"Pokagons today dwell where generations of their ancestors lived because their leader maintained a vibrant tribal society while building harmonious relationships with neighboring settlers.

Over the decades, of course, members assimilated into the larger community to such a degree that the tribe's cultural legacy was fading.

Today, the tribe is using its resources to establish unique programs to improve the lives of their members through health and social services, housing and education, including the teaching of native language which had nearly disappeared.

A more visible initiative to those outside the tribe, perhaps, is the reclamation of natural areas here, including the one of the last remnants of the Grand Kankakee Marsh near North Liberty. This restoration, in connection with the U.S. Department of Natural Resources' Wetlands Reserve Program, will not only enhance the tribe, but reduce the severity of regional flooding and create a corridor of wildlife habitat that links state conservation areas, parks and private landowner efforts."

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Editorial: Building a future, reclaiming a past (The South Bend Tribune 10/5)