- Details
- By Levi Rickert
HOPKINS, Mich. — Citizens of various Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi) nations participated with tribal pride in the Parade of Nations on Thursday evening, the fourth day of the 2025 Pottawatomi Gathering currently underway in West Michigan. The gathering is being hosted by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, commonly known as the Gun Lake Tribe.
Approximately 5,000 Potawatomi from across the United States and Canada are expected to attend the week-long annual event.
Earlier on Thursday, Potawatomi leaders from nine Potawatomi tribes signed Articles of Confederation that established the Bodéwadmi Confederation of Tribal Nations.
Thursday's Parade of Nations served as a prelude to the powwow, which will be held Friday evening and Saturday at the tribe’s scenic powwow grounds at Jijak Camp in Hopkins, Michigan.
https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/photos-of-the-2025-pottawaomi-gathering#sigProIdaeab7d8178
Editor's Note: All photos by Levi Rickert.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Sisseton-Wahpeton Leader Calls Lawmaker’s Now-deleted Social Media Post ‘Inflammatory’
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
