CPN has a vibrant oral communication tradition . Their magnificent Citizen Potawatomie Nation Cultural Heritage Center in nearby Shawnee is a repository of a proud historical past , present and future . Much of what ’ s found in the free and open to the public facility is derived from oral accounts , written records and artifacts passed down over centuries . Willett ’ s work is a 21st century continuation of that .
“ Our tribe passes stories and information orally so getting to host a podcast and doing things audio production-wise for us is super great ,” she said .“ I love meeting tribal members , interviewing them and hearing about their lives and expertise . I love learning something new and do every single time that I talk to a tribal member . There are so many tribal members doing so many incredible things literally all over the world . I ’ ve talked to expert cartographers who have put indigenous languages on a map of North America . For some tribal members through our newspaper we ’ re they ’ re primary news source for the tribe so it ’ s great to tell them about what ’ s going on day to day in terms of services and upcoming events .”
A couple of those CPN members well known in Norman are Anishinabe Design ’ s Cheryl Lockstone and the Pioneer Library System programming specialist Britt Muirhead . They ’ re just two among the thousands who reside in central Oklahoma .
OU ’ s Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History hosts an annual event that CPN actively participates in called the Native American Youth Language Fair .
Perpetuating the language of those who call themselves “ People of the Place of the Fire ” is a key component of CPN identity . They believe it ’ s a common thread binding them together historically and culturally . In some times and places Anglos have made them fearful of speaking the Potawatomi language . It ’ s CPN ’ s mission now to provide resources for members to use and speak with no trepidation . Willett admits she ’ s not fluent but she ’ s an enthusiastic student .
“ I ’ ve done a set of classes with the language department here ,” she said . “ It ’ s amazing and has so many wonderful resources . It ’ s a long process and I’ m definitely still on that journey . My great grandmother went to Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania and she didn ’ t speak Potawatomi . So you ’ d probably have to go back five or six generations in my family to find speakers . Something I enjoy on my job is being part of the newspaper that connects people more , helping them learn our language and history . Working for my tribe every day I feel like I ’ m part of something bigger than myself .”
TOP : CPN youth in traditional regalia displayed at the Cultural Heritage Center .
CENTER : CPN elder in traditional regalia on display at the Cultural Heritage Center .
BOTTOM : CPN garment artifact on display at the Cultural Heritage Center .
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