Learning Resources
This collection brings together books, articles, videos, and podcasts focused on Potawatomi history, culture, and the broader experiences of Indigenous communities. The resources highlight removal, resilience, language, and cultural preservation, providing opportunities to learn from multiple perspectives. Explore these works to deepen your understanding and to honor the stories carried forward.
Land too Good for Indians: Northern Indian Removal.
University of Oklahoma Press, 2016.
The Pokagons, 1683-1983: Catholic Potawatomi Indians of the St. Joseph River Valley.
Green Bay: University of Wisconsin, 1984.
The Prairie People: Continuity and Change in Potawatomi Indian Culture, 1665-1965.
Lawrence: Regents Press of Kansas, 1977.
Indians and a Changing Frontier: The Art of George Winter.
Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, in cooperation with the Tippecanoe County Historical Association, 1993.
Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day.
Brazos Press, 2023.
Walking the Trail of Death.
1st ed. Marion, Ind.: 2007.
The Potawatomis, Keepers of the Fire.
1st ed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1978.
Pushing the Bear: After the Trail of Tears.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2009.
(ISBN 978-0806140698)
The Reason for Crows: A Story of Kateri Tekakwitha.
New York: State University of New York Press, 2010.
(ISBN 978-1438426723)
Watchekee (Overseer) Walking in Two Cultures.
Self-published. Historical depiction of the author’s great-great-grandmother through oral histories and historical sources.
Once a Grass Widow: Watchekee’s Destiny.
Self-published. Historical fiction based on the author’s great-great-grandmother’s life.
The Indian Marble.
Self-published. Historical fiction inspired by a marble that belonged to the author’s great-grandfather John Baptiste Bergeron.
Road to Uncertainty: Trials of Potawatomi Removals.
CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2015.
(ISBN 978-1515305668)
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.
Grand Rapids, MI: Milkweed Editions, 2015.
Imprints: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the City of Chicago.
Michigan State University Press, 2016.
The Dispossession of the American Indian, 1887-1934.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991.
The Last Blackrobe of Indiana and the Potawatomi Trail of Death.
1st ed. Casper, Wyo.: Charles River Press, 2006.
Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny.
Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2006.
Dancing On Our Turtle’s Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence.
Winnipeg, Manitoba: Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2011.
“A Native American Perspective: Canaanites, Cowboys and Indians.”
In Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World, edited by Sugirtharajah. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2006.
Gathering the Potawatomi Nation: Revitalization and Identity.
University of Oklahoma Press, 2016.
The Journals and Indian Paintings of George Winter, 1837-1839.
Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1948.
Documentary
“Like Birds in a Wind Storm” – Potawatomi Trail of Death Documentary
Citizen Potawatomi Nation / YourStory Digital, 2017. Features interviews with Potawatomi descendants.
Educational Video
American Indian Removal: Does It Make Sense?
Smithsonian NK360, 2020. Animated educational video featuring middle school student responses.
Video
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center Tour
C-SPAN Cities Tour, March 3, 2018. Discussion of CPN history, forced removal, and cultural preservation.
Podcast
Episode 297: Indian Removal Act of 1830
Ben Franklin’s World, March 16, 2021. Duration: 1 hour 1 minute.
Podcast
Native Peoples and Redefining U.S. History
We the People, National Constitution Center, November 17, 2023.
Podcast
Hownikan Podcast – Official CPN Podcast
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Public Information Department. Ongoing series highlighting CPN issues, members, culture, and history.
Podcast
Bodéwadmimwen Kiktowen – Potawatomi Language Listening Skits
Citizen Potawatomi Nation, SoundCloud. Series of language learning skits released weekly.
Article
“Remembering the Trail of Death and its impact on the Potawatomi people”
Potawatomi.org, November 4, 2020.
Article
“Trail of Death” – Encyclopedia Entry
CPN Cultural Heritage Center Online Encyclopedia, 2021.
Digital Resource
CPN Cultural Heritage Center – Online Resources
Potawatomiheritage.com, 2021. Includes encyclopedia, archives, family manuscripts, and genealogy resources.
