomi
  • Main Poc
    Main Poc

    Main Poc was a leader of the Yellow River villages of the Potawatomi native Americans in the United States. Through his entire life, he fought against the growing strength of the United States and tried to stop the flow of settlers into the Old Northwest....
     , also known as Webebeset ("Crafty One")
  • Micsawbee 1800s
  • Notawkah (Rattlesnake) on the Yellow River
    Yellow River

    The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length in the world at 4,845 kilometers ....
  • Nuscotomeg (Neshkademég, "Mad Sturgeon") on the Iroquois
    Iroquois River

    The Iroquois River is a tributary of the Kankakee River, about 85 mi long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States....
     and Kankakee River
    Kankakee River

    The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately 90 mi long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States....
    s
  • Mesasa (Mezsézed, "Turkey Foot")


St. Joseph and Elkhart Potawatomi
  • Chebass (Zhshibés: "Little Duck") on the St. Joseph River
    St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)

    The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately 210 mi long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan....
  • Five Medals
    Five Medals

    Five Medals first appeared in eastern records after the battle of Fallen Timbers. He was a leader of the Elkhart River Potawatomi. He disappears from the records shortly after the end of the War of 1812....
  • Onaska on the Elkhart River
    Elkhart River

    The Elkhart River is a small river and tributary of the St. Joseph River in Northern Indiana in the United States. It is almost entirely contained in Elkhart County, Indiana....
  • Topinbee (He who sits Quietly) (??-1826)


Tippecanoe and Wabash River Potawatomi
  • Aubenaubee (1761–1837/8) on the Tippecanoe River
    Tippecanoe River

    The Tippecanoe River is a gentle, 225 mile long river in northern Indiana that flows from Lake Tippecanoe in Kosciusko County, Indiana to the Wabash River near Battle Ground, Indiana, about twelve miles northeast of Lafayette, Indiana....
  • Askum (More and More) on the Eel River
    Eel River

    Eel River may refer to:*Eel River , which flows into the Pacific Ocean near Eureka, United States*Eel River , actually two rivers which join the White River, United States...
  • George Cicott (1800?–1833)
  • Keesass on the Wabash River
    Wabash River

    The Wabash River is a long river in the eastern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery, Ohio across northern Indiana to Illinois where it forms the southern Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary....
  • Kewanna (1790?–1840s?) (Prairie Chicken) Eel River
  • Kinkash (see Askum)
  • Magaago
  • Monoquet (1790s–1830s) on the Tippecanoe River
  • Tiosa on the Tippecanoe River
    Tippecanoe River

    The Tippecanoe River is a gentle, 225 mile long river in northern Indiana that flows from Lake Tippecanoe in Kosciusko County, Indiana to the Wabash River near Battle Ground, Indiana, about twelve miles northeast of Lafayette, Indiana....
     
    Metea
    *Winamac
    Winamac

    Winamac or Winnemac may refer to any of the three different Potawatomi chiefs with this name. Coming from Winm?g, the name means "Catfish" in the Potawatomi language....
     (Winmég, "Catfish")—allied with the British during the War of 1812
  • Winamac
    Winamac

    Winamac or Winnemac may refer to any of the three different Potawatomi chiefs with this name. Coming from Winm?g, the name means "Catfish" in the Potawatomi language....
     (Winmég, "Catfish")—allied with the Americans during the War of 1812


Fort Wayne Potawatomi
  • Metea
    Metea

    Chief Metea or Me-te-a was one of the principal chiefs of the Potawatomi during the early 19th century. He frequently acted as spokesman at treaty councils....
     (1760?–1827) (Mdewé "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 reservations were created, then continually reduced in size. The final step was the removal of the Illinois Potawatomi to Nebraska
Nebraska

Nebraska is a U.S. state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Western United States.Nebraska probably gets its name from the archaic Chiwere language words ?? Br?sge or the Omaha-Ponca language N? Bth?ska meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state....
 and then the Indiana Potawatomi to Kansas
Kansas

The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
. Many Potawatomi found ways to remain, primarily those in Michigan, and others fled to their Odawa
Odawa

Odawa may refer to:*Odawa people*Odawa language...
 neighbors or Canada to avoid removal.
  • Iowa Wabash River
    Wabash River

    The Wabash River is a long river in the eastern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery, Ohio across northern Indiana to Illinois where it forms the southern Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary....
  • Maumksuck (Mangzed, "Big Foot") at Lake Geneva
    Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

    Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee....
  • Mecosta
    Mecosta

    Mecosta was a 19th century Potawatomi chief. His name in the Potawatomi language was Mkozd?, meaning "Having a Bear's Foot" but the name was recorded in English to mean "Big Bear"....
     (Mkozdé, "Having a Bear's Foot")
  • Menominee
    Menominee

    Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie, Wisconsin.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans in the United States living in Wisconsin....
     (1791?–1841) Twin Lakes of Marshall County
  • Pamtipee of Nottawasippi
  • Mackahtamoah (Mkedémwi, "Black Wolf") of Nottawasippi
  • Pashpoho of Yellow River
    Yellow River (Indiana)

    The Yellow River is a tributary of the Kankakee River, approximately 50 miles long, in northern Indiana in the United States. Via the Kankakee and Illinois River Rivers, it is part of the drainage basin of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 427 square miles ....
     near Rochester, Indiana
    Rochester, Indiana

    Rochester is located in North Central Indiana and is the county seat for Fulton County....
  • Pepinawah
  • Pokagon
    Pokagon

    Pokagon may refer to either of two Potawatomi chiefs:*Leopold Pokagon**The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians was named for him*Simon Pokagon...
     (c. 1775–1800?)
  • Simon Pokagon
    Simon Pokagon

    Simon Pokagon was a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Potawatomi Indians, author, and Indigenous peoples of the Americas advocate....
     (1790s–??)
  • Alexander Robinson (Chechepinquay (Jchebingwé, "Squinter")) (??–1872)
  • Sauganash
    Sauganash

    Sauganash , a.k.a. Chief Sauganash or Billy Caldwell, was a Potawatomi leader, born of a Mohawk nation mother, near Fort Niagara. His father was William Caldwell , an Irish immigrant and British soldier....
     removed his band to what would become Council Bluffs, Iowa
    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River....
     in 1838, living at Caldwell's Camp.
  • Shupshewahno (1800s–1841) or Shipshewana (Vision of a Lion) at Shipshewana Lake.
  • Topinbee (The Younger) on the St. Joseph River
    St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)

    The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately 210 mi long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan....
  • Wabanim (Wabnem, "White Dog") on the Iroquois River
    Iroquois River

    The Iroquois River is a tributary of the Kankakee River, about 85 mi long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States....
  • Michicaba (Snapping Turtle) on the Iroquois River
    Iroquois River

    The Iroquois River is a tributary of the Kankakee River, about 85 mi long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States....
  • Wanatah
  • Weesionas (see Ashkum)
  • Wewesh


Bands

Potawatomi Rain Dance
There are several active bands of Potawatomi:
Potawatomi bands in the United States—
  • Citizen Potawatomi Nation
    Citizen Potawatomi Nation

    Citizen Potawatomi Nation are a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people located in Oklahoma. The Potawatomi are traditionally an Algonquian-speaking Eastern Woodlands tribes....
    , Oklahoma
    Oklahoma

    Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
  • Forest County Potawatomi Community
    Forest County Potawatomi Community

    The Forest County Potawatomi Community is a band of the Potawatomi, many of whom live on the Forest County Potawatomi Indian Reservation, most of which lies on numerous non-contiguous plots of land in southern Forest County, Wisconsin and northern Oconto County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA....
    , Wisconsin
    Wisconsin

    Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
  • Hannahville Indian Community
    Hannahville Indian Community

    The Hannahville Indian Community is a List of Native American Tribal Entities Potawatomi Native Americans in the United States tribe residing in Upper Peninsula of Michigan, approximately 15 miles west of Escanaba, Michigan....
    , Michigan
    Michigan

    Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
  • Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (also known as the Gun Lake
    Gun Lake (Michigan)

    Gun Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Michigan, located mostly in Barry County, Michigan with the southwestern tip extending into Allegan County, Michigan....
     tribe), based in Dorr, Michigan in Allegan County, Michigan
    Allegan County, Michigan

    Allegan County is a Counties of the United States in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of United States 2000 Census, the population was 105,665. The county seat is Allegan, Michigan....
  • Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi
    Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi

    The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi is a List of Native American Tribal Entities Potawatomi Native Americans in the United States tribe. The Tribe received its federal recognition on December 19 1995....
    , based in Calhoun County, Michigan
    Calhoun County, Michigan

    Calhoun County is a Counties of the United States in the U.S. state of Michigan. The county seat is Marshall, Michigan. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 137,985....
  • Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
    Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

    Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians are Algonquian-speaking Potawatomi-people located in Western Michigan and Northern Indiana. Tribal government functions are located in Dowagiac, Michigan....
    , Michigan
    Michigan

    Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
     and Indiana
    Indiana

    The State of Indiana was the 19th U.S. state admitted into the union. It is located in the Midwestern United States of the United States of America....
  • Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation
    Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation

    Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation is a Anishinaabe nation located in Mayetta, Kansas....
    , Kansas
    Kansas

    The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
Bands with significant Potawatomi population in Canada—
  • Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation
    Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation

    Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation formerly "Cape Croker" is an Ojibway First Nation living on unceded territory in the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada....
    , Bruce Peninsula
    Bruce Peninsula

    The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada that lies between Georgian Bay and the main basin of Lake Huron. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of southern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait, joining Georgian Bay to the rest of Lake Huron....
    , Ontario
    Ontario

    Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
  • Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point
    Kettle Point 44, Ontario

    Kettle Point 44 is an Indian reserve 35 km northeast of Sarnia, Ontario on the southern shore of Lake Huron. The reserve serves as the land base for the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation....
    , Ontario
  • Moose Deer Point First Nation, Ontario
    Ontario

    Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
  • Walpole Island First Nation on an unceded
    Unceded territory

    Unceded territory refers to land in North America that was never ceded to a government entity by the indigenous peoples who originally lived on this land, and that has never been set apart, legislated, founded, created or established as a reserve....
     island between the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     and Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Wasauksing First Nation
    Wasauksing First Nation

    Wasauksing First Nation is an Ojibwa, Odawa and Pottawatomi First Nation located near Parry Sound, Ontario, Ontario.Parry Island in Georgian Bay is about with of lakeshore, making it one of the larger islands in the Great Lakes....
    , Parry Island, Ontario


Population

YearTotalUnited
States		Canada
1667 4,000  
1765 1,500  
1766 1,750  
1778 2,250  
1783 2,000  
1795 1,200  
1812 2,500  
1820 3,400  
1843 1,800  
1854 4,440 4,040 400
1908 2,742 2,522 220
1910 2,620 2,440 180
1990 23,000 17,000 4,000
1997 25,000  
1998 28,000  


Clans

Chauvignerie (1736) and Morgan (1877) mentions among the Potawatomi doodems (clans) being:
  • Bené (Turkey)
  • Gagagshi (Crow)
  • Gnew (Golden Eagle)
  • Jejakwé (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)
  • Nmé (Sturgeon)
  • Nmébena (Carp)
  • Shagéshi (Crab)
  • Wabozo (Rabbit)
  • Wakeshi (Fox)


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 U.S. government. Following the Treaty of Chicago
Treaty of Chicago

The Treaty of Chicago may refer to either of two treaty made and signed in Chicago, Illinois between the United States and the Ottawa , Ojibwe , and Potawatomi Native Americans in the United States peoples....
 in 1833, most of the Potawatomi people were forcibly removed
Indian Removal

Indian Removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to Ethnic cleansing Native Americans in the United States tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river....
 from the tribe's lands. Many perished en route to new lands in the west through Iowa
Iowa

The State of Iowa is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, and Missouri to the south....
, Kansas
Kansas

The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
 and Oklahoma
Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
, following what became known as the "Trail of Death
Potawatomi Trail of Death

The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced Indian Removal by United States forces from September 4 to November 4, 1838, of 859 members of the Potawatomi nation from a place near Plymouth, Indiana, to the location of present-day Osawatomie, Kansas, a distance of ....
".

Year or CenturyLocation
1615 East of Michilimackinac, MI
 Islands of Door Peninsula, WI (1st Fr)
1640 (until) with Hochunk (Winnebago) west of Green Bay, WI
1641 Sault Ste. Marie, MI
1670 Mouth of Green Bay, WI/MI
17th C Milwaukee River, WI
1780son St. Joseph River, MI/IN


Language


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

The Central Algonquian languages are commonly grouped together as a subgroup of the larger Algonquian languages, itself a member of the Algic languages....
 Algonquian language
Algonquian languages

The Algonquian languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic languages language family ....
 and is spoken around the Great Lakes
Great Lakes

The St. Lawrence River Great Lakes are a chain of fresh water lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada ? United States border. Consisting of Lakes Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth....
 in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Kansas
Kansas

The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
 and in southern Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
. There are fewer than 50 people who speak Potawatomi as a first language, most of them elderly. There is currently an effort underway to revitalize the language.

Potawatomi language is the most similar to the Odawa language; however, it also has borrowed a considerable amount of vocabulary from Sauk. Like the Odawa language, or the Ottawa dialect of the Anishinaabe language, the Potawatomi language exhibits great amount of vowel syncope.

Many places in the Midwest
Midwestern United States

The Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
 have names derived from the Potawatomi language, including Allegan
Allegan

Allegan is a city, county, and township in the U.S. state of Michigan:*Allegan, Michigan*Allegan County, Michigan*Allegan Township, Michigan...
, Waukegan, Muskegon, Oconomowoc and Skokie
Skokie, Illinois

Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Illinois, United States. It is a Chicago suburb, on the northwest border of the city, that, per the 2000 census, had a population of 63,348....
.

See also

  • Potawatomi Trail of Death
    Potawatomi Trail of Death

    The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced Indian Removal by United States forces from September 4 to November 4, 1838, of 859 members of the Potawatomi nation from a place near Plymouth, Indiana, to the location of present-day Osawatomie, Kansas, a distance of ....
  • Treaty with the Potawatomi
    Treaty with the Potawatomi

    During the first half of the 19th century, several treaties were concluded between the United States of America and the Native Americans in the United States tribe of the Potawatomi....


External links

  • (Gun Lake)