Potawatomi by Jesse Bradley The Potawatomi were mostly farming people. The women planted and harvested corn, beans, squash, and tobacco, gathered wild rice and berries as well. The men hunted deer, elk, and wild birds and caught fish. The Potawatomi also tapped trees for maple syrup. They moved their villages as often as necessary. If game was scarce, they had to move to where it would be more abundant. As the seasons changed, so did the needs of the people. Different fish ran at different times of the year; the people would stay by the rivers then until they were done harvesting the fish. In 2004 the construction of a new Potawatomi village began -a permanent village this time. Construction started in July on the northeast side of the museum. Though a lot of the brush has been cleared away in the past three months, there's still quite a bit that needs to go. Paths are being cleared. It's a beautiful area to walk through; the perfect sanctuary for a village. There are giant oak trees, with history of their own, patiently waiting to be a part of the Potawatomi history again through this village. Several plants that have long been used for medicinal purposes have rooted themselves into the ground there, ensuring that their part in the Potawatomi history will be told as well. Marvin DeFoe has spent many long hours the past few months collecting materials for two wigwams that he is making for the village. Collecting cattails until he nearly grew one himself, DeFoe has been using the inner bark from birch trees to sew them together. This will eventually be the sides of the summer lodge, allowing the cool air to blow through. Standing on the hillside there were hundreds of images going through my head; pictures in my mind of what it must have been like to have been there, so long ago, at the edge of a village. So much has changed. I see a village, though, when I stand on the lawns of the people. Their houses are different, vehicles sit outside the homes, some have boats, but they, too, are different than they used to be. Culture and traditions have adapted to suit the times, but they're still here nonetheless. All the bonds that tied the people together uniting the village are present here and now. A group of people, families, working together to provide for their loved ones -isn't that what a village really is? It stirs a person's emotion to look back, to remember. Its human nature to change, but it doesn't always come easy. We are a constantly learning, constantly striving, species. We shouldn't look back at things we've lost. We should look back at how far we've come and know that in the upcoming years we will impress ourselves again.