Last Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 3:06 PM CDT
News : Forest County Potawatomi Culture Center, Library and Museum nearly completed
by Melissa Theisen - Forest Republican Editor - mtheisen@forestrepublican.com
Construction of the Forest County Potawatomi Cultural Center, Library and Museum is nearly completed, with its Grand Opening set for late July 20, 2007. To be added to the Cultural Center and Museum, which have been in place since October of 1999, will be a larger gift shop, additional staff offices, an east side walkout deck with outdoor fireplace and the heart of the project, the Forest County Potawatomi Kakendaswen Library.
According to Director Mike Alloway, Sr., the library will have a variety of Native American literature, fiction and non-fiction, along with computer terminals available to the community and public for studying, tutoring and research purposes.
“We were fortunate enough to get the support from our community to build such a facility,” said Alloway. “Our intent is to provide a mechanism or means to the general public so everyone can learn more about the indigenous peoples of North America. The center will have reference books, out-of-print books, atlases and maps. We also carry all local as well as Midwestern tribal newspapers and issues of Native Wisconsin Magazine.”
He went on to say that the larger gift store would allow them to feature significantly more variety of goods.
“We want to offer more items of originality for example beaded items, basketry, hand made moccasins and contemporary items for our local crafters,” said Alloway. “For added convenience, we have also included an on-line gift store which can be accessed through our tribal museum web page at www.potawatomimuseum.com.”
Alloway also said that the addition to the building would allow for proper, temperature controlled storage systems for the artifacts currently housed in the museum.
“Resources today have enabled the ability to spread our wings a bit and offer more to our community,” he said. “The addition's lower level will provide today's standards of proper archival and artifacts storage separated from a language office and classroom, maintenance office and workshop areas, along with a dark room and a photography studios.”
Since opening the Cultural Center and Museum have provided the community with weekly on-going Potawatomi language class instruction with prior classes on basket weaving, miniature to full scale model canoe building, regalia making, flute making, moccasins, dance bustles, ribbon appliqué, copper bowls and many more. Pottery and black ash basket classes will be offered for the summer months.
According to Alloway, the Cultural Center is also used for ceremonies, Talking Circles, Youth Conferences, weddings and funerals, as well as inter-departmental meetings for the Forest County Potawatomi.
If you are interested in learning about the Potawatomi language, the museum's main gallery features language kiosks which have many common words, pronunciations, information on the origins of the language as well as traditional Potawatomi folk-tales.
The rest of the gallery encompasses a variety of information via text panels, which are bilingual with the inclusion of contemporary and historical photograph reproductions; additional audio/visual interactive kiosks and artwork that allows the tribe to share with many visitors the language and life-ways of the Forest County Potawatomi Community.
“Exhibit content was provided by tribal members along with several artifacts on loan by the Milwaukee Public Museum,” said Alloway.
Costs are $3 for tribal and non-tribal members to enter the museum, $1 for elders and children between the ages of 5 and 12. Children under the age of five are free. For more information on the museum, including hours, location and events, visit www.potawatomimuseum.com.
“This center is a place to gather, a place for people to worship in accordance with their own beliefs. It is intended to utilize what we still to do,” he said.
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