HOWNIKAN Aptebbongises | December 2020 Top photo: An ornament showcasing the CPN seal Capps and Barrett awarded Pottawatomie Power top spots adorns a Christmas tree. By Suzie Campbell and Alex Sloan, Countywide & Sun A LOOK INSIDE Countywide & Sun originally published the following photograph and stories Page 3 on Nov. 5, 2020, and the Hownikan is reprinting a compilation here with permission and light edits. Every decade, the Countywide & Sun newspaper conducts the Pottawatomie Power Polls. Readers and residents nominate Pottawatomie County leaders Former Navy pilot aims to and then vote to determine the top 10. In change aviation through education 2020, two of Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s executive team received rankings as the Page 8 county’s two most powerful people. Vice-Chairman Capps soared to the top of the polls and accepted first place during a gala held Oct. 10 at Crossing Hearts Ranch in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Chair- man John “Rocky” Barrett came in second. “I like for my directors and managers at Pandemic brings surge in online CPN to think of me as ‘working with Citizen Potawatomi Vice-Chairman Linda Capps receives a standing ovation ordering to FireLake Foods them’ instead of them ‘working for me,’” as she is presented with a dozen roses, a glass ceiling necklace and a leadership lapel pin from the Countywide & Sun’s Pottawatomie Power event manager Capps said. “That attitude changes the Kayxandra Koonce during the gala held Oct. 10 at Crossing Hearts Ranch whole undertone with relationships in the in Tecumseh. (Photo by Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun) Page 13 workplace. I want to have a supportive Bootmaker finds artistry role, and I want our employees to feel It has been an exciting journey to under,” Barrett said. “And that’s made in tradition empowered to make decisions on their be a leader of such a great Tribe.” all the difference in the world.” own. I think if you have done your job as their leader, they should know the Community work He said the re-written constitution Pages 15-19 limitations of that empowerment.” established the legislative and executive Tribal Executive and Through their work, Barrett said he structure that are still in place today. Legislative updates Capps believes growing up and living in a hopes that the people of Pottawatomie Since then, Barrett’s philosophy of small town gave her ample opportunities County see the Tribe as a benefit community reinvestment has put to be a leader. She attributes part of to the whole community. the CPN on an upward trajectory. Page 20 what she learned about leadership One of the earliest such investments, “I hope that people in the county Walking on skills to her family. She said, “As the Barrett said, was the purchase of youngest sibling of seven, I learned a begin to realize that it’s not a First National Bank in 1989. lot from watching my brothers and zero-sum game,” Barrett said. “And it was a little double-wide trailer sisters achieve throughout the years.” He said the Tribe’s success enables it NON-PROFIT FIRST CLASS in a gravel parking lot,” Barrett to create jobs and pursue investments STANDARD MAIL STANDARD Before being elected to Tribal office said. “And it’s grown to over $300 in 1987, Capps spent 25 years as an that benefit the county as a whole. million in assets that we have now.” educator in Pottawatomie County and “The rising tide lifts all boats,” Barrett said. held several other jobs — all of which she In addition to First National Bank, said prepared her for the next challenge. Capps is proud of several initiatives she Barrett said the Tribe has established brought to CPN, including working with other entities to promote growth and PR SRT STD PR SRT US POSTAGE PAID At the ceremony, Barrett said her opportunity in the community. US POSTAGE PERMIT NO 49 PERMIT PAID PAID PERMIT NO 49 PERMIT NO 49 PERMIT U.S. POSTAGE Tribal Rolls shortly after 2001 to develop NON-PROFIT ORG NON-PROFIT STIGLER, OK 74462 STIGLER, OK 74462 STIGLER, OK 74462 PR SRT FIRST CLASS FIRST PR SRT new title was well deserved. picture ID for Tribal enrollment. “This “The Community Development “Having experienced and long-tenured was a huge undertaking for thousands of Financial Institution is a treasury people in office has really helped us, Tribal members,” Capps said. “Charles department entity that is designed you know,” Barrett said. “We don’t Clark, director of Tribal Rolls, has done to make higher-risk loans to reinvent the wheel every two years.” a tremendous job with that endeavor.” individual Indians or businesses, or to tribes,” Barrett said. “We’ve Capps said