In a recent phone call a lady asked for some information about the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Tribe, and in the course of the conversation mentioned that she didn't realize the tribe was still in existence. This woman lived in nearby Iowa, not on the East coast.

Some of this reasoning comes from the history books that give the impression Indians died off in the 1800s, but to the contrary, Indians are alive and well and some live in Northeast Kansas.

The trick for the modern day Potawatomi is to accommodate all the change but maintain ties to an Indian society. It's the important elements such as tradition, culture, language, children, respect for elders, history and - whether it's liked or not - politics that are factors in how the tribe survived the trauma of past events and how they cope with modern day problems. And there are plenty of those.

It is a complex time of many distractions.

Modern technology and transportation and more opportunities make it easy to enjoy the pleasures of life. One can sit in front of a television all day watching soap operas, ESPN, news of the day or movies. Or go to work eight hours a day. Yes, even VCRs are available and used extensively.

Or simply by jumping in a car or truck, town is only minutes away. Hwy. 75 is now a four lane with a 70 mph speed limit. Vast malls, movies, bars and the fast life of the city pull Indians away from the reservation.

Every conceivable pleasure, vice or church is within reach for the modern day Indian. Times indeed have changed. In the not so distant past, those options weren't so readily available.

Yes, the temptations of life are there but many choose to maintain a quiet lifestyle and they are not all older people.

Potawatomi people don't live in teepees, or if we need to be historically correct - birch bark homes, anymore on the reservation. Indians don't wear buckskin and feathers. Modern society has arrived - ready or not.

Materialistic tendencies came with the early day fur trade and has multiplied since. In a way, Indians can truthfully say they live in two worlds.

Most Indians want the best of both worlds and by sheer necessity have to subscribe to that belief or notion. Contemporary times for the Potawatomi reflect a time and a need to live in two worlds - one driven by the economic machine of this country and the other by a need to keep alive the old tradition preserved by so many ancestors.

Indian people are here to stay and aren't a thing of the past to be viewed as colorful and interesting. And, yes, they much to offer. Some of their stories were told earlier in this series. You be the judge.

In the foreseeable future, the promised riches of casino gambling might improve the infrastructure of the tribe but history will have to judge that latest panacea to come to the reservation.

Without a doubt, an improved road system, where the tribal members have had to put up with pot-holes galore for years, is more than welcome by the tribal members who have made the reservation their home since childhood.

Politics will always remain a helter-skelter affair but if a few improvements to the reservation are made, it will make for a productive and successful administration for someone. Maybe. One never knows in tribal politics. But, that's true everywhere.

One thing is sure and that is the final chapter to the Potawatomi story is yet to be written. This is only the start.