- Details
- By Levi Rickert
PINE CREEK INDIAN RESERVATION — Over 2,000 Potawatomi citizens from 11 Potawatomi tribal nations gathered this past week in southwest Michigan at the Pine Creek Indian Reservation, near Battle Creek and the tribe's Firekeepers Casino Hotel for the Potawatomi Gathering 2023.
Hosted by the Nottawasseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, the Potawatomi Gathering kicked off on Monday with language workshops, On Thursday, Potawatomi leaders met to discuss common issues and on Friday the Potawatomi Economic Summit was held to discuss the various means each tribe is improving tribal business enterprises owned by the Potawatomi tribal nations.
The Potawatomi Gathering was established in the summer of 1994 by the Wasauksing First Nation to revitalize the Potawatomi culture, language, and identity.
This year's gathering represents the fourth time the Nottawasseppi Huron Band has hosted the annual gathering.
Due to rain during the day on Friday, a powwow planned at the powwow grounds of the Pine Creek Indian Reservation was moved to the Firekeepers Casino Hotel. A crowd of over 800 attended the powwow that attracted over five drums and hundreds of dancers dressed in regalia. Vererans from various parts of the country represented their Potawatomi tribal honor guards.
With blue skies with temperatures in the low 80s, the powwow was held on the reservation where Nottawasseppi Band of the Potwatomi Chairman Jaime Stuck welcomed the Potawatomi tribal nations to his tribe's homelands.
Next year in 2024, the Potawatomi Gathering will be hosted by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi in Dowagiac, Michigan.
https://www.nativenewsonline.net/currents/faces-of-the-potawatomi-gathering-2023#sigProIdab956312a6
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
