Potawatomi Prairie

Potawatomi people lived in the Chicago area long ago. The following paragraphs tell what 
their life might have been like.

Summer 
We will set up a large house in the big village now. We use long poles to build its structure. The roof covers the cooking area, so that it is even bigger than the floor. I sow our food with my mother. We dig in the ground with a shoulder bone from a deer to turn the soil. It is difficult work to dig and to plant. After we harvest, we will have a lot of food. It is always a great time for everyone because we see our friends and extended family. My sister’s favorite season is summer because there are so many things to see and do. My mother likes it too because she likes to be with our big family. There is a lot of work to do, but everyone helps and there is company. 

Autumn 
We have a lot of food. We have lots of corn. Every day, I gather more beans. We’re drying the big gourds to save for the winter. My father got salt from a salt spring and we are using it to dry the meat. Soon we will move to our winter camp. I search for nuts and berries from the forest. Sometimes, I eat them when I find them, but I bring most of them home. 

Winter 
We saw deer and raccoons and knew this would be a good place for hunting. Therefore, we set up a wigwam, which we made from the branches of trees. We stuck one end in the ground and then tied them together in the middle. We left a gap for the smoke from the fire to get out. We pasted bark on the outside of the wigwam to keep the inside warm. Today, it is cold and it just snowed. My father says it is a good day to track for elk. He will be able to see the tracks in the snow, so he will soon go to hunt. My mother says that afterwards we will have lots of food, but also plenty of work. If we don’t have enough food in this place, we may have to move our camp to another place, with more animals. We will look for a place with more animal tracks. 

Spring 
We can find my favorite food now. We get it by making a hole in a tree and then the sweet juice comes out of the tree. My father is going fishing with a net he made from deer sinew. He throws it in the stream and then it sinks down. He tied shells to the bottom of the net, so when they fill with water, it descends to the bottom of the stream. This summer, my brother will get to fish, too. He has a line and hook, which he uses to catch the fish in the lake. We get fish in the winter only when we cut through the ice to get to them. So fishing is mostly a spring and summer job. My father likes the spring best. He says it is a time of hope. He hears the birdssing and sees the plants start to grow again. I like spring, too because soon we will see the flowers.