How do Potawatomi Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things any children do–play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Potawatomi children like to go hunting and fishing or camp outdoors. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have dolls and toys to play with. Older Potawatomi kids played team ball games–lacrosse for boys and men, and double shinny for girls and women. Like many Native Americans, Potawatomi mothers traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs–a custom many American parents have adopted now. What were Potawatomi men and women’s roles? Potawatomi women were farmers and did most of the child care and cooking. Potawatomi men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Both genders practiced story-telling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine. Unlike some tribes, the chief of a Potawatomi village could be either a man or a woman. What were Potawatomi homes like
