First Americans Museum Celebrates Opening Weekend Balloon During Firelake Fireflight After Decades of Being Hindered by Balloon Festival in August 2021
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HOWNIKAN Zawbogyagises | September 2021 Top photo: View of the North Canadian River from a hot air First Americans Museum celebrates opening weekend balloon during FireLake Fireflight After decades of being hindered by Balloon Festival in August 2021. inconsistent funding and bureaucratic red tape, the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City opens to the A LOOK INSIDE public Sept. 18 and 19. The weekend includes tours, demonstrations, poetry Page 5 readings, fashion shows, shopping, family activities and more. The staff and volunteers’ excitement shows their dedication to the project, which they look forward to sharing with the public. “We want to set the right perspective and tone for opening weekend Tribal member honored through because it really is a true celebration memorial scholarhsip of how far we’ve come and that the museum is finally open,” said Ginny Pages 10-11 Underwood, FAM’s marketing and communications manager. Potawatomi Leadership Program Class of 2021 Citizen Potawatomi Nation employee and Curley family descendant Kendra From the architecture to the exhibitions, the First Americans Museum near downtown Lowden volunteered to assist the museum Oklahoma City offers opportunities to learn about the 39 tribes in the state. Page 13 opening weekend. She has waited more than a decade for the opportunity. “The land itself used to be an oil field. And first Native American U.S. poet laureate so we had to reclaim the land and heal the and Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen. “The FAM staff I have interacted with are land before we could start the structure tribal citizens with a focus on properly of the museum,” Underwood said. “In The rest of the day’s presenters representing the cultures and histories 2005, there was a ground blessing here include Indigenous chefs, artists, of all Oklahoma tribes. It touches my with our tribal communities,” with musicians and dancers. There will heart to know that the people doing the more than 1,000 people in attendance. be movie screenings and drum- Students benefit from daily work at FAM have a deep, cultural making demonstrations and even a summer programs connection to their work,” Lowden said. The grounds and interior of the community mural project for children. building include three Oklahoma Art Land and architecture in Public Places pieces in partnership “Once you get on campus, there’s just so Pages 14-18 with the Oklahoma Arts Council, many things to do and engage with First The museum’s designers and architects bringing some tribes’ oldest beliefs American cultures as well as enjoy the Tribal Executive and worked meaning and Native and traditions into the modern-day. exhibition. So we’re just expecting a … Legislative updates significance into every portion of large crowd those days,” Underwood said. the building and property. Tesia “There’s just a lot of things that I think Opening weekend shines a light on Pages 19-20 Zientek, CPN tribal member and CPN people are going to find unexpected the museum’s bigger mission through Department of Education Director, and really enjoy seeing over and Walking on exhibitions and day-to-day programming. recognized those connections during over again,” Underwood said. a recent tour. The commitment to NON-PROFIT FIRST CLASS “Our hope is that people leave the detail inspires her volunteerism. The design also incorporates a 159-seat STANDARD MAIL STANDARD museum as well as our programs with theater, gift shop, café and restaurant, for a deeper and revitalized respect for “Decades of thought, advocacy and which Citizen Potawatomi tribal member artistry have made the museum what the arts, history and culture of the 39 Loretta Oden serves as chef consultant. tribes here in Oklahoma today,” said it is today, and it made me emotional Former Potawatomi Leadership Program to see it come together after so much Adrienne Lalli Hills, associate director participant Jackson Barrett also works for learning and community engagement, combined effort,” she said. “The way that for the FAM as a guest services associate. PR SRT STD PR SRT US POSTAGE PAID US POSTAGE PERMIT NO 49 PERMIT PAID PAID PERMIT NO 49 PERMIT NO 49 PERMIT U.S. POSTAGE and Wyandot Nation member. NON-PROFIT ORG NON-PROFIT STIGLER, OK 74462 the facility incorporates the environment STIGLER, OK 74462 STIGLER, OK 74462 PR SRT FIRST CLASS FIRST PR SRT and tribal details from the floor to the “This museum will be a great opportunity The museum welcomes the general public ceiling is absolutely breathtaking.” to shine a light on Native American to attend fun family weekends year- history in this state and to teach people The structure serves as an astronomical round with art activities and interpretive about the history and the culture of stations included with admission. Walk- clock, according to Underwood. The sun all the different tribes,” Barrett said. rises and sets on different