Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, until his political fortunes soured and he was replaced. He became an ambiguous icon of an early Indian who obtained "celebrity" status. Appearance at the World's Columbian Exposition On October 9, 1893, Pokagon was a featured speaker at the World's Columbian Exposition. He gave the mayor of Chicago a copy of a deed to Chicago wrapped in birchbark . He was also the umpire for a lacrosse game featuring Iroquois and Potawatomi athletes. He dressed in a suit but wore a feathered cap as a mark of his Potawatomi identity. He gave a speech to a crowd of nearly 75,000, addressing the devastation of alcohol on Indians and stated that his people needed to abandon their tribal allegiance and pursue U.S. citizenship:What can be done for the best good of . . . our race? Our children must learn that they owe allegiance to no clan or power on earth except these United States . . . [they] must be educated and learn the . . . trades of white men . . . [then] they will be able to compete with the dominant race.Another part of his speech, published in the Chicago Tribune, reflected his hope for the progress of his tribe:I shall cherish as long as I live the cheering words that have been spoken to me here by the ladies, friends of my race; it has strengthened and encouraged me; I have greater faith in the success of the remaining few of my people than ever before. I now realize the hand of the Great Spirit is open in our behalf; already he has thrown his great search light upon the vault of heaven, and Christian men and women are reading there in characters of fire well understood; ‘The red man is your brother, and God is the father of all.'The conclusion of the day was Pokagon's appearance on the "History of Chicago" float alongside a replica of a statue of Black Partridge. Legacy and honors A monument to both Simon and his father Leopold Pokagon was proposed for Chicago's Jackson Park but never built. (Jackson Park Office, Chicago Park District). Pokagon State Park in northern Indiana is named for both of them. See also Leopold Pokagon Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians References Tribal elders and Clifton, James A., The Pokagons, 1683–1983, Catholic Potawatomi Indians of the St. Joseph River Valley, Lanham,