Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

: Pokégnek Bodéwadmik) are a

federally recognized This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

-speaking tribe based in southwestern Michigan and

northeastern Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Tribal government functions are located in

Dowagiac, Michigan Dowagiac ( ) is a city in Cass County, Michigan, Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,879 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the South Bend, Indiana, South Bend–Mishawaka, Indiana, Mishawaka, ...

. They occupy reservation lands in a total of ten counties in the area. The Pokagon are descendants of the residents of allied Potawatomi villages that were historically located along the

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

, Paw Paw and

Kalamazoo river The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch.U.S. Geologica ...

s in what are now southwest Michigan and northern Indiana. They were the only Potawatomi band to gain permission from the United States government to remain in Michigan after

Indian removal Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a de ...

in the 1830s. The tribe has been federally recognized since 1994 legislation affirmed its status; it has established self-government.

History

Some believe the Potawatomi originated as a people along the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coastline at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Archaeologists say they migrated south from Ontario about 1,000 years ago. Other tribal elders, including Michael Williams, told that Potawatomi originated at the mouth of the Grand River at its mouth at Lake Michigan or along the St. Joseph River near Mishawaka, Indiana. Some followers believe over centuries, along with the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

and

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, ...

peoples, they migrated west to the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

region some 500–800 years ago in a "Great Migration." The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians were party to 11 treaties with the federal government, with the major land cession being under the

1833 Treaty of Chicago The 1833 Treaty of Chicago struck an agreement between the United States government that required the Chippewa Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes cede to the United States government their of land (including reservations) in Illinois, the Wiscon ...

. During the

s, many Potawatomi bands were moved west, but Chief

Leopold Pokagon Leopold Pokagon (c. 1775 – 1841) was a Potawatomi ''Wkema'' (leader). Taking over from Topinbee, who became the head of the Potawatomi of the Saint Joseph River Valley in Michigan, a band that later took his name. Early life and education Po ...

negotiated to keep his Potawatomi band of 280 people in southwestern Michigan. They were the only Potawatomi band who did not remove west of the Mississippi River. Under the

Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

of 1934, the Pokagon Band wanted to restore self-government and requested recognition as a tribe by the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

, but were denied because of conditions of their treaties and the legislation. After years of petitioning, the Pokagon Band regained recognition in 1994 through legislation affirming their status. Many of the cities and streets in the Michigan area have adopted Potawatomi names.

Contemporary

Casinos

As a federally recognized tribe, the Pokagon Band were able to develop and open in 2007 the

Four Winds New Buffalo 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

casino on the Pokagon Reservation. It is located in New Buffalo Township, near

New Buffalo, Michigan New Buffalo is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,883 at the time of the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is wate ...

. The casino is operated in accordance with the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (, ''et seq.'') is a 1988 United States federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian gaming. There was no federal gaming structure before this act. The stated purposes of the act ...

and a compact with Michigan. It expanded in 2011 due to its success. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' reported that if the casino were on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...

, it would be the second largest there. Architecturally the casino's rotunda is built in the style of the Potawatomi people's traditional lodges. A second, satellite casino,

Four Winds Hartford Four Winds Hartford is a casino in Hartford, Michigan that opened on August 30, 2011. It is one of the Four Winds Casinos, which are all owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. The design of the casino was inspired by the t ...

, opened in 2011 in

Hartford, Michigan Hartford is a city in Van Buren County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,688 at the 2010 census. The city is located within Hartford Township, but is politically independent. Geography According to the United States Census Bur ...

. The tribe opened a third, Four Winds Dowagiac, in 2013 in

. The band has been limited to three casinos by its 2008 compact with the state of Michigan. In 2018 the tribe opened Four Winds South Bend in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

, which it has claimed qualifies for gaming pursuant to specific provisions of the

. In February 2021, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians announced the rollout of its online gaming platform, making it the 11th licensee to offer both online sports betting and casino gaming in Michigan. The tribe has invested revenues from gaming in building needed housing and plans a community center. In a competition for federal stimulus funds, the Pokagon were granted $2 million from the

Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

to build a planned community center at their tribal center in Dowagiac. The building has been designed to satisfy Silver

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

standards, and incorporates a number of innovations to reduce its energy use and create a sustainable building: including a

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

, thick concrete flooring to act as a

heat sink A heat sink (also commonly spelled heatsink) is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium, often air or a liquid coolant, where it is dissipated away from the device, th ...

, windows to the south to gain winter sun and heat, and geothermal systems.

Land

In 2018 the Field Museum in Chicago, which stands on Pokagon land, included a tribal member in its advisory committee of scholars and museum professionals. The committee is tasked with informing the transformation of the Native North American Hall to incorporate perspectives and voices of Native peoples and Indigenous nations.

Language

A decreasing number of elders among the Potawatomi bands speak the language, but the Pokagon are participating in a program to restore teaching and use of the language: See .

Tribal government

Members of the tribal council, including the chairman, are elected by members of the tribe. By their positions, they also serve as members of the Pokagon Gaming Authority.

Tribal Court

The Tribal Judiciary is a separate and independent branch of the Pokagon Band government. The Tribal Court Judiciary consists of the Chief Judge, one Associate Judge, and three Appellate Court Justices. All members of the Judiciary are appointed by the Tribal Council to serve staggered four (4)-year terms.

Tribal Police

The Pokagon Tribal Police Department was established in 2003 to provide direct law enforcement services to the tribal members and visitors in the ten-county tribal geographic boundaries in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The Pokagon Tribal Police Department is a full-service police department, servicing all areas within the Tribe's jurisdiction. The Tribal Police are charged with enforcing federal, state, and local laws, including the Pokagon Band Code of Offenses.

Gaming Commission

The Pokagon Band Gaming Commission was established the in 2007 as an independent subdivision. The Gaming Commission regulates all gaming conducted within Pokagon Band jurisdiction under the Gaming Regulatory Act, the federal

, and the tribal-state Gaming Compact between the Band and the State of

Literature

Imprints: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the City of Chicago
was published in 2016 by tribe member John N. Low, outlining the history of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians oriented around the City of Chicago. Low received his PhD in American Culture at the University of Michigan and is an enrolled citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He is an assistant professor in comparative studies at Ohio State University–Newark where he also teaches in history and American Indian studies.

Media

Chicago's WBEZ radio station produced a Curious City podcast episode explaining why there are no federal Native American reservations in Illinois, despite the long presence of Potawatomi and other tribes. The episode features Pokagon historian and tribe member John N. Low, among other Native American historians.

References

External links

Official websiteInter-tribal Council of Michigan
{{authority control Algonquian ethnonyms Allegan County, Michigan American Indian reservations in Michigan Anishinaabe communities in the United States Anishinaabe reservations and tribal-areas in the United States Berrien County, Michigan Cass County, Michigan Federally recognized tribes in the United States Great Lakes tribes Indigenous peoples in the United States Native American tribes in Indiana Native American tribes in Michigan Potawatomi Van Buren County, Michigan