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Forest County Potawatomi - Wisconsin (U.S.)

Native American

image located by Ben Cahoon, 19 April 2018

The band
The flag

See also:

The Band

map image by Peter Orenski based on input from Don Healy

Forest County Potawatomi - Wisconsin

Nearly 1,000 members strong, the Forest County Potawatomi possess a 12,000-acre reservation in northern Wisconsin near the border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Tribe was formed in 1913 and received Federal recognition in 1937.

As with nearly all contemporary Potawatomi across the country, the Forest County Potawatomi celebrate their ancestral role as the "Keepers of the Sacred Fire". Long ago the Ojibwe (Chippewa), the Ottawa and the Potawatomi were united. The Ojibwe were the "Keepers of the Faith", the Ottawa were the "Keepers of the Trade" and to the Potawatomi came the duty of maintaining the fire around which the Tribes would assemble.

The Flag

The flag of the Forest County Potawatomi emphasizes this traditional role. The flag is white. It bears the seal of the Tribe in the center. That seal is composed of a medicine wheel also called the circle of life. That wheel is subdivided into four quadrants, four being a sacred number to most Native peoples in North America. The upper left quadrant is black which represents the end of life and the direction, West. The upper right quadrant is white and stands for North and hibernation or dormancy. The lower left is red for South and rebirth or rejuvenation and lastly the lower right is yellow for the East and new life. These four colors are frequently associated with the four seasons and the four races of mankind as well.

Overlying the circle of life is a gray outline image of a warrior tending a campfire - thus the "Keeper of the Sacred Fire". Hanging from the circle are three eagle feathers depicted in black and white.

Forming a semi-circle over the tribal seal ins the name "Forest County Potawatomi Community" in black letters. In some depictions of the flag, underlining the seal also is the sobriquet "Keeper of the Fire" again in black.

© Donald Healy 2008
information provided by Peter Orenski, 5 January 2008