Native North American tribe of the Algonquian language family and of the Eastern Woodlands culture area.

The Potawatomi, or Fire Nation, were closely related to both the Ojibwa and the Ottawa peoples.

When the Potawatomi first became known to Europeans in the early 17th century, they were settled around what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Gradually they extended their territory until, by 1800, they dominated a large area from Wisconsin to Michigan and much of northern Indiana and Illinois.

During the colonial period they fought with the French against the British, and in 1763 they took part in the uprising under the Ottawa chief Pontiac.

They were allied with the British against the Americans in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812.

Between 1815 and 1841 the Potawatomi sold their lands to the U.S. government, and most of them moved west, eventually settling on a reservation in southern Kansas.

By the mid-20th century about 2000 Potawatomi lived in Kansas, with smaller bands in neighboring states. In 1990, 16,763 people in the United States claimed to be of Potawatomi descent.

"Potawatomi," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Potawatomi/Ojibway

The Potawatomi Indians, also known as the Ojibway, lived mainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario. They speak a form of the Algonquian language and were closely related to the Chippewa and Ottawa Indians.

Political alliances changed with the times. The Chippewas were allies of the French and French traders often married Chippewa women. Chippewa warriors fought with the French against the British in the French and Indian War. But during the American Revolution the Chippewas sided with the British against the Americans.

General Anthony Wayne defeated the Chippewas who fought alongside the Indians of the Ohio country at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. They gave up their claim to lands in Ohio with the signing of the Treaty of Greenville (1794), the Treaty of Fort Harmar (1789), the Treaty of Fort Industry (1805), and the Treaty of the Maumee Rapids (1817).

Text from the Ohio Historical Society Site, for much more information, please visit their site!