HOPKINS, Mich. — The 2025 Potawatomi Gathering is underway in West Michigan. The annual event is expected to draw approximately 5,000 Potawatomi citizens from various bands across the United States and Canada.
Hosted by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, commonly known as the Gun Lake Tribe, the Gathering kicked off on Monday with a language conference.
[Editor’s Note: While most Potawatomi bands spell the name with one “t,” the Gun Lake Tribe uses two.]
The first Gathering of Potawatomi Nations was held in 1994, hosted by the Wasauksing First Nation in Parry Sound, Ontario. It marked the inaugural pan-Potawatomi cultural gathering, aiming to revitalize language, heritage, and identity—uniting members from tribal bands across the U.S. and Canada.
Mawtheshnowen is the Potawatomi word for gathering.
The language conference began on Monday and continues through Tuesday at Hopkins Middle School and Jijak Camp in Hopkins, Michigan. Jijak Camp will also host the main events and powwow from July 30 through August 2, 2025.
