First of all, this is not Potawatomi that we're writing down here. That language, according to my uncle, is not possible to represent in English. I didn't understand that when he said it, but it's beginning to sink in. We discussed the word for tree, for example, which contains references to any tree's essence, or spirituality. And also the Great Spirit, the one we call kshe'mnIto. These things can be translated, but only partially. The tremendous loss of meaning, ideas that simply cannot be conveyed in a list like our basic dictionary is an uncircumventable problem. Nevertheless, we still try. Be forewarned, however, of the inadequacy of our attempt.

Second, I've needed to say for some time now that this "Prairie Band Potawatomi" homepage is unofficial, simply the effort of a few Prairie Band Potawatomis to share some of what we know--first and mainly, with other Potawatomis out there, but secondly and inevitably, with anyone else. This has its problems, since Potawatomis are private people and have, to this point in history, managed largely to escape being written about, being exposed to the general public. We put these pages on the web with great hopes to do good, but also nervously. We ask that you be careful with anything you download from here, and that you respect the People, whether or not you ever understand them.

Third, this work began as a sideline, barely an idea, pursued part-time by a father and a son who found something in common, something that they could actually do together, and that seemed to be a good thing to do. We are happy to have received encouragements from some of you in this last year. We are downright excited that a few folks have decided to volunteer their precious time to our project. This is now truly a collaborative effort, so you may expect to see improvements to the property on a more regular basis.

pama mine' --Smokey (6/24/96)

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BWAKA - about us bode'wadmimo speak Potawatomi nIshnabe'k The People

mzenegenek books nizhokmake'wen resources/help Homepage: news & updates

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We are glad to receive your questions and comments.

Text and graphics copyright © Smokey McKinney 1996

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