To celebrate Native nations is to celebrate Wisconsin, a state rich with Native American culture and history.
This week through Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Madison Public Library and Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison present Teejop and Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations.
Nine local Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Ottawa nation members have been selected to showcase the cultures of Indigenous nations through a variety of educational and interactive programs. Think: Food tasting, jewelry crafting, and storytelling.
Event lineup
*Registration is required for the events marked with an asterisk. Sign up by clicking the “Signup required” hyperlink below each event listing.
- Beaded Drum Necklaces | Wednesday, Oct. 11 | 5-7 p.m. | Pinney*
- Applying Indigenous Culture to the Climate Crisis | Friday, Oct. 20 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Sequoya
- Survive and Thrive | Monday, Oct. 30 | 6:30-7:45 p.m. | Pinney
- Black Ash and Paper Basketmaking | Saturday, Nov. 4 | 9:30-11 a.m. | Meadowridge*
- Ho-Chunk Food Tasting | Saturday, Nov. 4 | 1-2:30 p.m. | Alicia Ashman
- Bracelet Workshop | Monday, Nov. 6 | 1-3 p.m. | Lakeview*
- Growing Up Native in Wisconsin | Tuesday, Nov. 7 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Hawthorne
- “Thunder in the Dells” screening and panel discussion | Wednesday, Nov. 8 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Central
- Language Revitalization | Tuesday, Nov. 14 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Central
- Beaded Keychains Workshop | Saturday, Nov. 18 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Goodman South Madison*
- Decolonizing Gender and Sexuality | Monday, Nov. 20 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Central
- Storytelling and Native American History | Tuesday, Nov. 28 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Central
- Quillwork | Saturday, Dec. 2 | 12-4 p.m. | Hawthorne*
- Tom Weso’s Survival Food Memoir: Menominee Places and Stories | Wednesday, Dec. 6 | 7-8 p.m. | Virtual*
Pro tip: Refer to Madison Library’s locations list for the address and contact info of each library listed above.
Wisconsin’s Indigenous history
An aerial view allows us to better see the humanlike features of Man Mound. | Photo via Sauk City Parks Dept.
Here are a few fast facts about Indigenous history in Madison:
- Wisconsin is the epicenter of effigy mound culture. At one point, there were an estimated 15,000 mounds in the state. Due to natural processes, European colonization, and urban development, that number has dwindled to around 4,000.
- American Indian histories differ based on tribal affiliation. Each tribe has tribal councils, or governments, to provide leadership.
- UW-Madison’s First Nations Cultural Landscape Walking Tour teaches participants about First Nations’ modern and historic relationships with some campus buildings, historical markers, and archaeological sites.
- Old Turtle, Four Lakes, and Broken Arm were Ho-Chunk agricultural villages where corn was the main haul. Today, Middleton, Madison, and Monona are a few of the 608’s largest cities.