Barrett’s place at the Capps was also instrumental in acquiring used that money to help our people top of the Pottawatomie Power the Knight Farm, the Giverny Golf develop their own businesses.” Poll was also well deserved. land, and the Luman property — all important parcels of land for CPN. She It now has $27 million in lending “CPN is fortunate to have Chairman was involved with the electrical project capital. According to Barrett, it’s the Barrett as an outstanding leader, one with to “bring CPN out of the dark” in 2005, largest and most successful CDFI in great visionary skills that have brought installing streetlights on Hardesty Road the United States. Capps felt called to CPN to where it is today,” Capps said. from Gordon Cooper to Highway 177 assist the greater community through “It has been somewhat of a roller coaster, as well as Gordon Cooper past CPN. her work with the CPCDC as well. whirlwind, or a combination of the two. If there’s a theme to CPN Chairman “My heart was in the middle of establishing “There were many important projects Rocky Barrett’s legacy, it’s the philosophy the employee loan program at CPCDC, that the Chairman implemented for his of reinvestment in the community. He our Community Development leaders to work on until perfected,” Capps was elected to his current office in 1985 Corporation, to help our employees with said. “CPN progress has been a true and has worked to improve the Tribe low-interest loans that can be repaid team effort. In fact, our CPN workforce and Pottawatomie County ever since. by payroll deduction,” Capps said. could be labeled ‘Leadership’ because there are leaders in every department “I had the privilege to write the new who work diligently in the community. constitution that the Tribe operates Continued on page 6 2 DECEMBER 2020 HOWNIKAN Wadasé makes a return visit By Bree Dunham and previous year’s dates of nesting behaviors Jennifer Randell, CPN we noted, which include arrivals for Eagle Aviary Managers nesting pairs, chicks in nests, fledging and departures. While doing this, we The first signs of fall for us here at the couldn’t help but wonder about Wadasé CPN Aviary weren’t the changing leaves Zhabwé. We have spent hours poring or even the weather but instead the air over her telemetry data since her GPS around us that was filled with migrating backpack stopped transmitting last birds and butterflies. Monarchs were in November. Looking for patterns in abundance, many females laying one frequent visits to areas during the fall last batch of eggs as they passed through and winter, we hope to narrow down to their wintering grounds in Mexico. locations that she might have chosen Large kettles of turkey vultures slipped to nest. Although, there is one pattern by, one after another, as they rode and place unrelated to the focus of thermals south. We also began to see nesting that stands out. Wadasé has never groups of Mississippi kites, nighthawks failed to come home in the beginning and flocks of gulls about the same time of fall or during the winter months. the hummingbird feeders, which had been overrun with frenzied feeding, Every large bird that crosses the sky gets sat nearly empty. Fall was here with a second or third look, just in case. For migration well underway. weeks we’ve been on alert every time the Aviary staff welcome Wadasé home. eagle calls alert us to intruders above their looking down into the enclosure. As we between flights to the river and adjacent airspace, with false alarms from turkeys stood watching, all of a sudden, the bird west pasture. Our resident wild eagle pair, walking too close to their enclosures and sat up and we could see a white head, Martin and his mate, may have kept her resident red-tails circling overhead. A few and as its wings opened, we scrambled from venturing too far east of the creek. juvenile eagles have sent us scrambling for binoculars. It took one half-flighted Everyone is a little territorial with nesting to get binoculars, cameras or spotting hop to the next rafter and looked back around the corner. The following day, scope, thinking it could be Mko down. It was Wadasé. It had to be. No from sunrise to sunset, we didn’t see her. Kno, but 2020 has been anything but other bird in all this time has landed, predictable. And although the cause for done that to get a response, and not Although her visit was short, it was a alarm hadn’t been Wadasé or even Mko gotten a reaction from the eagles in the blessing to know that she is still thriving Kno yet, we continued to look. enclosure. We made our way to the in the wild, and we have an answer about aviary office to get a better look, and With that in her telemetry.