The Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi) people have been in what is now the Midwestern United States and Canada for centuries.

According to oral accounts, the Potawatomi people share a common ethnic ancestry with the Ojibwe and Ottawa peoples. The tree formed the Council of Three Fires in 796 AD at Michilimackinac, which later became known as Mackinac Island. The Potawatomi were considered the "youngest brother" in the Council of Three Fires until European-America expansion led nearly to the extinction of the tribe in the 19th century.

Sometimes spelled Pottawatomi, Pottawatomie, or other variations, the Potawatomi are American Indians of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. Traditionally, they speak the Potawatomi language in the Algonquin family of languages. The Potawatomi language is similar to the Odawa language, although it has also borrowed vocabulary from Sauk.

The Potawatomi call themselves Neshnabé, which is a cognate of Anishinaabe, which means "keepers of the fire," a reference to the Council of Three Fires.

Some bands of Potawatomi were pushed west by European-American encroachment in the 18th century, and were eventually removed from their ancestral home in the Great Lakes Region to reservations in Oklahoma. The Indian Removal Act, signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830, forced them to cede much of their land to the federal government, and most of the Potawatomi were relocated to Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian Territory, although some small bands managed to remain in the Great Lakes Region, primarily in Michigan, and are federally recognized as tribes today. Others fled to Canada to avoid removal to the West. There, they resided largely with the Ojibwa.

Thus, the Potawatomi first lived in Lower Michigan, then moved to northern Wisconsin, and eventually settled into northern Indiana and central Illinois. In the early 19th century, a large portion of Potawatomi lands were seized by the United States government. Under the terms of the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, the tribe was forced to cede its lands in Illinois, and most of the Potawatomi were removed to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Following what became known as the "Trail of Death," many of the Potawatomi people died en route to these new lands as they were forced to travel through Iowa, Kansas, and Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

Federally recognized Potawatomi tribes in the United States today include the Forest County Potawatomi Community (Wisconsin), the Hannahville Indian Community (Michigan), the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe (Michigan), the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (Michigan), the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (Michigan and Indiana), the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation (Kansas), and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (Oklahoma).

First Nations in Canada with Potawatomi people include the Caldwell First Nation at Point Pelee and Pelee Island (Ontario), the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation at Bruce Peninsula (Ontario), the Saugeen First Nation at Bruce Peninsula (Ontario), the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point (Ontario), the Moose Deer Point First Nation (Ontario), the Wasauksing First Nation at Parry Island (Ontario), and the Walpole Island First Nation on an unceded island between the United States and Canada.

Traditionally, the Potawatomi were structured into clans, which were basic kinship organizations that formed bands, each of which were self-governing. Each clan was named after an animal or bird. The tribe practiced kinship from the father's side, but individuals could also choose to be associated with the families of their maternal grandfather. This provided a wider kinship network in the event of conflict. Traditionally, clans lived in summer villages that were typically led by chiefs, who were usually the heads of leading clans. Tribes did not select a sovereign leader, except in particular circumstances, such as intertribal warfare.

Today, these villages are replaced by federally recognized bands with politically independent governments, executive operations, laws, and services, and tribal chiefs are elected political leaders.

The Potawatomi have their own tribal governments, many of which have established gambling casinos and other business enterprises; although many Potawatomi still practice many of the traditional customs and ceremonies and are actively involved in the preservation of their culture, traditions, language, and heritage. Most Potawatomi speak English, however.

Topics related to the Potawatomi people in Canada and the United States are the focal point of this portion of our web guide.

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