In much of his writings, Pokagon wrote about the past and traditional ways of life; he lamented the passing of a "vanishing" race of Indians. But the Pokagon Potawatomi were not vanishing. They had organized a Business Committee, a traditional, democratically elected tribal council that governed by consensus and advocated for the rights of tribal members. Meanwhile, most tribal members worked as laborers at local factories and farms and retained close ties to the Catholic Church. According to the historian Susan Sleeper-Smith, unlike the neighboring Miami in Indiana, who "hid in plain sight", the Pokagon Potawatomi tightly held onto their traditions and sense of community.