Latest news with #Potawatomi
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
I suspect there's something poisonous about money. That's why I'm embracing a gift economy
I've heard from a very wise friend that something she hadn't previously considered, which she read in my 'tiny house' article, was that the housing market requires most people to be in debt. It's been a strangely positive experience to come to the concept of 'economics' through living my life as a poet, novelist and medical journalist, because it allows me to critique things that might otherwise go unnoticed. Another very wise friend told me that her husband went to university to study economics, was told on day one that the entire model is built on a concept of infinite growth, and he quit to become a gardener. No wonder we're friends. The first book of economics I read was The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The point of this beautifully written, small book (a long essay, really) is that different concepts of 'economies' exist – we needn't be beholden to the neoliberal, western, cut-throat, strangle-your-dreams economy that many of us feel mired, indeed trapped, within – and she describes something from her Potawatomi heritage called the gift economy. She speaks of reciprocity and abundance, rather than grasping and scarcity. The revolutionary thing about Kimmerer's writing is that it's gentle, assured, and as a reader I'm left with no doubt that she's correct. With my leap to a tiny house, part of my decision-making came from the practical economics of the fact that I would either need to earn more or spend less. Because my daughter is not yet in school, I want to spend less money so I have more time: so I can be present and available for her. No doubt, I could have turned my efforts to a full-time job with higher income, put her into full-time daycare – but none of that appealed to me. A slow and gentle lifestyle is possible, it's just not sold to us, so it is harder to listen out for. We have to listen for that silence beneath all of the racket and noise. For me, even right this moment, that silence is not silence: it's raindrops and birdsong. The morning sun is lighting up the pale bark of the gumtrees. Fairy wrens are dancing on my deck. I can choose to spike my nerves and turn on the news, because yes, I want an update on how that fair vessel Madleen is doing: my mother's heart holds all her crew close, and I am amazed to be in a world where such feats could be seen as heroic, but in fact feel simply necessary. Even their work, should it succeed, is a gift. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning How many gifts surround you? My daughter is a gift, and because I co-parent, every day I get with her is a gift. The friends who have been involved in this tiny house project have all given me gifts of time, ideas and even objects – doors, use-of-ute for moving and a wardrobe. My health is a gift, and my health has been far better since embarking on this journey towards a gift economy. Of course I pay for groceries, but when I'm in my new space, I'll be able to grow vegetables, and there is a popular local 'crop swap' in my village. I'll be down the road from a few small-scale producers, where I can buy potatoes from a neighbour and lentil dal for family-friendly prices. In some ways, though organising my week is work – juggling journalism, part-time PhD, primary parenting – it's also a pleasure, because I'm choosing it. We want our lives to be full of pleasure, not debt. I've noticed something too: the more money people have, the less pleasant they sometimes are (not always). It makes me suspect there is something poisonous about money. There are plenty of large-scale examples rampaging about right now; I don't need to name names. But recently I had the pleasure of sitting in my neighbour's sauna; she lives in a tiny house, she retired early and she has no debt. She shared that wealth by inviting me to her personal wood-fired sauna, where we chatted about many of the things she learned about tiny house living. A weekend afternoon spent in a luxurious sauna, and it didn't cost me anything. Lately, I've had the gift of some lovely home-cooked meals with friends and have remembered how that is, perhaps, the greatest gift of all. Sharing food, sharing time, sharing meals. Embracing a gift economy and a smaller scale of life, I'm abundantly grateful. Kelley Swain works in the field of medical and health humanities. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania, working on a project about poetry and motherhood
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Indigenous Peoples trail sign goes up at The Depot
GOSHEN — A trail marker at The Depot is meant to shed light on not only an Indigenous trade route between Fort Wayne and Chicago but also the people who traveled it. Mennonite Central Committee Great Lakes unveiled the new sign marker for the Potawatomi-Miami Trail on Friday at the Depot in Goshen. The 145-mile trail would have passed on land close to the thrift store, according to information from MCC. The Potawatomi-Miami Trail was a major trade route that stretched from the Maumee River Watershed in Fort Wayne to Lake Michigan in Chicago. The Potawatomi and Miami peoples used the route to transfer goods and visit villages throughout the region long before European explorers and settlers arrived in the region. A group of volunteers is working to memorialize the history and recognize the Indigenous people of the region by creating a trail marker system along the route. The dedication ceremony was meant not just to draw attention to the trail but also the people who first called the region home. 