Ekwabet 20th Birthday Party:

In 1988, the city dedicated a bronze statue to the memory of the Potawatomi people who lived along the Fox River. This year Ekwabet, which means “watching over,” will be twenty years old. In celebration there will exhibits and special events during the month of May. Further details.

The following Ekwabet Birthday Party programs will be held in the Library:

Gayle Ross, Storyteller

Thursday, May 15, 7-8 p.m. for grades 3-12 & adults
Friday, May 16, 4:15-5 p.m. for grades K-8 & adults.

Master Storyteller Gayle Ross will share contemporary and traditional Native American stories. Gayle Ross is a descendent of John Ross, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation during and after the infamous “Trail of Tears.” Her grandmother told stories and it is from this rich heritage that Gayle’s storytelling springs. Gayle has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, and on the National Public Radio programs “Living on the Earth” and “Mountain Stage.”

Native Peoples of Illinois by Meg Bero

Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m.

Native Americans have lived in the Midwest, including the portion that became the state of Illinois, for at least 10,000 years. In 1673 French explorers and missionaries met Native American tribes living in what the French called “the Illinois country.” They called it that because it was the home of a large group of Indians whose name sounded, to the French, like “Illinois.” The French built forts along the principal river of the region, which they also called “Illinois.” By 1835, less than 200 years later, all native tribes had been removed from the newly established State, but the name Illinois remained. This presentation focuses on the history of Native Americans in our state.

Sculptor of Ēkwabet, Guy Bellaver

Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m.

Ēkwabet is the monumental sculpture of a Potawatomi Indian that sits on the east bank of the Fox River in St. Charles. Dedicated on May 22, 1988, the anniversary of that event is being celebrated in St. Charles, city-wide, throughout the month of May. 
      Guy Bellaver will be speaking about sculpting and the project “A Potawatomi Returns to St. Charles” at the St. Charles Public Library, on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
      The sculptor of Ēkwabet, Guy Bellaver has lived in the Fox Valley since 1985.  He began working on the project “A Potawatomi Returns to St. Charles” almost from the first day that he moved to the area, as a result of a chance meeting with a fellow Rotarian and life-long resident of St. Charles who had hoped that the St. Charles Rotary Club could take on the project to replace a sculpture of a Potawatomi Indian which had been installed in 1915 and lost to deterioration and vandalism in the 1960s. The project was conceived and executed by a group of Rotarians and other community members whose intention was to renew the city’s commitment to its Native American heritage – and to do so with a major piece of public art. 

The Library display case will hold items provided by the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures at Aurora University. The Center serves as both a museum of Native American culture and as a setting for research and teaching related to the study of cultural artifacts and related texts. The Center is located in the lower level of Dunham Hall, (at the corner of Randall Road and Marseillaise Place) in Aurora, Illinois 60506.