THESE PEOPLE ARE A NATIVE AMERICANS WHO LIVE IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI REGION. THEY SPEAK IN POTAWATOMI, PART ALGONQUIN. THEY CALL THEMSELVES "BODEWADMI" OR KEEPERS OF THE FIRE. THIS WAS A NAME THEIR COUSINS GAVE THEM. THEY WERE PART OF AN ALLIANCE CALLED THE COUNCIL OF THREE FIRES. THE FIRE REFERS TO THE HEALTH OF THE COUNCIL OF THREE FIRES.
LONG AGO WHEN THEY HAD 10,000 PEOPLE THEY OCCUPIED SOME 30 MILLION ACRES OF LAND IN THE GREAT LAKES. WHEN EUROPEANS ARRIVED IN 1630, A CHANGE BEGAN . THE PEOPLE BECAME RELIANT ON EUROPEAN TECHNIQUES AND TRADE GOODS, AND WERE DRAWN INTO THEIR POLITICAL ALLIANCES. THEY ARE MENTIONED IN FRENCH RECORDS WHICH SUGGEST THAT IN THE EARLY 17TH CENTURY THEY LIVED IN SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN.
TODAY THEY STILL LIVE HERE. DURING THE BEAVER WARS THEY FLED TO GREEN BAY TO ESCAPE ATTACKS BY BOTH THE IROQUOIS AND THE NEUTRAL NATION. THE POTAWATAMI NATIONS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF TECUMSEH CONFEDERACY. ABOUT 500 WARRIORS ATTACKED FORT DEARBORN AND KILLED A MAJORITY OF CIVILIANS AND WOUNDED MANY OTHERS. IT WAS CALLED THE BATTLE OF FORT DEARBORN. THE POTAWATAMI CHIEF COUNSELED AGAINST THE ATTACK.
THE PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATAMI INDIANS BOUGHT 1280 ACRES NEAR SHABBONA, ILLINOIS. THE MESQUAKI ALSO BOUGHT LAND IN ILLINOIS. ANOTHER BAND BOUGHT ACRES IN ILLINOIS. TODAY THEY ARE THRIVING. THEY PROVIDED HEALTH SERVICES AND EDUCATION TO EDUCATE THE PEOPLE. THEY OPERATE A CASINO.
BY THE 1700'S THEY MOVED TO THE DETROIT AREA. BY 1780'S THEY CONTINUED TO GROW AND EXPAND WESTWARD FROM DETROIT TO MIAMI. THE TREATY OF PARIS IN 1783 ENDED THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND ESTABLISHED U.S. INTEREST IN THE GREAT LAKES.
WIKIPEDIA.COM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment