By Cecil Wilson, Historic Research Specialist
Join us as Cecil Wilson, Historic Research Specialist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians gives a presentation on the history of the Pokagon Band in our local area and Southwest Michigan. Pokagon citizens have long sustained their culture and connection to their homeland; numerous placenames in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan continually reflect that connection. The Pokagon people have endured thanks partly to their values of Wisdom, Love, Respect, Truth, Honesty, Humility, and Bravery. Adapting these deeply rooted ideals to contemporary circumstances has made the Band an engine for economic development and a model for sustainable living in the region.
Cecil Wilson is a Pokagon Potawatomi and a member of the Turtle Clan. He is pursuing a doctorate in U.S. History through Western Michigan University. Cecil works as the Historic Research Specialist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Center of History and Culture. His primary job is to research the vast history of the Potawatomi people and to share his findings with his community, as well as reaching out to the surrounding communities to discuss an often-forgotten history of our shared lands. Cecil also works in the Tribal Historic Preservation Office and works with NAGPRA compliance for the Pokagon Band.
