Why is Illinois’ transfer of Shabbona Lake State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe significant?
Potawatomi Prairie Band Chairman Joseph Rupnick speaks during a press conference surrounded by federal, state and local elected officials and Prairie Band leaders on August 11, 2022 in in DeKalb County, Illinois. Maria Gardner Lara/WNIJ
Last year, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation made history when it became the first federally recognized Native American nation in Illinois since the mid-1800's. The tribe's homelands are in the Great Lakes region, but many of its members were forced off that land. For generations, the nation has argued that some of the land in Northern Illinois was illegally sold to white settlers.
Nowadays, the nation is based in Kansas. But over the years, it's been slowly buying back parts of its original reservation in Illinois. Earlier this year, Governor JB Pritzker signed a law to transfer ownership of Shabbona Lake State Park to the tribe.
A member of the Prairie Band tribal council disccusses the history of the tribe, its connection to Illinois and what this move means for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
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Raphael Wahwassuck
Tribal Council Member, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
