Potawatomi Heritage at Cedar Lake

Lassen’s Resort was established on the ancestral homeland of the Bodéwadmik / Potawatomi people. They maintained summer and winter encampments on the northeastern shore of the lake they call Mskwabagombes / Lake of the Red Wood. Here they fished, hunted, gathered, and harvested with respect for the land and intimate knowledge of its ability to sustain life until many were forcibly removed by the United States government. With the Potawatomi peoples today, we are forming a partnership to share Indigenous heritage through storytelling and lived experiences as guided by the citizen members of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.

Native Advisors

Potawatomi Center of History & Culture
Pokegnek Bodewadmik – Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Dowagiac, Michigan

Our land acknowledgment and exhibit were developed with guidance from citizen members of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, including Cusi Ballew, Matthew Bussler, Julie Dye, Kyle Malott, Jennifer Marcussen, Amy Jo Morseau, & Cecil Wilson.

Professor John Low:

John N. Low received his Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan, and is an enrolled citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He is also the recipient of a graduate certificate in Museum Studies and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. He earned a BA from Michigan State University, a second BA in American Indian Studies from the University of Minnesota, and an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. > Read More

Our Culinary Anthropology exhibit features excerpts from Professor Low’s presentation, Keeper’s of the Fire: A history and introduction to the community through text & images

View Slides