Bozho, Alex Wesaw nde zhnëkas. Pokégnek Bodwéwadmi ndaw. Hello, I am Alex Wesaw. I am enrolled with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. This is how we introduce ourselves in the Potawatomi language. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians are a federally recognized tribal government, located in southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana.
While I am a citizen of the Pokagon Band, I have lived my entire life here in Ohio. I grew up in Bremen in Fairfield County. In my position at Ohio History Connection, I manage the relationships our organization has with 45 federally recognized tribal governments that historically have connection to the lands we now know as Ohio. Those Tribes are now located in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, there are no FRTs located in Ohio.
This is a direct result of the removal policies set by our federal government—specifically the Treaty of Greenville of 1795 (Darke County), which ended the Northwest Indian War and removed Tribes from most of what would soon become the state Ohio, except for the northwestern corner. Today there are 574 FRTs in the United States. While there are no FRTs in the state today, there is an abundance of tribal history here and countless tribal influences on our state and communities. Many Ohioans may not even realize it—including even our state name.