Bozho (Hello). For those of you who made the trip to Suitland, Maryland for our March 2012 visit to the Archives,
migwetch (thank you). For a tour-in-pictures, please see the photos under the Photos tab. I hope you can join us for our next Potawatomi outing.
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DISTRICT #2 PHOTO CONTEST -- WINNING PHOTOS . . .
It is my pleasure to announce the winners of my recent District #2 Photo Contest and to share with you the top three photographs, reflecting the contest theme "A Good Woman."
District #2 resident Bob Richey/Shaweno wins the grand prize with his entry depicting Doris Richey, his mother, receiving the Soldiers Medal for her bravery while serving during World War II as an Army nurse in the European theater (she was injured during her service and also received the Purple Heart). Mrs. Richey is honored in the Women in World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. and soon will be honored on our CPN Veterans Wall of Honor. Mrs. Richey was a mother of four children and registered all on the Tribal Rolls when they were children. Bob Richey will receive a full-size Citizen Potawatomi Nation flag for his winning entry.
There also are two great runner-up photos to share with you. The first, submitted by Tom Pyeatt of Des Moines, Iowa (District #1), depicts four "good women" in Tom's life, shown from left to right: Patsy Vawter, San Diego, CA (District #6); Nina White, Bossier City, LA (District #2); Peggy Hill, Murfreesboro, AR (District #2); and Nelda Seever, Navarre, FL (District #2).
The second, submitted by Steve Lynch/Yatsoket of Beaverton, Oregon (District #8), depicts Dr. Steve's mother, Lucille Anna Darling-Lynch-Walters. Gramma Lu, as her grandchildren called her, is shown with her three grandchildren Sheli, Kelly and David (all from District #8). In submitting the photo Dr. Steve noted that he, Kelly and David received their Potawatomi names about a year ago and he knows that if Lucille were alive she would have loved to receive her name as well.
It was a real delight to receive the entries and experience the love and pride that radiated from them -- migwetch to everyone who entered and please consider participating in a future District #2 contest.
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MAY 2012
Bozho/Hello,
Devine Naming. Being in the Washington, D.C. area gives me the chance to meet up with
Potawatomis who are passing through for work, vacation, medical visits, etc. As one example,
I recently had the honor of hosting the Pittman-Devine (Nadeau/Vieux) families at our home
here. I named Potawatomis Samantha Pittman Devine (Senajewen) and Annaleah Pearl
Devine (Samantha’s and Danny’s 2-1/2 year old daughter) (Gigokwe), while their sponsors
Annabelle Pittman (Samantha’s mother and Annaleah’s grandmother, Mnokeekwe, up from
Florida) and Danny Devine, Master of Arms in the U.S. Navy, as well as husband and father to
Samantha and Annaleah, stood up for them. The family was in the area briefly while Danny
Devine is visiting Walter Reed Hospital after two tours in Afghanistan for which he has been
awarded the Purple Heart. They will all soon return to Sicily. This naming was in lieu of the
Family Reunion Festival naming we would otherwise have planned.
[...]
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ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
Bozho. Welcome to the District #2 website. This site offers information to Citizen Potawatomis and their families throughout the District of Columbia and the 13 Southeastern States that make up our region: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida. Much of what's here also may be useful to Citizen Potawatomis in other parts of the country (and even the world -- I know the site gets visitors from Germany, France, and Australia) and you also are welcome! I am open to suggestions for improvements and different or additional content and look forward to hearing from you.
Please take the time to look around the site. You'll find information on (1) Services (what the Nation offers and what the Indian Health Service offers us in District #2), (2) Heritage (Eagle feather application, traditional stories, and more), (3) Photos of events around our District and in Oklahoma, and (4) my HowNiKan articles, which report on District events and Legislative initiatives. There's a lot of information to explore. Also, please click on the highlighted calendar dates for upcoming Potawatomi-focused events in our District or in Shawnee, and email me if you have events of general interest to our community that you'd like me to add to the calendar.
Please feel free to contact me by phone, e-mail or US mail. My contact details are at the top of the page and on the "Your Legislator" page! I look forward to hearing from you. Migwetch.