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Potawatomi Indians
The Potawatomi tribe originated from the upper
Mississippi River area. They were in close alliance
with two other Indian tribes, and together they formed
The Council of the Three Fires. The Potawatomi
Indians were considered to be the youngest group of
the three. Over time, they earned themselves the
nickname Potawatomi Indians, keepers of the fire.
The entire group of all three tribes traveled down the
eastern shore of North America, until they split up
near Canada. The remaining members of the Potawatomi
Indians, keepers of the fire, ended up living mostly
in the Michigan area. Although the name of the tribe
has been subject to various different translations, in
general the word Potawatomi means “people of the place
of the fire.” Today the tribe likes to call
themselves the Nishnabec, with the meaning “true
people.”
Around the 1650’s, the Potawatomi Indians began
establishing a very impressive fur trading business
between themselves and the French. When the French
approached them, they were very impressed with the
tribe’s ability to grow healthy plants such as corn,
and hunting fish and gathering wild rice. This
impressive act encouraged a flourishing business
between their own tribe and the Europeans.
It’s been said the Potawatomi Indians, keepers of the fire, were
actually very intelligent and savvy business owners
who knew how to get the most out of their dealings
with people from Europe. Although the following
century was prosperous for the tribe, by the late
1700s and nearer to 1800, a large number of members of
the tribe known as the Mission Band were forced to
move and travel across a span of about 5 states.
Eventually the Potawatomi tribe settled in what is now
known as Oklahoma, although many members also ended up
in places such as California, Oregon, Colorado, and
Idaho.
Joseph Paige © 2006
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