'The installation of these trail markers helps us with our collective memory and honoring the people whose land we inhabit as we remember their history and their presence today,' said Alicia McLeod, MCC Great Lakes peace and justice coordinator. 'This project goes hand-in-hand with the work of Mennonite Central Committee as we remember the harm and violence that has occurred and work towards restoration and right relationships.' The trail mapping project began around 10 years ago after Luke Gascho, executive director emeritus of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center at Goshen College, came across surveyors' maps from the 1830s while researching the history of his property. He said he saw an Indigenous trail marker on the map and wanted to learn more, so he put a team together. Volunteers documented other spurs and arteries of the transportation network, and consulted with preservationists from the Miami and Potawatomi. They found that in Elkhart County, the trail runs diagonally from the northwest to the southeast. Their long-term goal is to mark the route across northern Indiana as it passes through private properties and county land. In some areas paved roads follow the original trail, such as segments of U.S. 33. The first markers went up at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in the fall of 2023. The logo on the signs combines images that have significance to the Potawatomi and Miami, including medicine wheels, sandhill cranes, strawberry plants and a turtle, according to Gascho. The sign also shows the route of the trail and a QR code that leads to a website with more information: The Potawatomi and Miami Trail Marker Group consulted with representatives of these tribes, who also collaborated on the name of the trail. They include the tribal historic preservation officer for Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the executive director of the Harvard University Native American Program and former director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, the tribal historic preservation officer for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, the director of the History and Culture Center for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and the curator of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration taps Potawatomi chairman to serve as DOT's tribal affairs office
Forest County Potawatomi Chairman James Crawford has been selected by the Trump administration to serve as the U.S. Department of Transportation's assistant secretary of tribal affairs. Crawford has served as chairman of the tribe for 15 years and will have to resign to serve in the new position. Tribal Vice Chairman Ken George, Jr., will serve as interim chairman until a special election May 10. '(Crawford) has been instrumental in helping us overcome countless obstacles and achieve numerous milestones,' George said in a statement. 'His steady leadership, constant presence and unwavering commitment to the Potawatomi will most certainly be missed.' Crawford succeeds Arlando Teller, a Navajo Nation citizen, who served as the U.S. DOT's first assistant secretary of tribal affairs after his 2023 appointment. Last year, the Potawatomi Tribe became the first tribe in the state and fourth in the country to win autonomy in deciding its transportation needs. Through the Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program with the U.S. DOT, the tribe gained control over its infrastructure needs, instead of relying on federal planners to make construction decisions. Many of the tribe's transportation projects programs are still federally funded, but the new program means the tribe is able to implement its own 2025 infrastructure plan, like ATV routes with a tunnel under U.S. Highway 8 in Forest County. 'It moves us away from a 'one size fits all' approach that's often been imposed upon us,' Crawford said at the time the self-governance program was signed. More: Potawatomi Tribe becomes first in Wisconsin to win self-governance in transportation needs Potawatomi Tribe was a major donor to Republican Party in 2024 The Potawatomi Tribe has about 12,000 acres of reservation land primarily in Forest County in northeast Wisconsin. The tribe is one of the largest employers in Milwaukee County, mostly through its hotel and casino, and business development corporation in Brookfield. In 2024, the Potawatomi Tribe was one of the largest donors to Wisconsin's Republican Party, contributing more than $1 million, largely due to sponsoring the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The tribe typically donates up to around $200,000 to both the Republican and the Democratic parties every year. A tribal spokesman said it would have contributed similarly to the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee had it not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic because of the potential economic impact to the city from these conventions. Sign up for the First Nations Wisconsin newsletter Click here to get all of our Indigenous news coverage right in your inbox Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@ or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Potawatomi chairman resigns to serve on U.S. DOT
Time Out
29-04-2025
- General
- Time Out
See renderings of the proposed 3.5-acre DuSable Park that's been in the works for years