sections of the in tours and performances account for a tiny portion of its offerings. museum to commemorate the special The museum offered Lowden and times of the equinox and solstice, as well other volunteers a preview of the “We’ll also be designing programs with as observing the cardinal directions. museum, and she was enthusiastic our Native visitors in mind,” Lalli about the opportunities it provides Hills said. “So, we’ll have special “Everything about how FAM is positioned to bridge that understanding. is in relation to that,” she said. “So that’s tours for groups of Native folks that kind of an exciting thing for people just want to deeply engage with our “I am excited to see all of the Native people stories and the objects on view.” to understand that so much thought and other Oklahomans begin to explore has been given to not just the objects the museum grounds and facilities,” she The museum includes two long-term and things that they’ll find in our said. “I can already feel the energy I galleries. Okla Homma’s three sections exhibitions, but also the architecture know will be present opening weekend.” follow a historical timeline of the area and the layout of the museum itself.” once known as Indian Territory, from Programming and storytelling The FAM campus includes a 90- the land’s original inhabitants to the foot mound that connects visitors Opening weekend kicks off with represen- present day. The interactive exhibits allow visitors to play games, explore to an ancient history of Mound tatives from all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribes and leave with a hands-on experience. Builders while offering a stunning convening, followed by remarks from view of downtown Oklahoma Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoa- City and the Oklahoma River. tubby and a reading from Joy Harjo, the Continued on page 7 2 SEPTEMBER 2021 HOWNIKAN Treaty of Fort Wayne, the War of 1812 On Sept. 30, 1809, Potawatomi, Winamac served as a double-agent, trying Delaware, Miami and Eel River to maintain a positive reputation among tribal leaders signed the Treaty of his people while also providing Harrison Fort Wayne, which included ceding and the federal government intelligence approximately 3 million acres of regarding the growing Nativist movement. land in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan for 2 cents per acre. “Harrison rewarded Winamac well, but many Potawatomis disliked Some tribal leaders saw the treaty as an the chief, envisioning him as opportunity to provide for their people little more than a puppet for the while others believed it merely supported Americans,” Edmunds wrote. non-Native expansion in the Great Lakes region. The agreement ultimately Tecumseh determined a compromise brought an end to peace between the between Natives and non-Natives was Unites States and many Native Nations, impossible after he attended a failed creating a divide that contributed conference at Vincennes, Indiana, to the start of the War of 1812. with the U.S. officials and Winamac in 1810. The Shawnee chief focused Persuasion the rest of the year recruiting Native warriors across the Great Lakes Eager to build upon the legacies of The Treaty of Fort Wayne is also known as the Ten O’clock Line Treaty and provided fuel for many Native Americans to follow Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa. region to support his confederacy. past administrations, President James Madison worked to acquire more and several Delaware leaders with the federal government due In the fall of 1811, Harrison led more Native American land throughout convinced them otherwise. to their villages’ locations near than 1,000 men to confront those at his presidential tenure. Madison’s American military outposts. Prophetstown, resulting in the Battle secretary of war, William Eustis, ordered “The Potawatomis and Delawares agreed of Tippecanoe. The conflict created then-Indiana Territory Governor to participate in the cession only as ‘allies’ Nativism further divide between the United States William Henry Harrison to assemble of the Miamis and not as owners of the and Native Americans, encouraging all the Indiana tribes at Fort Wayne lands, but the technicalities made little During this time, the Shawnee prophet Tecumseh’s confederacy to ally with Britain. in September of 1809 to reach an different to Winamac,” Edmunds wrote. Tenskwatawa and his brother Tecumseh’s agreement that would open lands for movement was gaining traction across The Treaty of Fort Wayne not only settlement south of the Wabash River. In return for Winamac’s efforts, the Indian Country, which Winamac resulted in over 3 million acres of Potawatomi received an increased and other older chiefs resented. They Native lands opening to non-Native The Potawatomi “were led by Winamac, amount of trade goods, which many encouraged Native Americans to band settlement, but it also increased U.S. perennial friend of the United States, needed to overcome the recent together against white encroachment and Native American tensions, laying who earlier had assured Harrison harsh winters.