District Events

November Fall Feast
November 2011

November 12th was a great day – one of my favorite as your Legislator. Around 70 Citizen Potawatomis and friends got together for food and crafts. Everyone brought something to share, so there was a wide array of delicious side dishes and desserts. The Nation provided two roasted turkeys, two spiral hams and a variety of beverages. It was a great looking spread.

Crafts were taught by Pam Hodum of Salem, Oregon and Steve Lynch from Beaverton, Oregon. These were pine quill basket weaving and “CPN Founding Family Boxes”. If you were not able to attend, or are not in District 8, but would like to learn more, please click here and here to download instructions provided by the teachers.

    

    

    

Washougal, WA Naming
August 2011

Ten members of the extended Ogee founding family received their names among 50+ family and friends. Special thanks to Sandhi Burk who organized and hosted the event.

    

    

    

Montana Events July 2011
July 2011

In July of 2011, we held our first ever CPN event in Missoula, Montana. The venue was "A Carousel for Missoula" located on Clark Fork River. About 45 District 8 members were in attendance and we shared a Power Point slideshow traditions, stories and dinner. Prizes were given for farthest traveled, youngest and wisest (oldest) Potawatomi.

The following morning, five CPN members received their Potawatomi names.

    

    

    

Regalia Making
March 2011

On the afternoon of the 13th we had a regalia craft day at the district office. The idea was to have members wear or bring to the gathering regalia that could be worn to the Family Festival for discussion and the creation of some new regalia pieces: feather hand fans and chokers. I had made several proto-type fans and e-mailed with Kelli Mosteller, the new Director of the Heritage center and Stacy Coon, the Collections Manager. They asked staff at the Nation to bring in their fans and they were photographed as inspiration for our group. Thank you Kelli, Stacy and staff! Our fans we made are basically pine handles wrapped with elk hide or deer hide and decorated with beads, fur or both. For feathers we used turkey feathers of various kinds. Some have been painted to look like eagle feathers. I purchased a few of these pine handles and determined that I could cut them with a band saw for a fraction of the price. The chokers were made from kits purchased on line through Ngoc Bay Trading Company. They were traditionally basic in design and are made up of sinew, pony beads, bone pipe, elk lacing and leather.

    

    

    

    

Craft Day
September 2010

The members of the District 8 (mostly Oregon and Washington) got together for an afternoon of crafts and kinship. We made elk hide moccasins, medicine bags and beaded key chains. Members of many founding families were represented: Ogees, Rhodd, Darling, Barshaw, Bourassa, La Frambois, De Witt, Navarre and Juneau were present.

    

    

    

Alaska Event
August 2010

The Anchorage Dinner Meeting on August 28th was buffet style Mexican food with a PowerPoint presentation that included slides and information on the Nation's progress in Oklahoma and our District. I presented gifts to the youngest, farthest travelled and of course, the Wisest Potawatomi. At this event, our wisest was 75 years young Rozanne Krimpton. She received a lovely Pendleton blanket which she wore to the Naming the next morning. The Naming took place on Sunday morning at 9:00 at the gracious home of our hosts, Lonnie and Christie Chicken Prairie, wonderful people who practice traditional Lakota ways, often taking in others to mentor and adopt. Ten year old Cheyenne Paige prepared the circle with fresh cedar. Ten members received their names that morning ranging in age from 10 to 75 years old. Of the ten, six were two families of three generations. What an honor to name these people and share this special time. Each member was presented with an eagle feather and document with their new name.

    

    

    

Barbecue and Music in the Park
May 2010

On May 1st District 8 members shared an afternoon of traditional foods and music in Burfoot Park in Olympia, WA. Barbecued salmon and fry bread were served along with hamburgers and hot dogs. Members brought side dishes and deserts to share as well.

Gina Sinclair of the Cherokee Nation performed a combination of traditional songs and original compositions on the flute. Jesse Lucas of the Choctaw Nation shared some special traditional flute playing as well as "hand-flute".

Attendees helped make the District's pow-wow drum - stretching buffalo hide and stringing elk lacing.

    

    

    

Genealogy and Drum Making Workshop
February 2010

District 8 came together to celebrate family and culture with a unique event. Members shared pizza and pop while learning about genealogy from Steven Lynch, PhD of Beaverton, OR. Some members received individual research help and other had photos and documents scanned to add to the Nation's archive. Next, everyone headed out to the office parking lot for fresh air and drumming. One song was performed representatives from three Nations: Snoqualamie (Jake), Choctaw (Jesse) and Citizen Potawatomi (Alan). Alan Hernandez of Lake Forest Park, WA taught the drum workshop - each CPN member taking away a 10" goats skin drum on a maple frame with deer lacing. Drum beaters were also crafted from tree branches and leather.