Chicago's lakefront is one of the city's most beloved highlights, and it's about to get even better. Plans for a 3.5 acre-park located in Streeterville east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive were unveiled this month, and they're looking beautiful. Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable Park will be home to lush native landscapes, stunning city views and educational elements honoring du Sable's life and legacy, who is recognized as the city's founder. Chicago-based Ross Barney Architects and Brook Architecture are behind the $15 million project. The renderings highlight built-in seating areas, landscaped mounds and walking paths. Chicagoans will be able to stroll through the region's native landscape on a nature boardwalk through prairie and wetland habitats, also embracing opportunities to learn more about du Sable. The design involves a pavilion meant to resemble the house he once lived in nearby, plus educational displays about him and his Potawatomi wife, Kitihawa, and a statue of the figure. Getting to the park will be a breeze by foot, bike and public transit. Plans include connections to the Chicago Riverwalk and the Navy Pier Flyover on the Lakefront Trail as well as a bus stop. The park site is located near 400 N. Lake Shore Drive, a residential tower taking shape along the lakefront. The tower's developer, Related Midwest, is contributing $10 million to the park's cost. Chicagoans have waited a long time for the park to come to life—38 years. Former Mayor Harold Washington spearheaded the project back in 1987, giving the piece of land to the Park District specifically to develop it into a space honoring the historical character. 'It's been a long wait and we know it,' Chicago Park District Director of Planning and Development Heather Gleason told the Sun-Times. 'And so we're really dedicated to getting a park in there and making it usable and beautiful for the city.' The long-awaited park needs to obtain a few more approvals before it becomes a reality. In addition to the Park District, the Chicago Plan Commission and City Council will review the project. Officials are hopeful to be able to celebrate a ribbon cutting by the summer of 2027.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Burlington Free Press writer Dan D'Ambrosio wins regional award for immigration story
Burlington Free Press reporter Dan D'Ambrosio won a first place award Saturday in the 2024 New England Better Newspaper Competition in Portland, Maine, for his April 2024 story about an undocumented farm worker in Vermont who was deported to Guatemala last year, despite threats of criminal violence against him. D'Ambrosio won first place in the Social Issues Feature Story category for his story about Bernardino Suchite Canan. The competition is sponsored by the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA). Canan had been working on an Irasburg dairy farm for seven years before his deportation, quickly rising to a management position and exhibiting the traits of a "natural-born leader," according to the farm owner. Canan also had a pathway to a green card, allowing permanent residence in the United States, because he had been the victim of a violent break-in to his home on the farm in 2022, and was cooperating with the state's attorney to prosecute the perpetrator. All of that went away when Canan and his partner were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after visiting friends at a farm in New York, just across Lake Champlain. Canan was subsequently arrested for a DUI in the Northeast Kingdom. Canan and his partner testified he had never driven drunk before, but was feeling the stress of his interaction with ICE, compounded by the anniversary of a violent attack on his mother in 2021, which ultimately resulted in her death. Canan himself had fled Guatemala at 16 to escape criminal violence. An immigration court judge in Boston deported Canan despite the state of Vermont agreeing to put him into a diversion program on his pending DUI charges, which means the charges would not have gone on his record once he completed the program. The owner of the Irasburg farm also provided a glowing letter of recommendation for Canan to the immigration court, to no avail. Canan was represented in immigration court by Vermont Law & Graduate School Professor Brett Stokes and a team of student lawyers in the school's immigration clinic. "Lifting up the voices and the stories of Vermont residents is what the reporters at the Free Press strive to do each day," said Caitlyn Kelleher, New England Group Editor. "It is an honor to receive recognition for this work from our peers and the professional organization of NENPA. Additionally, we appreciate the courage that it took Bernardino Suchite Canan to tell his story to Dan. The stories of migrants are not just one for the U.S. southern border communities or big cities. Dan's reporting shows the daily struggles of the undocumented immigrants living and working in Vermont." D'Ambrosio also won a first-place award last year in the History Reporting category for his story about Saswa and Conauda, two Potawatomi boys, ages 17 and 15, respectively, who were brought to Vermont in 1827 by a Baptist missionary to study at Castleton Medical College, the first private medical school in the nation. Within four years, by 1831, both boys would be dead from tuberculosis, and their stories would recede into obscurity for nearly two centuries, until an investigation of Indian Boarding Schools by the U.S. Department of the Interior was published in May 2022. The report included a brief reference to two Indian students in Castleton, which led to the Free Press investigation. "This look at two teenage boys' brief time in Vermont nearly two centuries ago does a masterful and nuanced job of telling the broader story of the country's treatment of Indigenous people," the competition judges wrote last year about D'Ambrosio's story. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington Free Press reporter wins regional award for migrant story
