Getting Back To My Roots

Native American Brett A. Brinton is a tribal and family member with the federally registered Potawatomi tribe in the U.S., the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.  Brett’s mother Joan Bourassa (Brinton) Rettinger was the daughter of Mark Bourassa, a 100% Potawatomi and Brett’s grandfather.  Mark Bourassa’s grandparents were one of the original founding families of the tribe.

Recently there was an annual Family Reunion Festival of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a celebration of native culture for the Potawatomi. Brett Alan Brinton and his wife Joy brought their 5 year old son Matthew, also a tribal member.  Brett and his family joined with his mother and brother, Bill Brinton, Jr. and his son Mark, all tribal members at the Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Festival involved several events and took place the final weekend of June 2011.

This year the tribe celebrated Brett Brinton’s native family – the Bourassa family along with 7 other founding families at the Reunion. Brett’s family meets up with his mother’s cousin Norman Kiker in Shawnee for lunch.

The festivities included traditional ceremonies such as Grand Entry, Family Honors, and General Council. There were also many games, events, and other activities for families to enjoy. The first night of the festival, Brett Brinton and his brother Bill represented their district in the “Hand Games” event.  District 8 led by Representative Dave Carney printed great t-shirts for the team. Brett and his team members wore shirts that were printed with “Fast Hands” or ‘Gshinenjen’ in Potawatomi language.  Apparently the team name was a good omen as the team advanced to the finals after the first round.

Brett Brinton and his wife Joy celebrated their 12^th Wedding Anniversary during the festival. Brett took Joy to the FireLake Grand Casino where they enjoyed checking out the new casino and the live music.

Brett Brinton and his family recently familiarized himself with the traditions and history of his tribe at lunch with extended family living in Potawatomi County, Oklahoma.  The ancient Potawatomi people were once part of an immense group that had traveled down the eastern shores of North America along the Atlantic Ocean.

Brett learned that the Potawatomi people firmly believe that they were called the “people of the place of the fire” because they retained the original council fire after the immense group split into three tribes. Today, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation refers to themselves as the Nishnabec or the “True People.” 

During the mid 1650’s, French traders visited the tribe and found them growing corn, gathering wild rice, and harvesting an abundant supply of fish or Pike from the western waters of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.  Ironically, Brett found that his wife Joy was a Potawatomi princess in her school play when residing as a youth in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Kenosha was originally named Gnozhe in Potawatomi – “place of the pike”. 

At the height of the Fur Trading Era that spanned an entire century, the Potawatomi controlled a tribal estate that encompassed Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and a small portion of Ohio over 5 million acres. This was accomplished through long standing leadership and savvy business skills. Brett Brinton, now CEO of Zonar Systems can attest to the native instinct and hereditary personal traits that depict these same successful business skills known and practiced by his native ancestors.

It should be noted that the Potawatomi were simply not satisfied with trapping furs. Instead, they entered into a rivalry with the Ottawa for a share in the role as middleman for trade into the Green Bay area. Using their entrepreneurial skills, they began to hire other local tribesman to collect and trap the furs that they once procured. In turn, they would sell or trade the furs to the French, thus expanding their tribal control and estate over a vast area. The Potawatomi were genuine, trustworthy and bright business people whose traits are still found among the native sons like Brett Brinton and his brother Bill.

Brett was able to tell his son Matthew that it was well known that the Potawatomi adapted to their wilderness environment by mainly traveling on Lake Michigan and its tributaries rather than traveling over the land on horseback. Perhaps that is where Brett Brinton gets his love for boating and water sports and why his family resides today on the Puget Sound where a boat is handy in their backyard for crabbing at anytime in the summer months.


Learn more about the Potawatomi Nation and keep up with their upcoming events! http://www.potawatomi.org/